By Sara Ballenger

Blach Intermediate School

Dustin Damonte

When he is not out on the wrestling mat or on the baseball diamond, Dustin Damonte is playing Johann Sebastian Bach on his piano.

“I really like Baroque music,” he said. “My mom gave me a Baroque piece to play four years ago, and I just kept playing.” Damonte has been looking for sheet music for his favorite Bach piece, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”

“I haven’t found it yet,” he said. “I have been looking through a bunch of books, and I am going to keep looking.”

What Damonte will remember most about his time at Blach is the friendships he has made.

“I think I have become more mature over the years,” he said. “I have also learned how to get along better with people.”

Damonte’s parents, Carol and Dirk, have seen their son learn how to care for other people, too.

“He spends at least one whole day a week with his brother and his grandmother. He has had real solid role models,” Carol said. “Our greatest hope for Dustin is that he is happy in life, that’s the most important thing.”

Damonte will be attending Del Mar High School in San Jose next fall and would like to attend Stanford University or University of California, Berkeley.

Abby Damm

Teamwork is something that Abby Damm prides herself on. That is evident by her participation on Blach’s soccer and volleyball teams.

“I have learned how to get along with people, how to work hard and be a part of a team,” she said.

Barbara Althoff, Damm’s mother, says she has enjoyed watching her daughter grow into a caring person.

“She goes out of her way to be nice to people,” Althoff said.

Althoff mentioned that Damm recently came home from an eighth-grade dance, and when she asked Damm whom she had danced with, Damm said it was a boy who had been in special education classes and been mainstreamed.

“She said that nobody was dancing with him and that his feelings had been really hurt, and so that’s whom she danced with,” Althoff said. “That showed a level of maturity you don’t always see in an eighth-grader. It’s just the kind of person she is.”

Damm is going to miss Blach. “It’s been a good experience,” she said. “Everyone is nice here, and it’s a low-pressure environment.”

While she admitted to being a little scared about attending Mountain View High next year, she hasn’t lost sight of her goals.

“I want to play volleyball and soccer when I get to Mountain View and go to Stanford or Harvard,” she said.

Egan Junior High School

Hannah Lippe

Sports are something dear to Hannah Lippe’s heart. While at Egan she was on the basketball, volleyball, swimming, track and field and soccer teams. She also has a passion for riding horses.

“Playing sports I have really learned about teamwork and communication skills,” she said.

Lippe puts just as much dedication into her academics, having earned a 4.0 grade point average her entire academic career at Egan. That is something her mother, Nancy, is especially proud of.

“One of the things I admire most about Hannah is her sense of responsibility and self-discipline,” Nancy said. But she is quick to point out her daughter loves to have fun.

“She is very gregarious and has a lot of energy,” Nancy said. “She also has the ability to laugh at herself.”

She also isn’t afraid to speak from her heart. This year Lippe served as co-editor of the school newspaper.

“She wrote an incredible editorial about popularity,” Nancy said. “She said what is important is for people to just be themselves and to have the confidence to do that.”

Lippe will be attending Los Altos High School and hopes to play volleyball at Stanford University.

Russell Field

Russell Field is looking forward to going to Los Altos High School but will always remember the time he spent at Egan.

“I had really great teachers and a lot of experiences that mean a lot to me,” he said. “There have been challenges I had to overcome, like the writing assessment. It was stressful, but it turned out well.”

Field worked hard on his writing this year, which is something his parents, Christopher Field and Nona Chiariello, are proud of.

“I hope that Russell will continue to challenge himself and try new things,” Chiariello said. “I hope that he continues to pursue things to allow him to grow, academically and socially, and that he takes advantage of all of the opportunities high school has to offer.”

Something Field loves to do is mountain biking, with some of his favorite trails being along the Oregon coast. He also plays badminton and the trumpet and will be on the swim team in high school.