Wall of Fame

To be clear, Parris Adams was always going to accomplish big things in her life, with or without the Flinn Scholarship, but winning the prestigious scholarship will certainly make achieving those dreams a good deal easier. And expand her horizons a little broader.

Adams will attend Northern Arizona University’s Honors College this fall. She has already been awarded a Lumberjack Scholarship which goes to students who have achieved grades of only As and Bs during their four years of high school. The Lumberjack Scholarship will pay for four years of tuition at NAU.

The Flinn Scholarship, which includes funding for tuition, housing, meals, and study abroad, is valued at more than $120,000.

Adams is one of Page High School’s most active students and accomplished scholars. She’s co-student body president, and she’s been on student council all four years of high school. She carries a 4.0 GPA and will be one of this year’s Valedictorians. She’s involved with the National Honors Society, the GSA, the Culinary Club and the Service Learning Club. She’s played varsity tennis all four years of high school.

Parris is bright, driven and organized. She’s a self-starter and very personable, said Megan Moore. Moore has been Adams’ student council advisor for the past four years. “I think one of her greatest qualities is that she cares about everyone,” said Moore. “She’s an advocate for her fellow students. She wants every student to be successful. When we plan events she makes sure everyone’s included. She wants Page High School to feel like a safe place and a fun place to be, and she works with teachers and administrators to make that happen.”

"Parris is such a smart, talented kid, I would have been surprised if she hadn't been given the Flinn Scholarship," said Wyatt Swinton, Adams' Culinary Arts teacher for the last three years.

Adams and Swinton also work together at the Grand Circle Grille, where Adams works as a line cook part time.

"She'll be successful at anything she wants to do in this industry," said Swinton. "She's by far the most-talented cook I've taught."

Adams was one of just 20 Arizona students to receive the Flinn Scholarship this year. She learned she’d been awarded the Flinn Scholarship during Spring Break.

Adams was one of 951 students who applied for the 2021 Flinn Scholarship last autumn. The Selection Committee narrowed the field down to 85 semifinalists. The 85 semi-finalists interviewed with the search committee in January and the field was narrowed down to 35 finalists. Each time Adams passed to the next round, she was informed via email.

After the second interview, the committee told Adams that they’d call her by the end of the week and let her know if she was chosen.

“I wasn’t sure if it was going to be before or on the actual day,” said Adams, “so I was really nervous that whole week. It was actually spring break. So all of spring break I was waiting for this call, and then on that Friday I got the call at like three in the afternoon. It was terrible I felt like I was playing the waiting game the entire time.”

By three o’clock Adams still hadn’t received the phone call.

“She texted me about three and said she must not have got it, because no one had called her,” said Kori Fitch-Adams, Adam’s mother.

But, the terrible wait ended with very good news, when just a few minutes after texting her mother, a Flinn representative called Adams and informed her she’d been selected.

“I was so ecstatic and excited!” Adams said. “I was literally screaming when I got the call! It was just really rewarding that all of the work I’ve put in over the last four years finally paid off.”

Adams plans to major in Hotel Restaurant Management, and she’d either double-major or get her minor in Political Science.

“My long term plans are to be involved in the restaurant industry and then create a non-profit for underprivileged individuals to have access to healthy and sustainable food options.

“I think college and being involved with the other Flinn scholars is going to be an amazing experience for Parris,” said Fitch. “Parris is passionate about education, she’s a elf-starter, she has big plans and big ideas. It will be great for her to be surrounded by other students and adults who feel the same way.”

One of the big perks that comes with the scholarship is that the students get to travel to Europe twice during their four years as a Flinn Scholar.

Adams hopes those two trips to Europe will just be the beginning of a lifetime of travel.

“I am so excited to travel the world!” she said. “I’m super excited for all of the adventures that await and just being able to experience something different is going to be really awesome.”

Adams has attended schools of the Page Unified School District since she was in second grade, and says she’s had several important teachers during her time as a student.

“I’ve had a lot of really influential teachers from elementary to high school,” she said. “Some key ones are Ms. Codner, Mr. Serventi, Ms. Schmitter, Mr. Swinton, Ms. Moore, both of my parents (Mr. Adams and Mrs. Fitch), Mr. Bunch, Ms. Wold, Mr. Albert, and Ms. Willson.”

