2025-26.Towerette.Senior.No.4.FINAL

“Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey. Without her you wouldn't have set out.”

-C.P. Cavafy

UniversityofMichigan

SamanthaModernel FairfieldUniversity

FairfieldUniversity

SacredHeartUniversity HonorsCollege

ProvidenceCollege

-AshleeMartin

-KaylaVaccaro VWAGS.

Myfavorite sports-related memorywassenior yearvolleyball.I waswithsomeof mybestfriendsand Ireallylooked forwardtopractice andgamesevery day.Itwasthe highlightofmy year.

Myfavoritesports-relatedmemorywastheswim teamwinningourfirstmeetinthreeyears.Itwas incredibletobuildourteamfromthreepeopleto eightandwatchalltheimprovementswe'vemade leadtosuccess.

-CameronShull

Favorite Academic Moments:

A funny academic memory was in Sister Jo's Spanish 4 honors class. We had to make these videos at home of ourselves dressed in props speaking Spanish; however, she then ended up showing the whole class mine and some other people's videos on the big screen. It was so embarrassing but the hardest I have laughed in awhile!

-TessaBowers

Althoughitwas difficultgetting throughthe process,the academicmemory thatsticksoutto methemostisthe daywefinishedour APResearchessays andpresentations. Itfeltlikesucha weighthadbeen liftedoffmy shoulders,andIfelt asenseof accomplishment.

-BryannaLiu

Favorite Annual EventS:

SeptemberfestisdefinitelymyfavoriteVilla annualevent.Seeingthecommunitycome togetheronaSaturdayinthefallissoawesome, andtowitnessthecamaraderieandenthusiasm everyonehasisamazing.It'ssocoolhow everyoneistheretosupporteveryone;whether youplayasport,areaprospectivestudent,orjust theretosupportyourpeers,thesupportisso prevalent!

-GiselleScannella

Thefirstdayof schoolisalwaysmy favoriteannual-event memorybecauseI lovecomingbackto schoolandhavinga freshstartandseeing allmyfriends.

-LibbyFarmer

JusteveryDigPinkGameforVolleyball.Ilove bondingwithmyteammateswhiledecorating thegym,workingthefrontstands,anddoing funhairstyleswithpinkribbonandglitter.

-ElodyClooney

Passing the torch: Advice to incoming Freshman

Enjoyit!Thedaysare longandhardbutit reallywasagreat timeofmylifethat I’llnevergetback. You’llnevergoto schoolandplay sportswithyourbest friendsagainsomake themostofit!!

-SofiaKearns

Talktoyourteachers!Meetwiththemafterclassor schoolifyouhavequestions,buildconnections withthem,askquestionsinclass.Showingyour teachersyoucareandbeingrespectfulgetsyoufar.

-GraceCalvano

Favorite Performing Arts Moments:

Myfavoriteartsmemorieswouldbeeitherthe techweeksnacktimeswithmyfriendsinthecast andcrew,Mr.Smithperfectlyactingoutevery singleroleintheshow,orduringthefinalshow for Annie whenIsitonthebabydollonthechair andthere'ssupposedtobeacryingsoundeffect comingfromthespeakers,buttherewasasmall glitchandinsteadofababycry,abrow subscriptionadcamethrough—itwashilarious!

-ErinJacobs

MostLikelytoGoViral

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FutureCEOs

TownFavorites:WhereSeniorsForm Community

Annie Rionda ‘27

As the weather warms and the days grow longer, students are eager to leave winter behind and enjoy the outdoors. From the athletic fields to Jockey Hollow to peaceful walks through the Villa gardens, there’s plenty todo—butourseniorshavebeengravitatingtowardthe vibrant streets of Morristown after school. Morristown is abustlingtownwithmanydeliciousdiningspotsandfun things to do.When seniors were asked in a survey where in Morristown they like to grab a bite or unwind, the answers varied — but one spot rose above the rest, RoastCoffeeHouse.

RoastCoffeeHouse:

Roast Coffee House is a pop-up coffee shop in the heart of downtown Morristown. Roast opened in October of 2025 and is founded on the idea that “Coffee is a culture and community.” Roast offers a wide selection of unique coffee options as well as sweet pastries. It offers a fun place for Villa girls to grab a quick pick-me-up before school starts, which is greatly needed during theAP test season.

