“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible,’ that’s a quote that I like to live by,” Kathleen McGill reflected.  

McGill, an enthusiastic, spirited senior at North Penn, has exemplified that quote to the best of her ability, and has seized every opportunity to make her time at North Penn well worth it. Whether it’s taping 400 pictures of her 9th grade Latin teacher to his classroom, throwing a Spongebob themed Halloween party, or dressing in Christmas gear from the beginning of November, she will do it all before she graduates.

GETTING INVOLVED 

Beginning in her sophomore year, McGill wanted to take advantage of her high school experience by getting as involved as she possibly could. Mini THON, Goodwill Ambassadors, Latin Club, Troubadour and German Club are just a few on her long resume.

“I kind of have interests all over the place. I never really stuck to just one specific sport or theater or instrument, I just kind of bounced from one thing to the other, trying them all. I wanted to kind of get an array of everything, and get to know all these people, do all these different activities. North Penn just has so much to offer and I feel like I want to do it all,” McGill explained. 

Why waste your time as a high schooler doing things that might not even make a difference in the future? For McGill, that is not the mindset. She is always looking to get everything possible out of her senior year, and being involved with this buzzing school is just one way to do so.

“When you go to a school with 3,000 kids it’s hard to get to know everybody but by doing different clubs you get to know people more and it kind of makes the school essentially feel a little bit smaller at times,” she explained. 

She’s not doing all of this for no reason. McGill believes that to make the most of her senior year, she needs to carry out whatever wild plans she wants to do. 

“I just want to live senior year to the fullest, not caring what other people think, and just doing all these fun crazy things just to make all these memories,” McGill said.

Not only is she involved with clubs and various activities in the school, but she takes advantage of each spirit day handed to her, and with good intention.

“I think it’s a ton of fun, because in school it kind of gets a little bit boring when things are always the same… I feel like we need more school spirit and the spirit days are just one way to get that,” McGill elaborated.

THE MIDDLE CHILD

Being the middle child of three siblings, one may think McGill has some negative feelings about being stuck in the middle, potentially overlooked. She emphasized how untrue this is, and can argue how underrated being the middle child is, and even how it brought her family together.

“We’re very close because I’m the middle child and people always act like being the middle child is bad, but I love it because you get both sides. It gets a ton of slander for having the stereotype of ‘the worst sibling order,’ but you can get the best of both worlds; I get to learn from my [older] brother and I get to teach my [younger] sister things,” McGill elaborated. “We always just joke and laugh at the most random things imaginable, and have all these crazy inside jokes.”

SPONGEBOB, DISNEY,  and BUCKET LISTS

Not only does she do wild things with her siblings, but McGill also has a bucket list of crazy things to accomplish, most of which before she graduates. One standout item on that list, a Spongebob themed Halloween party, took place this year with her friends who wanted to help carry out her Halloween dream.

“I feel like the Spongebob Halloween party was quite monumental. It’s been on my bucket list since 6th grade to be Mr. Krabs for Halloween. I drew blueprints back in 6th grade of that costume, and then senior year I figured I would just make it a reality. I got fifteen or so friends to participate and we went around the neighborhood singing Spongebob songs as we knocked on the door,” McGill said. 

Among many hobbies and interests emerged one longtime passion for McGill; Disney. Going to Disney world is something she looks forward to annually, and hopes to continue this tradition when she starts a family of her own.

“We are insane Disney fans. We have the ‘Disney mom’ and ‘Disney dad.’ I’ve been there pretty much every year since fourth grade,” McGill said. It’s just one of those things, you go to Disney and you get that nostalgia and you get to learn to love every ride.”

Another passion of McGill’s is her favorite holiday, Christmas. In her words, “It is never too early to start the Christmas season.” She meant every word of that statement, because on November 8th, she began to show her holiday spirit through her wardrobe.

“A lot of people commented on it, some people would say ‘it’s too early,’ and I’m like, ‘no it’s not’ because Christmas season is so short, we might as well start it earlier,” she explained. “Christmas is just something I look forward to every year, it’s great. I never get tired of Christmas music; I love it.”

Being in this large of a district can change a person, especially going through each grade at North Penn since kindergarten.

“I was kind of quiet back then, I remember, and in elementary school I was this shy, quiet kid and then as I got into fourth, fifth, sixth grade, I started becoming more of myself,” McGill said. I feel like I’ve overall become more confident and I just like to live in the moment everyday at North Penn and just seize pretty much every opportunity possible.”

HOMECOMING COURT

To kick off the start of her final year at North Penn, McGill was awarded an honor not many have expectations of getting; homecoming court. She definitely had no expectations going into this week, but was pleasantly surprised.

“It was insane. I really didn’t expect to be on Homecoming Court,” McGill started. “I just kind of froze and was like ‘Oh my gosh I just won Homecoming Court.”

Being on this court, however, was not just about the publicity it got her in school. She formed so many new relationships and gained memorable experiences along the way

“I feel like that week of Homecoming was the first time I felt that school spirit and the high school experience I’ve been looking for… I really became so much closer with those people, even now we say hi to each other in the hallways,” McGill elaborated.

The Homecoming experience came with nothing short of opportunities for McGill. She was “Never gonna give up” her dream since tenth grade to Rickroll the school, and finally got the chance during her homecoming introduction.

“I’ve been wanting to Rickroll North Penn since tenth grade, which I finally got to do, except I did the dance ten times the speed, flailing my arms in all sorts of random directions. I didn’t look at all like Rick Astley’s famous dance,” McGill explained.

NEXT CHAPTERS 

Unfortunately, in the spring, McGill’s iconic run in North Penn School District will come to an end, as she is graduating this June.

“I’m not looking forward to graduating just because I really like it here and the fact that I need to leave all my friends and teachers and even the school behind; I’m not too happy about it. I know the future is going to be great, it’s just that graduation seems so abstract when you’re young, and then you have to face this reality of ‘oh it’s actually coming,” McGill elaborated. “I’m always going to hold North Penn very dear. It had such an impact on me. I love this school. I think it’s great and I’m going to miss it so much.”

Though her involvement in the school is beneficial and entertaining to her now, a change of pace is coming in the future, because the student dynamic in college is different than what McGill is used to.

“It’s gonna be hard to find just one career and one major when I have so many interests, but it’s more the fact that it’s coming so fast that disappoints me,” McGill explained. “It’s not that I don’t like trying new things, it’s the idea of leaving things behind.”

McGill has some advice that she has rode through high school on, that might help to enhance the experience of her peers.

“My advice to fellow seniors and underclassmen would be, as cliche as this may sound, just be yourself and don’t be afraid to look a little ridiculous. It’s these random, risky moments that we are going to appreciate the most,”

Throughout her North Penn experience, through the clubs and activities, spirit days, holidays, and every memorable moment in McGill’s time here, she is walking away with a key takeaway.

“Academics are important, but I think the memories and the connections we make matter just as much,” McGill finished.