“It will be fun to see what she does,” said Moore. “She’s going to accomplish exactly what she wants.”

In one of the most exciting days in the history of Page High School athletics, both the boys and girls basketball teams claimed state championship trophies Saturday.

Even without the state titles, the 2020-21 season will be remembered for a long time. It was the season that almost wasn’t. The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) made the decision in the fall to cancel the season, but due to outcries and protests from student athletes and parents, the AIA re-instated the season. But after three weeks of practice, they cancelled it again. Then, after even more intense pressure from athletes, parents and the community the AIA reversed their previous reversal and re-instated the season a second time.

Yaadilah.

For the Sand Devils, the 2020-21 season also saw their main rivals sadly taking a seat on the bench. Covid-19 hit the Navajo Nation particularly hard, and out of an abundance of caution all schools on the nation made the very hard decision to call off the season. After some shuffling, the Sand Devils – lamenting the loss of their strongest competitors/allies/sisters/brothers – found themselves in the 3A North Central section, a coalition of schools willing to forge into the unknown.

The 2020-21 season opened with almost no spectators in the stands. Due to Covid precautions, persons allowed inside the gym were limited to officials, score-keepers, announcers, cheerleaders, photographers and a few others. Players were required to wear masks, even while on the court. The players played in ominously silent circumstances. How strange it must have felt to hit a crucial three-pointer, or make a clutch move only to hear the equivalent of golf-clapping from 15 people? It all felt spine-tingling surreal.

But, as the season, progressed and more people received Covid-19 vaccinations and the infection rates decreased and metrics turned from red to green, the AIA began allowing fans back into the stadium. And it was great! Cheers from 150 fans made a significant difference.

By the end of the season 450 fans were allowed inside during games, and athletes could choose if they wanted to wear a mask while they played.

In the future, when Sand Devils and their fans see the two championship trophies sitting in the high school’s trophy case, they’ll always remember what strange, exciting, surreal, edge of their seat season it was.

For the third time in four years, the Lady Sand Devils carried home the state championship trophy after defeating the Snowflake Lobos 36-32.

The victory capped what has been a superlative 15-0 season for Page. Saturday’s game marked the Lady Sand Devils fifth straight visit to the state championship game. Ryan Whitehorse has been head coach of the Lady Sand Devils all five seasons. Three of this year’s seniors, Torrance Begay, Neve Redhair and Nadya Begay, have played at the varsity level all four years, taking part in three state titles and a state championship runner-up.

In what turned out to be the season’s most exciting game, the Lady Sand Devils defeated the Thatcher Eagles in overtime Wednesday to advance to the championship game. It was Torrance Begay’s buzzer-beater shot against Thatcher in the semi-finals that sent the game into overtime.

The championship game was the second time Page and Snowflake have squared off this season. The Sand Devils beat the Lobos 40-21 when the teams met for the first time in February.

The Lobos played much more aggressively in the championship game. They even adopted Page’s full court pressure defense. But their efforts at full-court defense had little effect, for three reasons. One, Miquedah Taliman, Nadya Begay and Torrance Begay are all excellent ball handlers and three excellent ball handlers was too much for the Lobos to corral. Torrance, who typically spends the better part of the offense posting up near the basket, spent a large portion of Saturday’s game bringing the ball up the court for the Lady Sand Devils. “She’s a very versatile player,” said Coach Whitehorse after the game. “They were so focused on Miquedah bringing the ball up the court, so I had Torrance do it for a while.”

The second reason the Lobos full-court press amounted to little was that the Sand Devils practice against it nearly every practice. Coach Whitehorse gave credit to his second team for that. “Our second group does a great job pressuring our first team,” he said. “We’re used to it.”

The third reason the Lobos’s full court pressure had little affect is that they didn’t score very much. To run an effective full-court pressure defense you have to score and then form into your defense while your opponent is inbounding the pass. But the Lobos didn’t score enough for this to happen and Page simply outran them on the transition after getting the rebound.

The Lobos got a quick shot in the arm, scoring on their first two possessions. They were able to maintain their lead the first seven minutes of the game.

Sand Devils fans got a little concerned when Neve Redhair, the 3A Central Defensive Player of the Year, got her second foul of the game with 3:10 left in the first quarter. Coach Whitehorse replaced her for the duration of the quarter with Jade Reid.