GrasshopperontheGreen

Grasshopper on the Green contributes to Morristown’s unique character. Founded in 2005 as a way to bring Irish culture to Morristown, Grasshopper on the Green offers live music and many delicious dishes that provide a sense of comfort and warmth. Operated byVilla’s very own Fitzpatrick family, the pub has received many outstanding reviews. Metropolis Magazine praises it for the “kind of family-friendly establishment where the staff knows you by name.”AVilla senior similarly says, “My best friend’s family owns it, and it feels like a second home to me. I’ve always felt welcomed there, likeI’mpartofthefamilytoo.”

Taro

Another senior favorite is Taro, the self serve frozen yogurt shop that opened its doors at 41 South Street back in November 2011. Seniors rave about Taro: “Taro is one of my favorite places in Morristown. I lovegettingbobaand/orfrozenyogurt,andit'salways such a fun place to go with my friends!” Another senior notes, “My friends and I love going to Taro. It is so good. It is such a wonderful experience to spend time with my friends and sit and catch up about life while enjoying such delicious fro-yo.” One senior confesses, “I usually end up spending too much money because I fill it all the way up to the top with all different flavors of froyo and so many toppings!!!” which, I mean, is hard not to do. After all, who doesn’tlovefro-yo?

PlayaBowls

Rounding out our seniors’ favorite Morristown spots is Playa Bowls, known for its colorful, refreshing blends. Playa Bowls is a franchise location of the popular Jersey Shore-based chain founded by Rob Giuliani and Abby Taylor in 2016. The Morristown spot originally operated within the central business district before moving to a prominent 2,000square-foot location at 10 North Park Place, directly opposite the historic Morristown Green. Playa Bowls offersafunplacetograbaquickbowlorsmoothiefor after school and in between sports practices or games. AVillaseniorsays,“MysisterandIwouldcommonly go there after school. One of my favorites to get there is the Nutella bowl with everything (unlike my sister, who gets almost every add-on except strawberries off the bowl). When going there, nothing ever quite matches the intense fear and embarrassment of going in there, bracing yourself to potentially encounter a groupofDelbartonboys.”

Seniors have spent their final months gravitating toward the familiar streets of Morristown, and their favorite spots reveal just how much the town has become a part of their daily lives. From cozy afternoons at Roast Coffee HousetothecomfortfoodofGrasshopperonthe Green, from sweet stops at Taro to refreshing treats at Playa Bowls, each place holds a memory of laughter, routine, and friendship. These after school moments — simple, unplanned, and shared—aretheonesthatwillstaywiththemand echotheloudest,longaftergraduation.

EPISODE 4

Take 5 with Erin is a podcast where we take a break in our day to dive deeper into the fascinating world of entertainment here at Villa Walsh Academy.

This feature is hosted and produced by Erin Jacobs '26, an entertainment enthusiast who is an active member of Performing Arts here at Villa.

In Episode 4, "Collage Concert with a Senior Scope," Erin talks with some of the seniors who participated in the event!

Click below to watch!

WATCH HERE!!

WATCH HERE!!

Locked, Loaded, and Soaked

Tess Coffey ‘26

The race is on for two lucky members of the senior class to split hundreds of dollars.As this year's “WaterWars” tournament has heated up, the fierce competition has pushed seniors to get creative in hunting down their targets. Tensionshavebeenhighfromtheminutetargets werereleased,withmanygirlsbeingspottedout to dinner and leaving work wearing goggles on — the only immunity piece protecting them fromgettingout.

One of the most legendary takedowns of thefirstroundwasBlytheDudley’screativetrap for Kayla Vaccaro. When a prospective Villa student invited Kayla over to talk about her experience at the school, Blythe was patiently waiting to move in. The takedown, though brutal,securedBlythe’sspotinthesecondround and she wanted to give a special shout out to Kayla for being a good sport about it. Unfortunately, in the second round, Blythe was unable to get Elodie Cooney, despite her countlesshoursofeffort.

Then there is the unique lifeline of the game: prom-posals. If a player is sprayed, they can win a second chance by recording their prom-posal to their date. Many players got out in the first round but quickly threw together a prom-posal to rejoin the game. However, this meant that the second round quickly saw the permanentfarewellofmanyteams.

“Purge days” offered an exciting opportunity to get more friends out, with everyoneafairtargetratherthantheassigned team, multiple seniors including Charlotte Stager commented on the challenges of staying organized as a team to be able to executeatakedown.Pairswouldoftenspend multiple hours staked out waiting for their targets to come out of their house, work, parties, and more, with some players even being late to school in an attempt to catch theirtargets.

