Senior Spotlight: Samantha Kenyherz

Sam has long roots at Sage Ridge School, having started in 6th grade. She was a bit nervous about coming to a new school, until she met fellow senior Bella Cullen and played basketball with her. Since then, Sam has played on many sports teams although basketball has remained her favorite. This year she got to go to the playoffs, which is also the first time our girls varsity basketball team has made it to the playoffs. She played a big role in the team’s success. As her basketball coach, Michael Cvetich, comments, “Sam is a consummate leader and teammate, and is the kind of five-tool player any coach would be privileged to have.”

Our student body vice president, Sam, founded the Last Straw club with three friends in order to bring environmental awareness to our community. Sam loves outdoor activities, such as her Skiing and Outdoor Adventure Sage Session classes with Dr. Roth, and she has treasured her Outdoor Education experience, especially camping next to Tomales Bay and seeing bioluminescent water during her senior year trip. She has enjoyed bonding with the senior class and will always remember their senior prank, when all of the seniors came to the school at night and put up pictures of Mr. Bechtel, our Head of School, everywhere.  

Sam has been inspired by her teachers, who have not only helped her grow academically but have also been her mentors. She remembers acting out 12 Angry Men in Mrs. Kuehn’s 8th grade English class and credits Mr. Johnston with making her love calculus. Taking Honors Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology, and now AP Biology with Dr. Roth confirmed her career goal of going into the medical field. Dr. Roth notes that he has “had the pleasure of watching, and in some small ways, assisting Samantha to mature as a student and as a person”  and is glad to have inspired Samantha to pursue college studies that will “feed her passion for physical therapy and medicine.” To explore potential career paths, Sam is shadowing an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine as part of her Senior Internship. In her senior thesis, she explored how exercise, specifically strength training, can aid the recovery of people with eating disorders.  

Sam has made a great impact on our community and lasting bonds with her fellow students. We wish her all the best as she heads to Boston University this fall!