The Sand Devils were trailing 5-10 at the end of the quarter when Torrance Begay hit a bucket from the paint. Taliman followed that with two free throws. On the quarter’s final possession, Taliman tight-roped along the baseline and put up an acrobatic under-the-basket scoop seconds before the buzzer sounded, giving her team the lead for the first time in the game. The Sand Devils led 11-10 at the end of the first quarter.

Chamique Nez started the second quarter with a steal. She brought the ball to the top of the key then dished it to Emma Yazzie who was waiting at the three-point line. Her shot sizzled through net.

Taliman put in a floater and on the next possession – after another steal – dealt a crisp assist to Nez sailing between defenders, who banked in a lay-up.

The Lobos regrouped and regained their composure after that and were able to match the Sand Devils’ run. The Sand Devils led 20-18 at halftime.

Torrance tore it up in the third quarter with six points and a blocked shot, leading a 10 to 5 scoring run against Snowflake.

Leading 30-23 going into the fourth quarter, the Sand Devils slowed down the pace of the game considerably, and moved into a three-man weave offense designed to eat time off the clock. Coach Whitehorse called out for his team to “Be patient” from the sidelines.

After the Lobos hit a three-point shot with 3:30 left in the game, they trailed by five points and began intentionally fouling the Sand Devils in hopes of rebounding a missed free throw and turning the rebound into points on the other end. But it was a case of too little, too late for the Lobos; they couldn’t muster the offense to bridge the scoring gap.

The Sand Devils won their third state championship in five years by a score of 36-32.

“It felt great!” said Coach Whitehorse. “It really means a lot to us and the community after Covid shut everything down and almost having our season cancelled. And to do it undefeated mae it even greater.”

There were several keys to Sand Devils victory. One: they had experienced players. Torrance Begay and Miquedah Taliman have started for the Sand Devils the last two seasons. They were unflappable, and their leadership really showed.

The second factor falls on the shoulders of the Lobos. They had more than a dozen opportune shots from near the basket, but rather than square up and take a proper shot, they panicked under pressure and took hurried, flustered shots that missed the mark.

The Sand Devils assistant coaches are Charlotte Nockideneh, Darlisa Tsinnie and Gerrald Begaye.

For the first time in Page High School history, the Sand Devils boys varsity basketball team came home with the state championship trophy. And the victory net.

Head Coach Justin Smith is one of the only coaches in Arizona to win both a boys and girls state championship. Smith coached the Lady Sand Devils to a state title in 2015.

The Sand Devils finished the season with a very impressive 14-4 overall record.

This was the second time this season that Page played Snowflake. The first time the teams met in February, the Sand Devils lost to the Lobos 69-76.

Throughout the season, Sand Devils fans had the opportunity to watch their team improve and mature game by game. By the end of the season the Sand Devils were putting together some impressive offensive sequences, playing tight defense and notching some important wins. Even after some very stellar wins – such as the third win over Camp Verde – Coach Smith would tell the media that his team hadn’t yet peaked.

“We still haven’t played our best game,” he said as recently as the state quarter finals, “but we’re peaking at the right time.”

Yup. They did that.

The Lobos jumped out to a seven to four lead in what would be a fast-paced game from the tip-off to the final buzzer. But then the Sand Devils tightened their defense and went on a 7-0 scoring run. Jonah Holiday hit a free- throw and Robert Smith put in a three-pointer to give the Sand Devils their first lead of the game, 8-7, with three minutes left in the first quarter. Smith ended the quarter making a slash to the basket, which drew additional defenders his way, and after the defenders had committed he passed to ball off to Stuart Sandall who finished the play with a stretching lay-up. The Sand Devils finished the first quarter leading 11-7.

Jonah Holiday continued hit three-point blitz in the second quarter hit two of them back to back in the quarter’s opening minutes. A couple minutes later Orlandon Yazzie hit a three-pointer as well. As the Snowflake defense stretched out to guard Sand Devils shooters on the perimeter, Robert Smith, Orlandon Yazzie and Joel Beard attacked the interior where they would finish the play, or pass to Sandall.

It was all too overwhelming for the Lobos who were unable to keep pace with the Sand Devils, who built their lead 30-19 at halftime.

