PUBLISHED ON January 26, 2026

Rylee Ford '29


As the Chapelle’s basketball season comes to an end, the Hi-Stepper seniors say farewell to the stands and all the memories at tonight's game. We celebrate the seniors at the game and all their hard work and accomplishments. These girls have been to countless volleyball and basketball games, with the brightest smiles and the loudest cheers! What is so special about these games, you might ask? Not only do we get to witness the Volleyball and Basketball Chips' hard work and dedication to their teams, but we get to cheer our best friends on from the front row! At the end of the day, we all come together with love for our school and our teams! We win together, and we lose together. We support each other to better ourselves for the future. That is the true meaning of a team. 


What about the Seniors themselves? What have they learned? “Being an officer on Hi-steppers taught me how important trust is. I had to trust my teammates to do their part, and they had to trust me to support them and help the team stay focused. This showed me that trust helps people work better together. In college, I will use this by being dependable in group work and making sure others feel supported and heard”, says our Captain Skylar Henry ‘26. Along with that, our Co-Captain, Victoria Pelitire ‘26, says, “The main leadership quality I have learned in my two years as an officer is positivity. If your leaders are positive, the team will also be positive. Being nice and maintaining a good mindset are key to being a successful leader. This will affect me after graduation because when I'm having a bad day, I will know that everything is okay and that I should trust God's plan”. Our officers have truly led this team to the best we could be, and we couldn’t thank them enough for all their hard work and dedication. They have developed endless leadership skills that have truly been effortlessly displayed. “I have learned what true sisterhood is, and I don't think I will find a group of girls who feel so much like family. Also, I'll take with me when I graduate, knowing I will have friends for life from Hi-Steppers. A team that will always have my back and be there for me when times get tough. I love my team, and I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my time the past 4 years,” says Madison Heintz ‘26. The lasting impacts that this team has will never be forgotten. This sisterhood of this team truly is so special. 


How have these girls truly impacted our team? “I’ve learned from the seniors this year that the hard work truly does pay off. They’ve impacted me by reminding me to work hard and do the best I can at each practice, and that’s made me a stronger performer overall. They’re words of encouragement really help me to focus and do the best I can to try to perfect something and improve”, says Elise Palm ‘29. These girls show what it truly means to be a dedicated Hi-Stepper. Each and every one of them portrays the exact qualities of a strong leader. We have all been incredibly blessed to have learned so much from our Seniors. Junior Kaia Braendel says, “One thing I learned from Hi-steppers that I will be taking into my senior year will be, is to never take your teammates for granted. When practices are tough, we lean on each other, and whenever we win, we celebrate together. Our teammates are more than friends, they are extended family, and I’m not ready for the day when I have to leave them”. 


As the game timer runs out and the cheers come to an end, we take that time to really acknowledge our gratitude for our Seniors as their season is soon coming to an end. We wish them the best of luck after graduation and hope they will continue to be the amazing role models they are. We hope they know how much they are appreciated throughout the sisterhood of this team. As always, Throw your C’s up!



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