Sara Gentry is a sophomore and is part of Mountainside Band. She would describe herself as an extrovert who likes to hang out with her friends and play video games. Her younger sister, and the rest of her family grew up in Oregon and have always loved it. 

Q-How long have you been in a band?

A-I’ve been doing band since 6th grade. I started the second week of 6th grade, and I chose french horn as my instrument and I have been playing french horn since then but I have picked up other instruments.

Q-Like what?

A-I play mellophone, which is basically french horn but it’s for marching band and I also play trombone. 

Q-Why’d you choose the Mellophone?

A-Because for marching band you have to have an instrument that you can march with, and marching with a french horn is really difficult because of how it’s shaped. So whenever in marching band you want to use a mellophone because it’s so much easier.

Q-What middle school did you go to?

A-I went to Highland Park Middle School.

Q-Did you like it?

A-It was interesting. I had a good time but definitely the environment is so much different than here, it was so much more chaotic, and it’s a really old school so things are breaking all the time. We didn’t have air conditioning, the bathrooms were super old like the stall doors don’t close. It was an interesting school but overall it was a good experience because I really grew through middle school. 

Q-Did you meet a lot of people from Highland that also came here?

A-I feel like it was like the majority went here, maybe like a third went to Southridge, and like a fifth went to Beaverton, and then a few other people went to choice schools. But most of them went here.

Q-What elementary school did you go to?

A-I went to Sexton Mountain Elementary School.

Q-Did a lot of people go there, too?

A-Yeah it was a pretty big school, especially my grade, and I’m pretty sure everyone that went to Sexton went to Highland, so there was a big majority of kids at Highland when I first got there. 

Q-Did you grow up here?

A-Yes I did move one time but it was from a condo and I just moved down the street into a house once my sister was born. 

Q-What do you like to do outside of school?

A-Outside of school I like to hang out with my friends, and I like to play video games. I do a lot of after school band stuff, too, like today I have honor band. 

Q-What’s your favorite class from this semester?

A-I like lit and comp class, because I like the people in it because it’s just to chill, and the people are so fun. Also because I like literature a lot more than math or science. So writing and learning about all that stuff is a lot easier. 

Q-Do you work right now?

A-I do not work, but I want to get a job soon because I’m going to Europe over the summer and help my parents pay for it. So probably when I turn 16 this month I will start looking for a job. 

Q-Where do you think you’re going to look?

A-I’m thinking not fast food, but probably the food industry. So maybe Starbucks or stores where you can also get food, but not a restaurant. 

Q-What are you good at outside of school?

A-I’m pretty good at horseback riding, and I’ve done that for two years. I started it the summer after seventh grade, and I do really like it.