During the third quarter, Head Coach Justin Smith continued with what had worked so well in the second quarter, with Smith, Yazzie and Beard attacking the inside – always watching for Sandall posted up, while Holiday and Dugi continued to rain down three pointers. The Lobos offense was able to match the Sand Devils runs, but were unable to close the point gap. The Sand Devils led 42 to 32 at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter began with an alley-oop from Smith to Sandall which really got the Sand Devils faithful on their feet in the Eastmark Arena. Sandall then returned the favor, dishing off to Smith cutting inside after drawing multiple defenders to him.

The Sand Devils defense was noticeably better in the championship game than it had been when the two teams met in February.

“A big part of our game plan was keeping pressure on Michael Brimhall,” said Coach Smith. “He’s their best scorer and ball handler.”

Robert Smith, who was awarded 3A North Central Defensive Player of the Year, was given the assignment of guarding Brimhall, and he was very effective, holding Brimhall well below his season scoring average.

“Robert made him work for everything he got,” said Coach Smith.

Having built a sizable lead, the Sand Devils moved to a three-man weave and slowed down the pace to eat time off the clock. With 2:30 left in the game the Lobos still trailed by ten points. Their coach and all their fans in the bleachers, began yelling for the Lobos to foul, which they did.

The Sand Devils hit their free throws giving the Lobos no chance to chip away at the lead.

The final score read Sand Devils 64, Lobos 51.

“We peaked at the right time!” said Coach Smith after the game. “This win means everything!”

Coach Smith was proud of the way his team played in the championship game. “The difference between this game and the time we played them in February was we did a much better job defending them this time, and we hit our free throws.”

Coach Smith was ecstatic with the way his team steadily improved throughout the season, despite the extra obstacles the strange pandemic year threw at them.

“The amount of resolve they showed this year was amazing,” said Coach Smith.

The assistant coaches for the Sand Devils are Steven Smith, Joe Wright and Bubba Billie.

Pearl Sandoval, a junior at Page High School, is passionate about art and has developed methods that have allowed her art to grow and thrive the last year despite setbacks caused from Covid-19 shutdowns and closures.

Sandoval dabbles in several different art styles and forms, but her preferred style is pop art; an art form that draws from commercial items and cultural icons, such as product labels, advertisements and modern media.

“Pearl is a star!” said Sandoval’s art teacher, Sue Tucker. Tucker has been teaching Sandoval since she was in sixth grade. “As my student, teaching Pearl is very exciting because I’ve seen her growing as an artist since she was in middle school.”

Because Sandoval was a more advanced art student, even while at Page Middle School, Ms. Tucker has been giving her advanced projects that have helped take her to a different level of experience in the arts. One of those projects was a pretty big one: Ms. Tucker had Sandoval paint murals on the walls at the middle school. The murals are still there today.

“She’s very prolific, she’s a scholar, she’s passionate, independent, dedicated and goes above and beyond by being a role model, as well as a fun-loving person, to her peers,” said Ms. Tucker. “She’s like a sponge: she absorbs everything I teach her.”

Sandoval is attending high school remotely this year. This year she’s taking Painting II from Ms. Tucker. In previous years, Ms. Tucker has taught her Drawing I and II, Painting I and Honors Advanced Art. Sandoval plans to take Honors Advanced Art during her senior year. In Honors Advanced Art, Sandoval will be allowed to create their own curriculum designed around what she wants to learn. At the end of the year, she hopes to display her work in an art shows.

Attending school remotely has brought some added challenges, but Sandoval has been able to work through it with few problems, she said.

“Working remotely was not difficult because my mom was there to provide me with the resources I needed,” she said.

Sandoval communicates with Ms. Tucker primarily via email. Sandoval sends photos of her art in various stages of completion and Ms. Tucker provides critique, feedback and guidance, if needed.

In recent months, Sandoval has taken her art to a new level. She recently started her own business dedicated to promoting and selling her artwork. She showcases her art on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Snapchat.

Sandoval is glad with the progress her new business is making. She gets a lot of help from her family.

“It is going very well,” she said. “I am happy to say that I have a very supporting family, especially my sister. She gets me the things I need for the business and always goes above and beyond when it comes to packaging. We are currently in the process of making custom stickers and more business cards, as well as Thank You cards for [people] purchasing my canvases.”

During the last year, the Coronavirus pandemic has had a negative impact on businesses big and small throughout the world, but that didn’t stop Pearl Sandoval from opening her business.

