This senior spotlight focuses on our resident Van Halen enthusiast, Caleb Heath, who is a member of the Lifer club (meaning he started school here at RMA in Pre-K). Though he can be quiet, Caleb is a great friend to all and brings his own personal flair to our activities. When we were in New York for our senior trip, for instance, we made a special stop at Hard Rock Cafe where Caleb was enthralled with all of the classic rock paraphernalia. 

Caleb describes himself as driven, which is evident in his schedule this year. He is challenging himself with AP Physics, AP Psychology, Honors Calculus, and Honors English 12. Caleb’s ambition has earned him many awards over the years, including Excellence in Biology I in 9th grade, A Honor Roll in 9th and 10th grades, and B Honor Roll in 11th grade. 

Caleb is also taking Music Technology with Mr. Leonard this year, and after school, you can find Caleb practicing his guitar (though Head of Upper School Mr. Tucker says Caleb doesn’t really need to practice: “he can just show up and play–he’s that good!”). Caleb started playing in 8th grade after taking an Intro to Guitar class here at RMA and has been playing the electric guitar for 5 years now. He owns 8 guitars and says his favorite is his Jackson Concept Solo Series because “it looks and plays amazing.” Caleb even composes his own music; he has over 500 finished and unfinished classic rock-inspired songs. 

A man of many talents, Caleb has been participating in the county’s 4-H programs for as long as he can remember; he started showing livestock at just 3 years old. He has shown pigs, sheep, and goats–all of which he raised–and even won Reserve Grand Champion with one of his sheep. When he was younger he participated in Public Speaking projects with 4-H and won gold at the state level many times, but when he got older he started participating in grilling competitions instead, winning both years he participated. (The first win was for steaks, while the second was for pork chops.) He has also been performing with the “Entertains Program” for 5 years and has been selected to perform at the state level the last three years in front of crowds of as many as 400 people! He has been involved with many community service projects with 4-H as well, including roadside cleanups, can tab collection for the Ronald McDonald House in Eastern NC, Packs4Patriots donations for overseas soldiers, Feeding Children Everywhere/US Hunger Service projects, and various other endeavors.

Next year, Caleb will attend NC State’s School of Agriculture, though he also applied to ECU, Western Carolina University, and Barton College. While at NC State, Caleb plans to major in Agricultural Business and is open to all career avenues that the major offers. Just as he has supplemented academics with music during his time at RMA, he also plans to start a band and play gigs for the crowd in Raleigh. 

Caleb will be greatly missed next year, but we know he will thrive in college and we’re excited to see where the future takes him.

Get to know Caleb!

What is your favorite movie or go to song?

Back to the Future I, II, and III

Describe your dream vacation OR if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

A 10-day cruise with a bunch of my friends

If you were trapped on a deserted island, what three things would you bring?

A guitar, Madelyn Cline, and a machete 

What celebrity would you want to be for two days and why?

I would want to be Nuno Bettencourt so I could have the guitar skills that he has

Describe your perfect day at RMA. What would you do? What classes would you take?

I would have one class with Ms. Keel so our class could talk about how we will beat her team in trivia then the rest of the day could be pickup basketball games in the gym

What is your funniest story at RMA?

Jeremy throwing his shoes on the roof of the gym on the last day of school