Garden Spot High School

Anna Zimmerman

Senior

Anna Zimmerman is a senior at Garden Spot High School and belongs to Petra Church in New Holland. She is involved in volleyball, softball, and ski club at school. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, skiing, hiking, and being outdoors.

Her favorite aspect of Garden Spot High School is building relationships and spending time with her friends. Her favorite class she has taken as a student of Garden Spot was her journalism class because she learned from a great teacher, and the subject interested her greatly.

After she graduates, she plans to use skills from her internship and job at Jane’s Flower Shoppe to pursue a career in floral design. To achieve this, she plans on taking additional floral design classes to someday own her very own flower shop.

Anna enjoys a multitude of hobbies, such as playing guitar, playing volleyball, kayaking, paddle boarding, and sewing.

If she could change one thing in the world today, she would want everyone to express the love of God to one another, as well as show each other more respect.

Currently, Anna feels that her greatest accomplishment to date is purchasing and remodeling a rental property. This accomplishment may be attributed to the two people she admires most: her parents. She acknowledges her parents for doing so much for her and teaching her many valuable life lessons. Anna is a hardworking student, a reliable friend, and a beautiful human inside and out. To know her is to love her.

Written by: Jewel Boninu

William Fithian

Junior

Will Fithian, a junior at Garden Spot High School, is an active member of the student body. He is involved in Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Vocal Ensemble, Garden Spot Performing Arts, National Honor Society, and Student Council. He loves seeing his friends and building relationships with his teachers at school. After high school, Will hopes to attend a college in Boston, Massachusetts where he will pursue a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Outside of school, you can find Will hanging out with friends or going to consignment shops where he finds unique gems for a cheaper price, also known as thrifting. As an introvert, he finds peace and rejuvenation through writing poems.

In his life, Will looks up to Ms. Martin the most, an English teacher at Garden Spot, because he admires, “her ability to work well with others and to be kind even through people’s differences.” He aspires to be as positive and optimistic as her by remembering that, “Even though we face challenges, life will one day get better.” If Will could change one thing in the world today, he would want everyone to be nicer to each other, “Although people can agree to disagree, it does not give us the right to spread hate.” Our Student Spotlight of the month has proven to be a leader, serving as this year’s Vice President for GSPA, an accomplishment he is very proud of. He approaches situations with gentleness and brings forth new ideas and fresh perspectives. Will has always been a student who willingly advocates for his classmates and knows how to empower those around him to be the best versions of themselves. In addition to academic excellence, he brings so much heart, warmth, and light into this world. It is an honor to have such a well-rounded student like Will at Garden Spot.

Written by: Haven Kha

Stephen Foor

Senior

Stephen Foor is a senior at Garden Spot High school and resides in Narvon, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Steve and Sharon Foor. His favorite part about school is seeing and interacting with friends; he does not actually like “the school part.”

Stephen enjoyed playing football at GS, where he played linebacker and running-back. After high school, he plans on attending Penn State and majoring in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. Continuing, Stephen is an active outdoorsman: he loves hunting and fishing and is even a part of a junior bass fishing team. In addition to hunting and fishing, he enjoys lifting weights and exercising, and attends Christian Fellowship Church in New Holland.

Moreover, if Stephen could change one thing in the world today, it would be the hate that people build up in their hearts, especially the hate seen in politics: he wishes people would stop looking at each other as Republicans or Democrats, and instead, see one another as brothers and sisters.

He feels his greatest accomplishment to date is getting accepted into Penn State University. At Garden Spot, his favorite class is AP Environmental Science with Mr. Zamperini, our football coach here at GS. In this class, he received the opportunity to learn about the science behind his preferred pastimes.

Stephen looks up the most to his cousin, Evan Martin, because Evan is the main reason why he became such an avid outdoorsman. Lastly, Stephen Foor demonstrates, day in and day out, what it means to be humble and selfless. Camaraderie with him is truly an honor.

Written by: Justin Kemper

Janae Benedick

Junior

Between homework and exams, school stresses everyone out at times. Finding that one person who makes it better and learning what she or he enjoys about school can help us dread the early mornings a little less. Janae Benedick, a junior at Garden Spot High School, always makes the day brighter and our laughs louder. Despite the long lessons and hallway walks, she enjoys the social aspect of school and seeing her friends every day. Currently difficult during COVID-19, she still enjoys attending marching band in the evenings. Janae feels her greatest accomplishment is being part of Honors Band where she plays the clarinet. Janae also enjoys being part of Calvary Student Ministries and attends Calvary Church in Lancaster. Hanging out with friends is also something that brings her laughs and smiles. Additionally, Janae loves photography, her favorite hobby and pastime: whether landscapes or portraits, she loves it. Consequently, her favorite class includes digital photography because capturing a moment is something she truly enjoys learning more about and loves taking pictures. After school comes to an end and graduation approaches, Janae plans either to do mission trips, or to go to college for occupational therapy, or to combine the two and do occupational therapy overseas as a missionary. She enjoys helping people and making a difference in someone’s day. If she were to change one thing in the world, she would choose world hunger. She feels very passionate about this serious issue. Janae feels that compassion and honesty prove extremely important to a person’s character. For this reason, she admires her grandmother. She feels her grandmother is such a strong person in all her endeavors and does not complain due to her pure heart. Janae treats everyone kindly and with respect, something many of us wish for in ourselves.

