Every school has that one student, the one who is always the loudest at all of the sports games, wearing her cape around the halls, and somehow seems to always be following the Harwood Way (Harwood’s motto to live by). At Harwood, we call that person our student plaid, the title that was passed down from the prior student, to the next upcoming senior who practically bleeds the school colors, gold and black. This year, the honor of being student plaid belongs to senior Roanha Chalmers.
If you’ve ever heard someone chanting, “Here we go Harwood, here we go!” at 8:30 a.m. on a Monday, then odds are it was Roanha. “I don’t even know how I have this much energy,” she said, laughing. “Probably the iced coffee. No, definitely iced coffee.”
Her day starts before most people are awake. By 6:30 a.m., she is up and at ‘em, blasting the bagpipe music to wake herself up. “It sets the mood,” she claims, although her two younger siblings may disagree. By the time she gets to school, she is already hyping up her friends in the parking lot. “I just try to bring the energy,” she said. “If no one else is gonna start the hype, I will.”
During lunch, Roanha can be found either rallying people for the next sports game or starting chants in the lunch line. Teachers say her enthusiasm is “contagious”. Her classmates might say “loud”, but in a loving way. One friend, senior Nina Henzel, said, “You can always hear Roanha before you can see her, but it’s like her thing. The student sections always feel quieter when she isn’t there.”
After school, she heads straight to soccer practice. “It’s my favorite part of the day,” she says. As team captain, she helps lead warm-ups, and hypes everyone up even when they are tired. She is always pushing her teammates to be the best they can be that day. According to her teammates, her energy never seems to fade even during the rough drills or late practices.
Even after a long day of school, sports and spirit, Roanha still doesn’t seem to slow down. “I mean, I get tired,” she admits, “but if there is a game the next day, I’ll be ready to cheer.” And she does, every time.
So, what is it like being the student plaid? “It’s honestly just about keeping school fun,” Roanha said. “I like making people actually want to show up.”
Whether she is scoring goals on the soccer field, leading chants or brightening up the halls, one thing is for sure, no one rocks the plaid cape like Roanha does. The only question left is: who is brave enough to follow her act next year?
