Senior class President and Vice President, Alexis Gayle and Corbin Hawk, are committed to “pilot” Menchville until they graduate on June 10th.

Gayle describes their partnership as being “copilots” as if they were “flying a plane.”  Hawk said their management style is a “team effort.” Alexis Gayle and Corbin Hawk have both gone to Menchville for the entirety of their high school career. The pair have known each other since preschool, but were not close friends until tenth grade when they became involved with student government.  They have held their current offices since their junior year.  Both hope to be involved in student government in college, where Hawk would like to major in Bio-Medical Engineering, and Gayle has the goal of eventually going to law school. Hawk looks forward to attending Virginia Tech, while Gayle will be studying at the University of Virginia.

While participating in the student government in their junior year, the duo became best friends. Hawk characterizes Gayle as someone “who is not afraid to say what’s going on.” Gayle says Hawk is “relaxed” while she [Gayle] is more “high strung.” Hawk thinks that the pair have “different ways they go about life,” but they have the “same values.” Hawk looks up to Gayle the most in life because “she is not afraid of confrontation” and because “they are opposites,” but still have some similarities in the way they live their lives. Gayle sees Hawk as a role model because “Corbin [Hawk] is patient.” In their friendship, Gayle  shares, there is “nothing wrong with saying ‘Hey, that hurt my feelings'” because if that happened they would work it out.

Over their years at Menchville, Hawk and Gayle have shared many enjoyable memories. Gayle’s funniest memory happened when she was the sophomore class treasurer. She was hanging up homecoming posters for her class and someone working with her noticed that the word “sophomore” was spelled wrong. Instead of “S-O-P-H-O-M-O-R-E,” it was spelled “S-O-P-H-M-O-R-E.” Hawk’s funniest memory happened when she was working on the Sophomore homecoming T-shirt and someone pointed out, that the word “sophomore” was spelled wrong, again. Another memory  the pair share happened when they were juniors: Gayle and Hawk were painting a sign for homecoming with some fellow classmates and they told their work partners to put a tarp under the banner so the yellow paint would not get on the floor of the tech building. The people in charge of the tarp only put it halfway under the banner, so when they picked up the painted wood there was a huge spot of yellow paint on the floor of the tech building. To get the paint off Hawk scrubbed the floor as hard as she could.

Their junior year remains their favorite year because of the Junior’s “clean sweep” during homecoming week. Gayle said even math teacher Ken Zoby “bowed down” to their class after they won every contest possible for a grade level. That year, Gayle convinced activities director, Peter Mercier, to include a T-Shirt contest because she was sure the junior class would win. The pair also said there was “lots of planning” and “dedication put in” that year.

They are both involved in many extracurricular activities such as, Model UN, Key Club, National Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society, field hockey, and student government. Hawk also enjoys being on the Debate team. When they are not busy with their after school activities, they enjoy reading a “book you can’t put down.” Hawk also loves water sports, and Gayle has a passion for running.

Gayle categorizes “surviving AP calculus” as her greatest accomplishment. Hawk considers receiving a 5 on her AP Calculus exam and being chosen for a summer internship during 2016 for Jefferson Lab as her greatest accomplishments. This year Gayle loves her English class with Richard Lusk and Hawk enjoys AP Biology with Ashley Chassard. Hawk’s favorite teachers are English teacher Susan Traner and Math teacher Brandon Traner, saying that they are her “school family.” Gayle elaborated saying “our favorite teachers are like aunts and uncles,” she gave another example saying that “if you have a serious problem, go to Chap [Social Studies teacher Christopher Chappell].

If Hawk could speak with her freshmen self, she would say “don’t do what everyone else is doing, do what you think is cool.” Gayle would tell herself to “take a deep breath.” When Gayle tells upcoming freshmen to “choose your friends wisely” she means “don’t choose friends that [will] lead you to do what’s wrong.” Hawk would tell upcoming freshmen “don’t sweat the little stuff.”

At Senior Breakfast, Hawk was voted Most Likely to Become CEO or President, while Gayle was voted Biggest Overachiever. Hawk thought that their superlatives should have been switched because Hawk is not “into politics,” however she “does like to be a leader.” Gayle does not consider herself an “overachiever”, but does find it flattering that her fellow classmates think she is one.

Gayle thinks it “sounds corny”, but her favorite thing about Menchville is the “spirit,” especially during Homecoming week because she really gets the feeling that “Monarchs are the best.” Hawk’s favorite thing about Menchville is the fact that it “feels like home” and people know her by name. Gayle says her life motto is “Everything will be okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.” The quote Hawk lives by is “Everything happens for a reason.”

Menchville is an “upbeat and somewhat classy” school”, said Hawk as Gayle added that “Menchville students are proud to be Monarchs.”  For Gayle being a Monarch means you “feel like you are a part of a family” and “you are MHS.”  Hawk says that being a Monarch means you are always “representing Menchville.”