Each year, a handful of seniors are nominated by the faculty to hold this coveted position. Nominated students embody the Vestavia spirit in and out of the classroom, exemplifying what it means to be a Vestavia Rebel. This year’s nominees for Miss Vestavia were Ella Clae Fulton, Emma Nunnelley, Mary Hogan Glenn, Mary Raynor Phifer, Sarah Jane Richardson, and Kate Kaiser. The nominees for Mr. Vestavia were Rylen Dempsey, Joe Eshleman, Luke Pappalardo, Rishab Samant, Graham Uldrich, Chase Rose, Ward Harris, and Freddie Nelson.
The senior class then votes on which two nominees should take on the title of Mr. and Miss Vestavia. The winners of this year’s vote were Rishab Samant and Mary Raynor Phifer. Both are highly involved students who truly care about serving their school, making them the perfect duo for the position.
Mary Raynor currently serves as the SGA Director of Spirit and cheers on the Rebels each Friday night as a football/competition cheerleader. She also is involved in Literacy Club, the New Student Committee, Youth Leadership, RISE, Freshman Connections, and Rebel Pals.
Rishab is highly involved in the Spanish program and the Speech and Debate Team, serving as Spanish Honor Society president, Spanish Club president, and Speech/Individual Events team captain. He is also Head Ambassador, a founder of the Competitive Science Fair Club, and an active member of the math team.
As their extensive school involvement demonstrates, both Mary Raynor and Rishab have taken advantage of the opportunities presented to them at VHHS. I had the opportunity to ask the two of them some questions to get to know a little more about who they are and what Vestavia means to them.
Upon being asked about the personal significance of her new title, Mary Raynor expressed that she feels honored to “represent such an amazing school and student body.” Rishab shares in her feelings of gratitude, and to him, Mr. Vestavia is someone who is “able to carry the values of the school” with him in “all aspects of life.”
Both take seriously the responsibility to represent their school well, and they recognize the characteristics that make Vestavia great—especially the strong connection VHHS has with the larger community. Rishab pointed out that “deep-set community values” and “unity” are the defining attributes of our school. Similarly, Mary Raynor identified how “VHHS works to include the community in all school activities and events,” creating a larger sense of unity within Vestavia.
I also wanted to find out their favorite school traditions. Mary Raynor loves the pep rallies because they “honor traditions” as well as “academic and athletic accomplishments.” She also takes pride in her role as a senior to “be an example for all grades to come” in showing school spirit. Rishab’s favorite tradition is the Special Olympics Parade because it celebrates “stellar students” and “generat[es] enthusiasm that spreads across the entire school.”
In looking forward to the rest of their senior year, both Mary Raynor and Rishab are “relishing spending time with the people [they]’ve known for all these years” and “cherish[ing] every moment we have left together.”
It’s clear that this year’s Mr. and Miss Vestavia preserve this long-standing Vestavia tradition well—they love their school, but they love their fellow students even more. I know I’m not alone in saying that I’m excited to see where the two of them will go and how they will continue to serve those around them.
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