Jamie Brown Enjoys Every Minute
at HHS
Jamie Brown has enjoyed a rich experience over the past four years at Huntington High School. It's been a time filled with challenging classes, fun on the tennis court, an interesting internship with a social studies teacher and many close friendships.
The senior's long journey in the district began in a Flower Hill School kindergarten classroom. She moved on to Huntington Intermediate School and J. Taylor Finley Middle School before settling into the high school and shining in every way imaginable.
Ms. Brown's post-graduation plans are still unsettled. "I am not sure where I am going to college yet," she said. "I am looking at a couple of small liberal arts schools in the northeast, including Lafayette College, University of Richmond, College of the Holy Cross, Providence College and Gettysburg College."
A four-year letter winner with the Blue Devil tennis team, Ms. Brown is also a member of the Key club and the National Honor Society as well as the English and Spanish honor societies.
The teenager is not coasting toward graduation. Ms. Brown is enrolled in four Advanced Placement classes this year, including AP Calculus AB, AP Microeconomics, AP Government and Politics and AP Literature and Composition as well as honors classes in physics and Spanish. To top it all off, the senior is interning with social studies teacher Kenneth Donovan in an AP U.S. History class.
"Mr. Donovan was my 11th grade AP U.S. History teacher," Ms. Brown said. "He brought a new aspect to the class that was mainly discussion based, which I really enjoyed. He made U.S. history fun and exciting and he was very relatable. I chose to be his intern this year and I like helping Mr. Donovan bring that same atmosphere to his classes."
Besides Mr. Donovan, two of Ms. Brown's favorite teachers are Joann Ferazi and Jamie Fishlow. "I had Mrs. Ferazi in honors algebra 2 trig and then again in honors pre-calculus," the senior said. "I have always loved math and Mrs. Ferazi really solidified that. She was a great teacher and really caring and understanding."
Ms. Brown and Mr. Fishlow have known each other for many years. He coached the senior's two older sisters before she entered Huntington High School and started playing for the Blue Devils herself.
"He is a great motivator," Ms. Brown said about Huntington's tennis coach. "Whether the team won or lost he always had positive feedback and constructive criticism. He never stopped believing in us."
Ms. Brown has been involved in a wide variety of high school activities, but one clearly stands out. "My most memorable high school experience was definitely being on the tennis team," she said. "I joined the varsity team as a freshman along with six other ninth graders. We have grown together and have become a very tight-knit group on and off the court. I consider these girls my best friends."
Ms. Brown teamed up with Samantha Dever in No. 1 doubles in each of the past three years. The duo proved formidable, dropping only one league match last fall. "I'm happy that I was able to finish high school tennis career on a high note with my team coming in second in the league. I will miss the team and Mr. Fishlow very much next year."
With such a demanding academic schedule, Ms. Brown doesn't have the luxury of kicking back and putting her feet up. She intends to work hard right into June. The teenager recently took time to reflect on her high school experiences and what she has learned and is happy to share it with whoever might be willing to listen.
"My advice to incoming freshmen is to not take any second of high school for granted," Ms. Brown said. "It flies by so fast and before you know it you will be graduating. Enjoy every minute of high school."