Written by: Cameran Martin

Jewel Boninu

Junior

Jewel Boninu is a junior at Garden Spot High School. She is involved in many extracurricular activities including volleyball, lacrosse, health council, class of 2022, National Honor Society, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). She serves as the Vice President of class of 2022 and is a leader for FCA. When asked what she likes most about school she says, “the relationships and friendships I get to make everyday.” Although Jewel thoroughly enjoys her time spent at school, she also enjoys her free time when she can work out and hang out with her friends. Also, Jewel attends youth group at Weaverland Anabaptist Faith Community and is a member of Gateway Church. After high school she is hoping to attend West Chester University and eventually become an athletic trainer. She also hopes to eventually marry and start a family of her own. As of now, she feels her greatest accomplishment is upholding her continuous positive attitude as much as possible, and holding herself accountable for this. Her positive attitude mirrors that of the person she admires the most, her grandfather. Jewel says she admires him because “he has dealt with a lot of things and is super strong; he has a really great attitude about life.” Jewel is an excellent student who demonstrates the importance of having an optimistic mindset. She makes school a more enjoyable experience for everyone around her.

Written by: Emma Gruber

Tavita Kauffman

Senior

Tavita Kauffman, Senior at Garden Spot High School, is highly involved in extracurricular activities including National Honor Society, soccer, lacrosse, marching band, and Garden Spot Performing Arts. Along with her extracurriculars, she enjoys drawing, painting, and spending time with family and friends. Because of her love for art, Tavita’s favorite class this semester is ceramics. “It’s very relaxing and challenging at the same time.” She loves how the class allows her to show her creative side while challenging her patience as she works to make a piece just right for an assignment. Tavita mentioned how she is grateful for the opportunity to go to school in person this year because she learns best when interacting with her peers. Tavita is working hard to finish her senior year strong as she prepares to attend PA College of Health Sciences where she will continue her education to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Outside of school, Tavita is a member of the Worship Center and helps at their local branch in New Holland called Forgiven Worship Center. Along with her high involvement, comes great accomplishments. Her greatest accomplishment to date is getting her driver’s license since her father was previously the only driver in her household. She explained that getting her license was a huge relief for her family because it virtually eliminated the stress of figuring out how everyone was going to get from place to place. “I am very fortunate that (my parents) are very supportive of me; they are always teaching me new lessons every day and have always been by my side through tough situations.” Likewise, Tavita continuously finds ways to help those around her as she works hard to succeed at everything she does.

Written by: Avery Stauffer

Danya Rose

11th Grade

Throughout the school, many students exhibit favorable traits and habits readily noticed by teachers and peers. One student, Danya Rose, certainly shows the pride of Garden Spot. Danya, a junior, is known throughout the school as a smart, helpful person whose focus on his studies is unrivaled. For example, after skipping the seventh grade, he started his high school career by taking many classes over the summer, as well as doubling up on subjects. Now, in 11th grade, he is excelling in many high-level subjects such as Calculus BC, AP Statistics, and AP Biology. He is a star example of an exemplary student here at Garden Spot High School.

Danya is good with social interaction as well. When asked about his favorite aspect of school, he answered, “I love the social aspects of school, in being able to talk out problems and learn from others. It’s honestly the best part of learning.” School is very important to him, as highlighted by his plan to change schooling for the better if given the opportunity. “I want there to be a focus on the harmony between technology and nature.” With his love for technology, math, and TSA, he wishes to study mechatronics and cognition in the future. Also a skillful musician, Danya’s love for piano and keyboard percussion serves both the high school jazz band and high school marching band. He also dedicates a portion of his day towards reading, which explains his fluidity in public speech and debating in clubs such as model U.N. and Quiz Bowl. All of this goes to show that Danya, like many others in his grade, is a spectacular student who brings so much to Garden Spot, whether it be his helpful nature or his curiosity towards studies.

Written by: Sean Skinner

Leija Hamzic

11th Grade

Leija Hamzic is a junior at Garden Spot High School. She participates in band and cheerleading and is also a member of student council and Tri-M Music Honors Society. Her favorite class is her internship at CPRS Physical Therapy. Although it is not a traditional class, Leija enjoys observing the therapists and gaining exposure to what the career entails. The internship has helped to solidify her career pursuit, and she plans to attend college to earn her doctorate in physical therapy. What Leija enjoys most about school is her teachers, as they make the lessons interesting and engaging. In her free time outside of school, Leija can be found practicing clarinet or relaxing and watching Netflix. Her hobbies include baking with her grandmother, traveling, and, of course, playing her clarinet. One of Leija’s greatest accomplishments is becoming a section leader for the clarinets in marching band this year.

Leija’s most admired person in life is her father. After the passing of her mother, he stepped up and took on the role of two parents. He never gave up, even when times were tough. He always puts Leija and her siblings first, giving them rides and coming to every game and event. The determination, perseverance, and warm heart of her father inspires Leija to work hard and push forward, even in difficult times. Something that Leija wishes she could change in the world is the selfishness and greed of humanity. As she sees it, so many issues – like racism, poverty, war, and pollution – are crippling our society. People focus so much on economic development and growth that they ignore those in need and let the world fall apart. Leija thinks that world leaders need to open their eyes and see the truth rather than be blinded by their own power.

Written by: Veronica Fox