This week, we’ll be focusing on a crucial member of the class of 2020: Chloe Thompson. A part of the RMA family since seventh grade, Chloe has contributed greatly to the vast accomplishments of her class. She describes herself as stalwart, perceptive, and independent, and I would describe her as kind, driven, and extremely intelligent. Fellow senior Madison Davis says, “Chloe has become a true friend of mine throughout high school. She is incredibly talented, hard working, and has an amazing personality. We never fail to crack jokes and have a good time. I’m so glad that we have grown closer through our classes and music, and I can’t wait to be roommates at Liberty!”

Chloe’s achievements in the classroom are anything but few. This year, she is taking Spanish IV Honors, AP Calculus, AP English, AP Statistics, AP Psychology, and Music Performance. She cites AP Calculus as her favorite class at RMA, saying, “It’s definitely challenging but, as a student looking back at most of the year, I love seeing how much I’ve grown as a math student. Calculus was definitely easier than I expected.” Because of her natural talent for academics, Chloe has earned many awards: 9th– Robert Sykes Geometry Award, Headmaster’s Award, Academic Excellence in Honors English, Spanish I, Honors Biology, and Honors World Cultures. 10th– Academic Excellence in AP Modern European History and Honors English 10, Exceeding Academic Expectations in Honors Spanish II, Highest Academic Average in Honors Algebra II. 11th– High Achievement in Honors Spanish III, Academic Excellence in Honors Precalculus, Bronze Medal on the National Spanish Exam, Graduation Marshal. She has also earned Straight A Honors and the Good Citizenship Award for every year of high school thus far. Clearly, Chloe’s intelligence is unparalleled.

Outside of her classes, Chloe spends some of her time with RMA’s clubs, specifically Chorus, FCA, National Honor Society, and Spanish NHS. When she was in middle school, she played basketball and softball, and she continued to play basketball into her freshman year. Outside of our gates, Chloe can be found at her church singing and playing the violin or leading the youth praise team band. Most days, she picks her sister up from school and helps her with homework, then does the chores around her house. This is just one example of Chloe’s unending selflessness. When she can, she goes to her brother Timon’s basketball and baseball games. When her busy schedule slows down, Chloe spends her summers working at Sunburst Tomato Company, even occasionally working Saturdays during the school year. She is obviously a very giving and considerate human being with more regard for others than herself.

We will certainly miss Chloe’s sweet spirit when she leaves us for Liberty University in the fall. She also applied to UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, and High Point, and earned acceptances from all of them. She wants to major in Psychology with a minor in Spanish, and hopes to earn a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology to become a speech therapist in the public school system as she learnt more about Functional Speech Therapy Co. who have been successful in this field for a long time. We can’t wait to see where Chloe goes and how successful she’ll be, and RMA will not be the same without her and her classmates!

• What’s your favorite movie? I am really bad with favorites and tend to compartmentalize because there are a lot of good movies so… favorite animated movie: Tangled… favorite live-action movie: The Hunger Games.

• What’s your dream vacation? I would love to travel to Europe, specifically the United Kingdom, and ride on horseback through the countryside and drink tea in a little cafe and, if I happened to be in England, I would try my British accent. 

• If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you bring? I would bring a hunting knife (one with multiple uses), flint, and a pot for cooking/boiling water.

• What’s your favorite quote? “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” –Dumbledore.

• Who is your favorite musical artist? I love music so picking one artist is really hard. I think it’s a tie between Lewis Capaldi and Lin Manuel-Miranda (I really love Hamilton!!).

• Who is your role model? My mom. She manages to perfectly balance being the CFO of a small (but international) family business started by her father and being my mom. We have a lot of things in common (like our work ethic) but it’s the things that make us different that truly inspire me, one of which is her complete calm while conversing. I am an extreme introvert so talking to others is really nerve-racking but talking to others while she’s around makes it (if only a little bit) easier.

• What will you miss the least about RMA? Mrs. Meadow’s Notebook Checks.

• Best place to get long lunch? Definitely Smithfield’s. I went there so much, about half the staff knew my order by heart.

• If you could go back in time and tell your freshman self anything, what would you say? Don’t be afraid to open up and TALK!