Garden Spot High School
Brooklynn Groff
Senior
As the ambitious senior, Brooklyn Groff, wraps up her last quarter at Garden Spot High School, she continues to lead her peers towards success.
Groff is president of Tri-M Music Honor Society, treasurer of National Honor Society, and treasurer of Garden Spot Performing Arts. Groff was also one of two drum majors in the fall of 2024, as well as a member of concert band and chorus.
With only a few weeks remaining in her senior year, Groff looks forward to attending Alvernia University for their five-year program for occupational therapy.
Through an internship with Garden Spot’s occupational therapist, Groff reflects on what she’s learned about her future career: “I just loved it. I loved working with the kids. I loved figuring stuff out. It just assured me that this was going to be something that I was going to like doing for my career.”
One of her most treasured moments this past year was partnering with Elena Zimmerman to lead the marching band. She explains how she “loved being the drum major. I loved being the leader. I loved our little salute that Elena and I did. We had a fun salute to go with our spy-themed show.”
Groff continues to lead her fellow music peers, and her advisor, Daniel Larrick, describes Groff as “extremely organized…and very relatable.”
Wherever Groff is, her classmates, advisors, and teachers all rely on her to lead her peers and to go above and beyond in her responsibilities.
Written by: Alexandra Buck
Genevieve Adamow
Senior
Genevieve Adamow is a dedicated and ambitious senior at Garden Spot High School, known for her drive, leadership, and deep connection to her community.
A true go-getter, she is actively involved in numerous extracurricular activities that showcase her passion for academics, leadership, music, and athletics.
Adamow serves as the president of the student council, the vice president of the National Honor Society, and the captain of the softball team. She participates in orchestra, chorus, vocal ensemble, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and Garden Spot Performing Arts.
Agriculture plays a significant role in Adamow’s life. Having grown up on a 50-acre Christmas tree farm in Bucks County, Adamow has always aspired to have that kind of life for her future family. She recently moved to New Holland and hopes to contribute to our farm-rich community.
Outside of school, Adamow is also the New Holland Fair Queen, and jokingly refers to herself as “the queen of the town.” She recently participated in a pageant at the Hershey Convention Center, something she could have never imagined.
Adamow explains her first pageant: “All the fair queens from the different counties and towns came. And we competed for the state title. and that was such a cool experience.” Adamow pushed her nerves to the side and competed for the state title, bettering herself for the future she’s planning.
After graduating from Garden Spot High School, Adamow plans to further her education at Penn State Berks, where she will major in agricultural business. She is eager to expand her knowledge of the industry and make a lasting impact in the field.
With her strong work ethic, leadership skills, and deep connection to agriculture, Adamow is well on her way to achieving her goals and making a meaningful difference in our community.
Written by: Brandon Chapman
Cooper Borton
10th Grade
Cooper Borton, a sophomore here at Garden Spot, is part of the Class of 2027; outside of school, she volunteers regularly and she’s part of the competitive dance team at LanCo Performing Arts.
Borton began dancing when she was only 2 years old, and she began competing at age 7. Dance became an outlet, she says: “It’s, like, you can express your emotions without having to talk about them.”
All of her hard work in the studio is paying off and it shows. Borton’s dance team has won first overall in the large group category at every competition she’s been part of in recent competition seasons. Borton says: “You work your butt off and hope the outcomes show how much work you put into certain dances.”
Being a role model is a significant focus of Borton’s. She shared in her interview that she began competing because of the positive influence of many of the older girls at her studio. “I think that’s part of the reason I joined. I wanted to be influential to little kids…just like how the big kids were to me.”
When talking about volunteering as a student teacher she says: “I like being that authority figure… it’s fun. I was in their position one time. I was a 2-year-old learning how to chassé across the floor.”
Outside of school and dance, Borton shares how much she admires her mom, Autumn, saying: “She’s just a hardworking woman. I feel like I can talk to her about anything. I want to be like that when I’m older.”
Written by: Jocelyn Sommers
Jewel Kurtz
Senior
Every school probably has at least one student who is so genuinely curious about the world around them that they aspire to learn as much as humanly possible. At Garden Spot High School, that student is senior Jewel Kurtz.
Kurtz is an avid athlete, involved in both swimming and field hockey, and she’s a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She also enjoys running and aspires to run a half marathon one day.
Fueled by her love of exercising, Kurtz is taking a fitness and weight training class that she thoroughly enjoys. “It has really taught me a lot about being in the weight room and it’s given me more confidence with lifting. It’s also helped me see what I’m capable of and what my body can do with weights.”
Kurtz is intrigued by the human body and studying it—so much so that her goal is to become a nurse after graduation. “I’ve always loved learning about the body, and these past few years I’ve enjoyed learning about nutrition and exercising more.” Kurtz is looking forward to successfully completing her anatomy and physiology class this spring.
When asked about her favorite part of being at Garden Spot, Kurtz highlighted the number of opportunities for extracurricular involvement. “There are a lot of things you can get involved with…It’s been super amazing playing field hockey. I’ve loved every second of it. I’m loving that I can feel super involved, but not to the point where I feel burnt out.”
There’s no doubt Kurtz will continue to be curious and actively explore her career while touching the hearts and lives of everyone she meets.