“I took the time to do something I really love and am passionate about,” said Sandoval. The loving support from those around her is what motivated her to start her business, Sandoval explains.

“What motivated me to start my business was my family. Also, [not to mention], my art teacher named Susan Tucker”, said Sandoval. “She motivated me the most to start it and helped me with materials and supplies.”

Sandoval also explains why she started her business. As well as what made her want feel like this was a perfect time to start her successful business:

“I felt like this was the right to start my business to show other people that even though we’re in a pandemic,” says Sandoval,“it won’t stop us from our dreams and goals. Even if we live in a small town we can still do big things in life!”

Sandoval is proud of her art, and also takes pride in the way she presents it and packages for her customers. She likes giving it that personal touch. That includes making her own business cards and including treats in with the art her customers have ordered.

Pearl Sandoval’s introduction to the art world came from her father. He has also been a great source of inspiration for her as well.

When Sandoval was about five years old, her father would show her how to draw a person's face and how to shade it. He's always enjoyed drawing and has always encouraged her to draw with him. She’s currently the only artist in her family but does have a younger niece and cousin, ages three and eleven, who are following her artistic footsteps.

Sandoval says the interest her niece and cousin show in her artwork inspired her to continue on her own art journey.

“They both have such a huge heart for art and painting,” she said.

Her cousin always asks her for opinions on how to draw animals and sketches of people.

Her niece calls and tells her what she paints and what color she uses. “I do what I can to show them all the techniques and skills to paint or draw,” Sandoval said.

Sandoval also takes inspiration from one of the world’s greatest artists, Leonardo Da Vinci, who she became interested in when she was in eighth grade.

“He took so much time sculpting and painting,” said Sandoval. “One of his quotes will always remain in my heart: ‘Time stays long enough for anyone who will use it.’”

You can see more of Sandoval’s work on her social media platforms. Instagram (artpainting533), Facebook at (joy Sandoval), TikTok at (artpainting533).

Shundine Fowler is a student journalist at Page High School. She loves playing guitar, listening to music, writing, drawing, playing with her dogs as well as practicing and studying tattoo artistry in her spare time. Shundine is also an independent self-taught tattoo apprentice and has her own tattoo machine and practices on fake skin {included in the kit} to accelerate her tattoo artistry skills.

Q. I noticed that you are very creative and have a huge passion for your artwork. What was your inspiration for your creativity?
My inspiration for my art is life, color, and imagination. The world would be nothing without it. Being able to live gives us an opportunity to understand the world around us. Some people may not have what another person has. Like seeing color, but having hands to feel. Or not seeing what another person sees. Being able to live doesn’t mean to have all sense to have sight, hearing, smell and taste. Art to me is being able to believe things and have a different idea of that one project. You can talk to someone about it, or feel texture. To see color, even think of how something tastes, may bring back a memory. Creativity to me is an original idea of what I see. It’s how we want to see something come to life or to see how it comes out onto paper.

Q. Has your passion always been art or do you have another passion that you would like to share?
My passion has always been art up until I saw my mom and sister wearing makeup I learned how to do makeup. The idea of color is just amazing, it’s beautiful. Picking up a paintbrush, and pencil is the same type of art as makeup it just doesn’t last as long.

Q. I know that you are a senior this year, so, are you thinking of pursuing art as your career goal by going to a college or trade school? Or are you going to be an independent artist?
Yes, I am thinking of pursuing art as a career goal.

Q. Do you take any art classes or are you self-taught?
I have been a self-taught artist until high school when I met a teacher, Susan Tucker, who helped me become better with my art by teaching me new techniques and teaching me how to use different tools. She inspired me to do more by expanding my mind.

Q. Where did your artistic abilities come from?
My artistic abilities came from my father. As a kid I used to spend a lot of time with him. he used to draw with me every time I came back from school or whenever we had time to be with him.

Q. Now on to your artwork. What is your art style called or based off?
My art style is based off of life and my moods. It depends on what I’m feeling at the moment. I don’t stick with one art style my style can move from realism to pop art.

Q. Does any of your culture develop into your pieces?
Yes, my favorite paintings that I have done does develop native culture.

Q. Do you have themes you like to explore in your artwork?
Answer: Yes, I do have themes to my art work. I do work that involves Human life, civilization and nature.

