Housatonic student of the week

The Lakeville Journal congratulates the honorees of the student of the week program at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. 

FALLS VILLAGE — It is hard to overstate the importance of music to teenagers. Their allegiance to artists or genres is truly fanatical, and for those involved in musical performance, their passion borders on mania. A brief conversation with senior Fiona Ocain reveals that music pervades her being, both reflecting and informing her personality. 

Fiona began playing the flute in fourth grade at Cornwall Consolidated School, and she has practiced it ever since. She is now the leader of our student-run Flute Choir, the president of our band and a member of our Jazz Band, where she also plays the saxophone. 

Playing an instrument suits her personality, Fiona says, as it is both “creative and perfectionist.” She has practiced long enough to enjoy a command of the instrument that now allows her to be creative. 

“It’s like doing math equations,” she says, “I just enjoy figuring everything out.” 

Persistence is one trait that Fiona has learned from her years of practice. Many young people play the flute when they are younger, but her years of commitment to the instrument have given her some “grit” that she applies to her academic subjects as well. Her enjoyment of French is no surprise, as her perseverance has reaped rewards in a subject that is also the passion of her mother, who teaches French herself. 

Fiona credits French teacher Marge Becker with helping her explicitly understand the material, and similarly attributes her appreciation of literature to the analytical work she has done in Damon Osora’s English class. 

Those classes, as well as field hockey and swimming, have been truly educational for Fiona, who says she has learned a lot about “putting herself out there,” learning more about herself and those around her in the process.