Written by: Camdyn Smith
Austin Wells
Senior
“I just want to be known as a nice guy that was always there for people.” These are the words of Garden Spot senior Austin Wells. He’s played soccer for Garden Spot and will continue playing club soccer with Berks United.
When the GS varsity soccer season wrapped, Wells said: “This season was definitely better than last year. We were winning more than last year. So I’ll take that.”
Wells took being a role model to the younger players very seriously. “You almost want to show them how to act. If you’re goofing off, they’re going to goof off. If you’re messing around, they’re going to mess around. If they mess up, I’d try and help show them what they did wrong so they’d get it right next time.”
Wells also has big hopes and aspirations for his life after high school. “I plan to work part-time right now. Maybe I will go full-time after I graduate, because I’m going to graduate early, but I plan to work at Apex Advertising.”
Wells also plans to work towards getting his realtor license. “Once I get my real estate license, I plan to head into that field. My uncle owns a team [Mark Will team], after that I plan to work for him, but I just need to get my real estate license.”
Beyond his future plans and his soccer achievements, Wells wants to be remembered as someone who is there for others. “Obviously sports were a big part of my high school career, but overall I guess I want to be known as a nice guy, someone you can always talk to, somebody who’s always there.
Written by: Jonny Boozer
Ryan Miller
Junior
Ryan Miller, 16, is a junior here at Garden Spot High School. During Miller’s time on the secondary campus, he has found some long-lasting hobbies and true friendships. Miller has spent years being involved in different sports including football and wrestling. He’s also part of the cast and backstage crews for the theatre group, Garden Spot Performing Arts. He’s a well-rounded young man with big hopes for the future.
Miller has played both center and guard for the varsity football team here at G.S. and hopes to pursue football in college. “If I could do a sport like football or wrestling, that would be fantastic, but if I can’t, then I would just go to school and be a walk-on. I’d be completely fine with that, too.”
Miller recently had struggles with multiple concussions through football and it opened up a whole new interest in a field of work he never even thought about before: healthcare. He realized how much he can help people in this line of work and he wants to study kinesiology as an undergraduate.
He’s also considering joining the military if his college plans don’t come together. He says he wants to join the Marines to become a medic or military police.
When asked how he would want people to remember him, he said: “I want to be remembered [for] how I turned myself around. People see me and they’re like ‘yeah, that’s Ryan Miller and he’s a nice guy.’ That’s what people see me as: this chill laid back person. Even though I came from a rough start at home it didn’t really affect me because I turned it around.”
Written by: Cody Salada
Riley Arment
Junior
Riley Arment is an ambitious and driven young woman who knows what she wants in life and isn’t afraid to go out and get it. Arment is involved in many activities inside and outside of school. In school, she plays soccer and is involved in the Health Council, Class of 2026, Class of 2026 School Board Representative and National Honors Society. Outside of school she is involved with PA Classics Soccer Club and is employed at Kitchen Kettle.
Soccer is a large part of Arment’s life. As a year-round player, she takes it very seriously and performs at a high level. Arment says that one of her biggest accomplishments in life was scoring the winning penalty kick for her club team at a tournament in Virginia.
On and off the field, Arment thrives both in skill and character, and she often finds herself stepping into leadership roles. “I find myself as more of a leader. I like to put myself in bigger roles,” says Arment, especially roles where she can make a difference here at GS.
After high school, Arment plans on majoring in nursing; she wants to earn her master’s degree and then continue her education as a Physician’s Assistant. She also plans to continue her soccer career in college and has already attended multiple soccer showcases.
Arment is currently debating between a few schools but with Arment’s work ethic and personality, any school would be lucky to have her.
Even with so many activities, Arment demands excellence of herself. Her work ethic is flawless and she completes everything to the absolute best of her ability. From school clubs to soccer to her future plans, she wants the best in life and she works hard to get it.
Written by: Emma Stubbs
Lila Albertson
Senior
At Garden Spot High School, 17-year-old senior Lila Albertson stands out because of her passion for life. She’s involved in Health Council, Class Council, Garden Spot Performing Arts, Tri-M Music Honor Society, chorus, vocal ensemble, golf and the yearbook committee—so her contributions are felt throughout nearly every aspect of the school community.
For Albertson, being involved in school activities is more than just filling her schedule—it’s a way to express herself.
“It gives you a break from the day,” Albertson said. “I feel like if I don’t have anything creative going [on] then I kind of turn into a robot where I’m just constantly doing homework [and] worrying about my grades.”
Albertson enjoys growing in all aspects of life. When asked to discuss one thing she’s proudest of, she talks about converting from Protestantism to Catholicism this past year. She is a new member of Our Lady of Lourdes parish here in New Holland. She feels a deep spiritual connection in that place.
“I went to one mass and I actually started crying in the service,” Albertson said. “I think there is a beauty in denominations…I say it’s like God’s gift to us because you’re able to choose and pick where you feel closest to God.”
The extroverted senior known for her lively personality has no trouble being herself. Her friends often describe her as someone who can always make them laugh or lift their spirits.
As she prepares for her final year of high school, Albertson is excited to continue growing spiritually, academically, and creatively— forging her own unique path with the same enthusiasm and passion she brings to everything she does. Albertson plans to study cognitive behavioral therapy in college and she hopes to continue her golf career there, too.
Written by: Sophia Ashcroft