In early December, Page High School senior, Neve Redhair, learned that she has been accepted to Stanford University.
Redhair is an active student. She serves as the Student Body Public Relations Coordinator, and she’s on both the basketball and volleyball teams. She has played on the basketball team’s varsity team since she was a freshman. As a freshman and sophomore she was part of the team that was crowned 3A champions, and last year the took second in state. This year the talented senior will be one of the team’s starters and one of its team captains. You’ll see her on the court as the team’s shooting guard.
Her basketball coach, Ryan Whitehorse, has been working with Redhair on the court and in his classroom since she was a freshman and wasn’t surprised to hear she’s on her way to Stanford.
“As a person, she’s mature for her age,” said Coach Whitehorse. “She has very supportive parents who have instilled in her that education is a top priority. She’s the perfect example of the kind of student all teachers want in their classrooms. She’s hardworking, she has great ethics and she has taken the initiative to find opportunities to benefit her future.”
As you would expect from a Stanford-bound student, Redhair is also an exceptional student. She’s maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and is on track to be one of this year’s valedictorians.
Page High School Principal, Anne Martin, is happy to witness Redhair’s success.
“Neve is an asset to our Sand Devil Nation,” Martin said. “We are very proud of her accomplishments. Her determination and commitment to her education has earned her many distinctions. I know that Mr. Albert sees her as an exceptional writer and Ms. Moore brags about her leadership skills all the time. I enjoy interacting with her. She is a friendly student. Her organizational skills and kind demeanor make her video announcements of the highest quality and entertaining.”
Redhair learned that she’d been accepted to Stanford while she was Christmas shopping in Flagstaff with her mother. While walking through Hobby Lobby, Redhair checked her email on her phone and saw she had an email from Stanford. “I opened it right then and there,” she said.
Redhair, aware this was a pivotal moment in her life, borrowed her mother’s phone and used it to record the moment. Her mother, who was standing with her, learned that her daughter had been accepted to Stanford while they were recording. After that, Redhair began calling her friends and family and telling them the good news.
As soon as Redhair returned home she accepted Stanford’s offer and paid the enrollment fee, which had the gratifying effect of making it official.
Redhair applied to other universities, but Stanford was her first choice. Being accepted by the prestigious institution was almost more than she dared hope for, said Redhair. “In my head I really doubted myself on the application. It’s still kind of sinking in.”
Redhair plans to major in biology on her way to pre-med, then med-school. “I definitely want to do something in the medical field. For a long time I’ve wanted to be a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, but lately I’ve been thinking about becoming a surgeon.”
Her acceptance to Stanford has been a big boost to her confidence. “I feel like I can now do anything I put my mind to,” Redhair said.
Redhair’s interest in the medical field came from her mother, Florinda Tracey, who works as a physician assistant at LeChee Clinic. “My mom was the one I looked up to,” she said.
Redhair’s interest in the medical field deepened further two years ago when she spent six weeks at Vanderbilt University where she attended a bio-medical research program as a research intern.
“I loved it out there,” Redhair said. “It was my preview into what college will be like. I lived in a dorm, read scientific articles, worked with Phd researchers and attended classes from nine to five.
“I was so interested in what I was learning there, and too busy to get very homesick.”
Redhair will attend Vanderbilt’s bio-medical program again this summer.
Redhair visited the Stanford campus when she was in sixth grade and seventh grade during summer basketball camps. She was part of a club team, called the Lake Powell Gunners, coached by her father, Joshua Redhair. The team did car washes and other fundraisers to earn enough money to travel to the California camp. She was immediately captivated by the learning atmosphere and the beauty of the campus.
“That visit is what first planted the idea of attending college there,” she said. “The event that sticks with me the most happened during Spirit Week when they celebrated what they called `Nerd Nation.’ Nerd Nation is a big thing there. They embrace being nerdy, and that event erased the stigma that being is a nerd is a bad thing.”
As part of the camp, the Lake Powell Gunners worked with members of Stanford’s girls basketball team. “That was the first time I saw that someone can be good at both basketball and academics. That was the first time I’d ever experienced anything like that and it really changed my mindset.”
Redhair hopes the pandemic won’t prevent her from attending Stanford in person this fall.
“I really hope I can be there in person,” she said. “I was on their campus before. They have such a beautiful campus, and I’d love to experience the whole college experience.”
If the pandemic prevents her from attending Stanford in person, Redhair says she’ll make the best of attending virtually.
“I haven’t struggled with online learning, and I’ve developed affective online techniques and I could do that again for my Stanford classes, but I’ll be a lot more excited if I can attend in person.”

