Most students have a hobby or pastime they do in their leisure time. These hobbies are often incorporated into their extracurricular activities. Whether through sports, art club, or reading, students find a way to express themselves through their passions. On occasion, students become so involved with their passions that they look for a way to share their joys and interests with others. Through innovation and creativity, these students are inspired to express themselves.

Seniors Daniel Marchant and Sean Reilly are part of the band, The March Collective (TMC).

“Two summers ago, we gathered people together with an interest in music and held a jam session,” Marchant said. “Back then, we were just messing around, sharing our common love for music. But then we produced a song and thought to ourselves, ‘Wow, this is pretty good’.” He continued, “We have 17 members, but they’re not all musicians. People interested in photography and choreography, among others, work with us. It’s really amazing to see people with different artistic mediums coming together to do what they love and just letting their creativity flow through collaboration.”

TMC members come from a range of different backgrounds and social groups.

“Everyone in TMC is from a different culture, enjoys different genres of music, and plays different instruments, so it’s nice to see our different aspects combined to create our final product,” said Reilly. “We have to overcome our busy student schedules, but we’ve released two official music videos on YouTube. Ahad, another member, has been posting some beats on Facebook, and we’ve developed a Web site and Tumblr as well. We’ve opened for Foghat at a Blues Festival and have really been learning a lot about the music business. It feels great to share our music with others, and we’ve had a lot of support. We’re doing what we love and I hope to continue this for a long time.”

Something that just started out as an activity for fun can develop into a lifelong passion.

“The summer after 8th grade I got my first camera, a point and shoot,” said senior Emily Sedate. “I took it with me on vacation, and that was when I really started to take pictures. Then, summer after freshmen year, I upgraded to my first DSLR and really began to develop my hobby. Last year, a friend paid me to take her senior portraits as well as family photos. I figured if others also wanted me to take portraits, they’d have to go somewhere other than my Facebook wall, so I started a blog. It’s a lot more public than Facebook, and I’ve taken several portraits since then. It’s a great feeling to see others enjoy my work; I love interacting with people during my shoots and hopefully in a few years I’ll be a lot better.”

Through innovation and ingenuity, these students carried forth what started out as just hobbies and passions into something that impacts and builds community and culture. Inspired with a simple idea, they now inspire others.

“I love playing my cello, ever since I started in 5th grade,” said senior Katy Jao. “I joined 5th grade strings and had a wonderful high school girl who was my TA. I wanted to bring that same happiness and joy to other 5th graders, so in 7th grade, I joined Klein’s 5th grade string program as a teacher assistant at Hassler Elementary. Then, last year, I realized that whether with my cousins, babysitting, or my 5th grade students, I love kids. I was also inspired by my grandparents because they were both principals in the field of education in Taiwan, and set up classes for ADHD and underprivileged kids. I decided to take IPIE(Instructional Practices in Education) and go to Mittelstadt for 7th period and continue teaching 5th grade strings, but now at 3 different elementary schools. I love combining two of my favorite things, kids and music, and enjoying myself while inspiring others, just as I was.”