When I asked Reilly Moore if I could shadow her for a day, I had only a slight idea of what I was getting myself into. I knew she was our student body president, a member of Chamber Choir, Chamber Singers and really into athletics as well. When I asked her about her typical day, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
“I get up at four thirty in the morning and make myself breakfast, then head to swim practice out at Haskell at five,” said Moore. “I carpool with my friend Kara Mishler, and we rush over to zero hour after that.”
The thought of waking up that early made me cringe, but I set my alarm for 4:30 and prepared for the worst. It wasn’t so hard getting up and getting ready, but once swim practice was over and school started, I was feeling the lack of sleep. Usually I get about nine hours, but getting up at 4:30 cut that down to six and a half.
Moore’s zero hour is Student Council, where she works as Student Body President. I’ve never participated in our school’s student council, but I was surprised at what actually went on during the class. Multiple decisions regarding the school were made, new improvements and opportunities, like teacher of the month, and not to mention details regarding the recent Winter Formal were addressed.
After zero hour we headed to Humanities, and this is where the exhaustion kicked in. Sitting near the back of the class, I could hardly keep my eyes open. I looked up at Moore and was astounded to see her taking color coordinated notes, answering questions, and actively participating in the class. All I wanted to do was pass out for a solid eight hours, and we were only into the second class of the day. My respect for her grew in light of her exemplary work ethic.
As the day went on I slowly regained some energy, but I still couldn’t believe Moore did this every day. It was obvious that she was tired, but she kept trucking through it. After Humanities Moore had Spanish IV, where she and the class played an intense game of scrabble versus the teacher. Then came Film Media, which entailed a project due at the end of the hour. Choir came next, then a lunch made by Moore herself. After lunch was Moore’s last class of the day, AP Politics, where Moore worked on writing an essay.
“I think it’s fair to say that I’m probably busier than a lot of people, but I still try to be happy-go-lucky and upbeat about it.”
As school ended, Moore still had work to do.
“Usually I go home, take a nap or do my homework, then go to swimming again.”
I asked why she cared so much about swimming. Her response was simple:
“I just really like swimming a lot. I’m pretty sure I’m going to college for swimming, so I might as well get used to it now.”
Moore’s dedication to her after school activities, her classes, and her school work is awe-inspiring. During the fall Moore played volleyball, and when the season ended her focus switched to swimming. Her life revolves around the few activities she involves herself in, and she gives her all to each of them. By the end of the week, it isn’t surprising that Moore is exhausted. Because of this, Moore rarely has time for staying out and hanging with friends into the wee morning hours of the weekend. The weekend is her only chance to relax and catch up on sleep.
“I’m pretty well-rounded as a person, but being so busy keeps me out of trouble on the weekends because all I want to do is sleep, so that’s what I do.”
After spending an entire day with Moore, I’ve gained a lot of respect for her. She gives up so much of her free time, not to mention sleep, to work towards bettering herself and every activity she is involved in. She has goals, and no matter how difficult they may be to reach, she will stop at nothing to achieve them.