Students Excel in Sports, STEM, and Music
In this second half of spring semester, Principia students have attained notable recognition in a range of extracurricular activities. A huge “Well done!” to all the students involved in these activities—and to the faculty and staff who have worked with them, as well as the parents and families who supported their dedication and achievement.
Alli Ball—State Player of the Year
Senior Alli Ball became only the second player in Principia history to be named Class 3 State Player of the Year by the Missouri Basketball Coaches’ Association. (Liz Gilman, US'12, was recognized in 2012.) Among other records, Alli holds the career (1,390) and season (553) scoring records. In the 2014 season, Alli was also named the Metro League Player of the Year and was chosen for 1st Team All-State by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, 1st Team All-Metro by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (the first Principia player to be so named), and the Class 3 District 4 Player of the Year.
Since arriving as a freshman from Oregon, Alli has been a valued member of the team and has also played girls' varsity soccer. She will be attending and playing basketball for the University of Akron, a Division I school, in the fall.
Robotics Team Competes in Championship
In its first foray into the world of high-school robotics competition, the Upper School team performed strongly, learned a lot, and had a great time! During regional rounds in March, the team won the FIRST competition’s Rookie All-Star Award and became one of only six (out of 45) teams to advance to the championship. Then, last month, at the FIRST Robotics Championships (FIRST stands for “For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”), team Optimus Prin won six out of ten matches, earning enough points to place 36th out of 100 competitors in their group.
Upper School Musicians Score High at State
Every one of the 12 Upper School musicians who participated in the MSHAA State Music Festival in Columbia, Missouri, last weekend came away with a ranking of “Superior” (first division) or “Outstanding” (second division). Hundreds of Missouri’s best high school musicians participate in this annual event. (Nine of our performers are pictured below, awaiting their turn to play.)
“Beautiful tone—sonorous,” “You play well together,” and “Attention to detail is evident” were among the judges’ comments. The two ensembles (saxophone and woodwinds) received Superior ratings, as did five solo performances for flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, and tuba. The literature included college-level concertos by Mozart and Haydn, as well as a wind piece by Dvořák transcribed for saxophones.