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Joaquin downey '28
​staff writer

Meet Parker Britton

9/25/2024

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Parker Britton ‘28  came to our school this past summer and has made a splash in our community, both through his impressive work in soccer and his kindness and positivity towards fellow students in class. . 

Born on St. Patricks Day of 2010, Parker came from public school where , “kids were a bit rowdy,” he said. He went on to state that North Cross has much better standards than his previous school, Glenvar. When asked specifically what he enjoyed most about our school, he said, “Probably how nice the kids are and just the teachers being able to go, like, one on one, with students and classrooms being  smaller.”  

Parker lives with his mom and dad, his brother Spencer ‘27, who also transferred to NCS this year and his dog named Baxter. His mom works as a teacher at Mason Cove Elementary while his father pursues a career in healthcare at Boston Scientific. Baxter meanwhile, can be a little bit of a menace. Parker enjoys playing soccer as a striker, or in other words, a person who attacks at the goal to score and assist other offensive players. To cap it off, Parker enjoys sushi as his favorite food and loves to listen to hip hop and rap music. He was later asked what he would be doing if he could do anything in the whole world, and simply replied,  “I'd probably be fishing right now.”  

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Honks 4 Peace

9/25/2024

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John Lennon would be proud:
Students gather with DEI director Debbie. Taylor to help celebrate International Peace Day at North Cross. The DEI students had planned this day for a week. From left to right, Debbie Taylor, Dara Kerman ‘27, Nola Daninger ‘27, Caroline Welfare ‘27 and Associate Head of School for Academics Victor Lamas  gather around a table filled with peace stickers, Lennon glasses, peace necklaces and more. The day  started out with the DEI members coming to school at 7:15 a.m. to have a moment of silence gathered around the flagpole outside of Willis Hall. From there, they gathered signs and held them up as parents and students drove by on their way to drop off their kids, brothers and sisters. Lots of horns sounded out around the parking lot. Another activity involved pictures to be taken as students posed with their friends around a hippie van from the ‘60s. “I think the best part is being able to get the parents involved, where they get to honk on the carpool, which is always fun, and I think it helps them to be a little bit more peaceful throughout the day, because they get to get a little bit of frustration out on the horns,”  Taylor remarked the next day. In short, lots of people  turned out for International Peace Day. 

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Best Vacation Ever

9/22/2024

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Chillin’ and Grillin:
This photo is of when my father and I were on vacation in South Carolina this summer. On the left of course is me and next to me is my father, James Downey. This picture was taken of us at a restaurant called Graham's Landing on the night of my birthday. “First flounder with my son,” my dad later said. This was one of the best nights of our vacation, as it took me back many years to the last time I had been there with my family and had a delicious seafood meal. This seat in particular was exceptionally lovely, as we had a beautiful view of the marsh and even watched a few alligators as we ate. The staff treated us very nicely and even gave me a complimentary dessert for my birthday and wished me many more to come. Afterwards, we returned to our house and celebrated for the rest of the night. By far, this was one of if not the best, and certainly the most memorable, vacations I have had to this day. Looking forward, I hope to have many more with my family.   

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    Picture

    Joaquin Downey

    Hi everyone, my name is Joaquin Downey, '28, and I am a part of the Willis Hall Herald staff. You guys can call me Joaq for short. I love to write and personally love watching the news. I also love exercising and playing sports. When I joined Journalism this year, I thought to myself, "What kind of commitment am I making here?", and I got my answer pretty quickly. My commitment to you is to always bring facts and nothing but the truth through my writing. I also love dogs! 

    Peace to ya'll,
    Joaq

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4254 Colonial Ave.
Roanoke, VA 240189
(540) 789-7289

Letters to the Editor: [email protected] 

Founded in 2010 and based in the Journalism elective, The Willis Hall Herald is the official student-led publication of the Upper School at North Cross School. The Herald may be published in magazine form three or more times per year. Founded in 2017 and produced by the Herald staff, GeoPrism: A Global Studies Journal may be published in magazine form once or twice per year. The Herald welcomes letters, commentary and submissions of original content that adhere to the Herald’s dedication to factual journalism. Letters and other content must be signed and may be edited for length and Herald style. The Herald does not guarantee publication of outside submissions. Submit letters to [email protected]. The Herald won Gold Medals from Columbia Scholastic Press Association in 2012 and 2015. The Herald also became a member of the National Student Press Association.
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The Staff

Co-Editors-in-Chief .....................................Lauren Boone ‘25 and Jacob Johnson ‘25


Digital Publishing Editor ................................................................Anna Ciccozzi ‘26


Copy Editor.....................................................................................Aadeetri Pandey ‘26


Opinion Editor...........................................................................Mason Bibby '27


Staff Writers.........................................................Hanchen Ou ‘26, Fiona Parnell ‘26, Nola Daninger ‘27, Dara Kerman ‘27, Victoria Real ‘27, Margaret Bass ‘28, Luke Cocowitch ‘28, Joaquin Downey ‘28, Mia Esposito ‘28, Akali Koeda ‘28, Monica Koene ‘28, Shree Patel ‘28, Kaitlyn Perkins ‘28, Isla Whittle '28
Advisor......................................................................................Robert Robillard P’35
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  • Home
  • Podcasts
  • Opinion
  • News
    • Head of School Armistead Lemon
  • Sports 24-25
  • Features
    • Profiles >
      • Senior Class of 2023
      • Student Profiles
      • New Teacher Profiles
      • Leadership Profiles
      • Seniors: Class of 2022
      • Seniors: Class of 2021
  • Arts
    • Scary Stories
    • April Fools Day
  • GEOPRISM
  • Print Issues
  • Photos
    • Homecoming
  • Ads
  • Staff
    • Lauren Boone '25
    • Jacob Johnson '25
    • Anna Ciccozzi '26
    • Aadeetri Pandey '26
    • Mason Bibby '27
    • Nola Daninger '27
    • Dara Kerman '27
    • Victoria Real '27
    • Caroline Welfare '27
    • Margaret Bass '28
    • Luke Cocowitch '28
    • Joaquin Downey '28
    • Mia Esposito '28
    • Akali Koeda '28
    • Monica Koene '28
    • Hanchen Ou '26
    • Fiona Parnell '26
    • Shree Patel '28
    • Kaitlyn Perkins '28
    • Isla Whittle '28
    • Robert Robillard P'35
  • Resources
  • News Archive
    • Coronavirus
    • Eason Zhou '24
    • Practice
    • Student Profiles
    • Teacher Profiles
    • Sports 2023-24
    • Sports 2022-23
    • Sports 2021-22 >
      • Football: State Champs
  • Blog
  • Calliope