WithAPsrampingup,thelaterrounds of Water Wars naturally slowed, with many teams getting out because of their inactivity and failure to get targets. Unfortunately, to balance fun and studying, many were forced to put Water Wars on the back burner, making the playing pool even smaller. As fewer players are on the table for targets, the remaining teams are on their A-game and readytowin.

Surmountin Sprin Fever & Senioritis: Lockin in When It Really

Counts

Kendall Kiraly ’28

Weallknowwhatit’sliketohavetwoessaysdue, thre tests tomorrow, and one math calculation you don't even know how to begin. You should do the work, but you’re just gonna check Pinterest. Just for a second. You promise. Omg. All the summer clothes and beach pics. Wait, let me check my TikTok. Omg stop people are saying only five Mondays until Memorial Day. I gotta findsummerclothes….Andtheregoesthework.Thenit's 12am, no work is done and summer is still 34 days away. Great. For seniors, it's Senioritis. For the rest of the school, it’s Spring Fever. Yet, it’s more important than evertolockinandstudy.But….how?

Researchers Nevid and Armata found in a 2024 study that “students who actively engage with material learn and retain more“ (Teachings of Psychology). Their research supports that students who use active recall by trying to explain topics aloud to themselves or others greatly increase the chances that the information will be fully absorbed and remembered later on. The researchers also point out that actively participating in class also has thesameeffects.

That being said, sometimes it isn’t the work that bothers us–it’s the motivation. By the end of the year, between sports, clubs, school, friends, family, etc., we are just burnt out. Our brains can’t focus and we have a nagging pounding in our heads reminding us all that rides on the next few weeks while we sit there and physically just can’t do anything at all. A 2022 analysis of over 79,000 from the Review of Educational Research heard thesesamewordsrepeatedlyfromstudentafterstudent.

Yet, what the study also found is worth knowing: it found that when we are feeling this way, the best thing todoisnottowork.What?Yes,theyfoundthatalmostall of the 79,000 teens reported having improved motivation and focus when they stepped away from their work to reconnectwithoutsideactivitiesandpeople.

Sometimes, all we need is a little laugh or conversation about the weather to get us back on track — not just staringatablankGoogleDocforanhour.

And while it does seem like our whole lives depend on the outcomes of our exams, they really don’t. And continuously telling ourselves that they do only makes procrastination even worse. Howard et al. elucidates that students who teach themselves to learn for personal meaning rather than just grades had “the strongest consistent predictor of academic achievement" (Perspectives on Psychological Science). If we use our own intrinsic motivation to influence our studying, we may actually get better grades in the long run than continuously telling ourselves we need perfect grades. It takes the pressure off and lets ourselves breathe and refocus.

This year’s salutatorian, Blythe Dudley ‘26 remarked on just that: she explained how “you have to find your own motivation for good grades–whether that’s the AP credits, your parents, God, or just so that you can walk out of Villa being proud of your work.”

Valedictorian Bryanna Liu ‘26 feels the same way. While Bryanna shared that, of course, she felt the inevitable senioritis creeping up, at the end of the day, by taking breaks with walks or music, she always knew that she wanted to “look back on fondly without any regrets”onheryearshere.

As for me, while no psychologist or neuroscientist, whenever I can't do work, I like to go outside. I step away from my Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Aritzia cart to just get a breath of fresh air–something we didn't even realize we don’t do often enough. On some days, I have a lot of work and need to bring it outside with me. On others, I try to go for a run or walk. But no matter what, the fresh air always helps metorefocus.

Whatever you choose to do, know that you are not alone in counting down the days until summer. We all feel it–even the teachers. But in the last days where it matters, use what left you have in you for one more big push to lock in these last few days. Afterall, you don’t want to spend your entire summer retaking a course. That way, you can push through for a few more hours right now, so that you can actually enjoy weeks of summersosoonafter.

Grade 10/11/12 Art

Twoseniorsparticipatedinartclassesthisyear: Alexis Sica and Isabella White were students in Mrs. Cheifer’s AP 2D Art & Design course. In May, they successfully submitted their portfolios to the College Board, but their work (featured below and on the front page)distinguishedthemallyearlong.

Grade 7/8/9 Art

In January Mrs. Lagana asked her students to create winter-inspired artwork by making an animal and tree(s). Students drew self portraits using a mirror, shading in values to create three dimensional form. Freshmen created paper mache masks, which they then painted.

What are the sta ers lookin orward to this summer?