For the first time in Forest Hills High School’s history, all three Robotics teams have advanced to the next round.
The announcement that changed the history of Robotics here at Forest Hills High School. This advance is a major accomplishment for the entire team but for one student in particular, this accomplishment is one of many achieved throughout her high school career.
But who is the infamous captain of the Reapers Robotics team?
Hannah Lemes is a senior in the Law Academy. Not only does she compete for the Robotics team, but she participates in Mrs. Carlson’s competition team as well. Like another student spotlighted in Beings of the Beacon, she joined her junior year. Prior to senior year, Hannah had taken AP Psychology, AP Language and Composition, AP U.S. History, and AP World History. As a senior, she is taking three more. “When you do it for a long time, it becomes a part of your routine. I am never home,” she said.
She’s practically a resident here at FHHS, given her level of commitment. “Hannah has impressed me from the very beginning. I knew she was very special. She has a very esteemed passion for history,” Dr. Belesis, Hannah’s former AP U.S. History teacher shared.
Two competition teams, three AP courses, and general senior struggles are stressful, especially when it comes to managing homework, college applications, and financial aid. “If I don’t like what I’m doing, I am miserable, which is why I don’t have problems with motivation because I always make sure I am doing things I like,” Hannah said.
As a captain or leader, one can imagine the responsibilities must be hefty. And in the midst of competition season, it’s easy to become burnt out or stressed. Hannah admitted she feels the pressure, but “we remind ourselves that at the end of the day we are still people, and everyone has their own breaking point,” she said. “We need to be able to level the work with each other and rely on each other.”
Her teammates’ feelings are mutual. Senior and teammate John Argiropoulos said, “Hannah is a good captain. She is very good at putting people in line. It’s a very admirable quality about her.”
It seems as though Hannah is not only a leader carrying her team to victory, but she is also a good friend and mentor. “The more we did, the more we just got along better and better. I thought it was the really good start to a great friendship” said Max Reimer, a junior in Mrs. Carlson’s competition class with Hannah. “I don’t really know that much about law, [but] she introduced it to me in a way that’s easier to understand… which is really nice to have someone by your side who does that all time.”
Everyone—peers, friends, and teachers alike—seem to share the same opinion that Hannah was destined for greatness. “I knew it the moment I was born,” Hannah said jokingly.
It seems as though her accomplishments have been spread out across her life. In middle school, she was a state champion for debate, and in high school she also won the first round of Moot Court. She is not only very passionate about robotics, but law as well.
Hannah’s culture has also had a big impact on her admiration for law, as she exclaimed, “[If] you research into Bosnia, we were done very dirty, for a lack of better word, in the international court of justice. This impacted my family. I have this strong sense of justice because I don’t want to see something like this happen in my lifetime. When I have the power to change it, I will.”
She is not only a tenacious student, an amazing friend, mentor, and leader, but she is also someone who will achieve something wonderful in our society.
“Growing up, I’ve always been told I have great awareness of certain world issues, such as political awareness,” she shared. “I’ve been told that I would amount to something great and achieve greatness.”