High School students are often told by their teachers, parents and instructors to dream big and set their sights on new horizons. Arabell Grimshaw, a senior at Page High School, took that advice more literally than most, when she applied to the Tokyo International University, even though she felt her chances of being accepted were low.
“It felt like a long-shot,” she said. “I wasn't confident I met the school’s expectations or fit in with the rest of the applicants.”
She applied to other colleges in case she wasn’t accepted to TIU, but that didn’t happen.
Grimshaw recently learned that she has been accepted, and she is ecstatic. “I was very surprised to see I had been accepted,” she said. “I was not confident due to not having the highest GPA, and I assumed my math ACT score was going to bring down my chances. When I was accepted I was very excited and even now I can barely believe it.”
Grimshaw will attend all four years at Tokyo International University, where she will study International Relations. Tokyo International University is located in Kawagoe, a suburb of Tokyo, Japan.
“I looked into international opportunities when looking for colleges, and it aligned with my plan to get to Japan and learn the language,” she said, “and I realized the major I chose is something I am fairly passionate about.”
Tokyo International University is a private, research-oriented liberal arts university working in collaboration with Tokyo University in the greater Tokyo Area. It's regarded as one of the most cosmopolitan international institutions of higher learning in Japan. The majority of the classes are taught in English, but some will be taught in Japanese. Grimshaw doesn’t yet speak Japanese, but says she plans to learn while she’s there.
Grimshaw says her interest in Japan and Japanese culture began during junior high. “I don’t remember an exact moment that started the interest, but in middle school and high school I have listened to Japanese pop, watched YouTubers and vloggers in Japan and I watched anime like a lot of middle schoolers did,” Grimshaw said. “Watching the vlogs of the train rides, the restaurants and festivals made me fascinated with the tourist culture.”
As Grimshaw’s curiosity with Japanese culture increased, its appeal to her has only deepened.
She’s looking forward to immersing herself in her classes, the life of a student abroad and an intriguing culture that, until now, she has only been able to imagine. “I love the idea of walking around Tokyo and exploring back roads and hiking mountains around the country,” she said. “I love the ocean and the idea of living near the ocean in a country of all forms of life and culture is amazing to me. The language itself has always appealed to me with how complicated it seems to be, the three alphabets and the sounds that English simply does not use is interesting to study and learn.”
Grimshaw has been a very active student while attending Page High School. She has participated in the Culinary Club, she was in concert band and has been in marching band for two years. She is the president of the high school’s Writing Club, and she’s finishing her seventh season of Colorguard, as she is serving as its captain.
Like many seniors, Grimshaw was disappointed to spend the majority of her final year of high school in a virtual setting. “It has been fairly frustrating actually, everyday grew to feel the exact same and the class loads were not easy. The online system makes me unmotivated and it's been hard to focus. At the same time, I am aware my teachers are doing all they can and a few haven been attempting to make the situation better than it is.”
“Arabell is an amazing person,” said Crystal Codner. Codner teaches ninth grade English and coaches Grimshaw in Colorguard and Winterguard. “She’s a very opinionated, vocal individual. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, or speak up for others.”
Codner says Grimshaw has played a large role in keeping Winterguard and Colorguard viable. “She and Braxton Harris arranged and performed amazing pieces and through that they recruited other students to the program. She helps the new students see the beauty of Colorguard as a sport and an art.”
Grimshaw will be performing with her team and as a soloist in Colorguard this season.
Grimshaw will travel to Japan in August, and she says going to invite every opportunity into her life, to practice what the Japanese call Jihatsu Hi, which is a day of sponanteity and adventure. “If I get invited to a tea ceremony, I’m going to go. If I get invited to go hiking I’m going to go. I’m going to try calligraphy, and explore Tokyo’s strange little alley markets. I can’t wait to do all that.”
Grimshaw has dyed, bright red hair, that speaks to her strong, extemporaneous personality. She has a curious mind, an adventurous spirit and she’s an expert at making new friends. Arabell Grimshaw is walking, whirling, talking, laughing, sparkling Jihatsu Hi personified.

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