The Halls of Richard Montgomery

“I think the most rewarding aspect of the piano is really the self-study. Of course you can do competitions and festivals and master classes and all that sort of thing where you can perform, and I think that’s great. But I feel like I get the most pleasure when I’m in my basement playing the piano and studying it myself because I’m playing it for myself and I’m enjoying it. Maybe it doesn’t sound really good, but of course it gets better.”

Q: Who do you look up to the most?
A: “In terms of basketball, I have to look up to Lebron James. I’ve loved watching him; not only what he does on the court, but also what does in his community. He’s starting a school for kids in his hometown. He’s been an active voice in the Black Lives Matter movement, obviously Biden’s campaign, and he shows that the title of an athlete doesn’t really define a person. He’s also just really a good player; whenever I watch him play I try to take something that he did. That’s the same for any other NBA player, too. Just as an athlete, I think he’s a model human being and that’s why I look up to him. “

“What’s something people would never guess about you?”
“Something people would never guess about me is my music taste. I’m pretty much addicted to spotify, and I listen to everything from rap to rock to indie to country (don’t sleep on country, it hits).”

What is the most important piece of advice you have for rising seniors or incoming freshmen (or just students in general)?
“Prioritize your mental health. I had a rule for myself that if whatever I was working on wasn’t done by 1 am, it wasn’t getting done that night. I’ve never pulled an all-nighter and even though I was often sleep deprived, it wasn’t worth it to me to sacrifice my mental health to get a higher grade on an assignment. Teachers are very understanding and accommodating, ask for help/extensions if you’re overwhelmed.” ----------------------------------------------------------This post is a part of HORM's senior appreciation following their graduation. We want to recognize some of the diverse stories and experiences of RM's seniors.

“I don't think any one moment defined my whole experience at RM, but here’s one that was really transformative: It was early in my sophomore year, and I was super frustrated. Lessons and quizzes in math were going so well, but I got less than 50% on both of our unit tests. I remember going to see my teacher, Mrs. Chaney, at lunch. I told her I didn't want her to think that I didn't care about her class, but that I also didn't understand why I was scoring so poorly on tests after a successful unit. She told me that she could tell I was going to have some testing difficulty within a week of being in her room, and that she already had a plan for how I could improve. However, Mrs. Chaney also said she wanted to wait until I approached her with the problem. This experience was valuable in more ways than one: I felt so supported by my teacher, and she helped me address the issue. She also didn't treat me like a child; she wasn't going to hold my hand or force me to get help until I was able to ask for it.” -------------------------------------------------————- This post is a part of HORM's senior appreciation following their graduation. We want to recognize some of the diverse stories and experiences of RM's seniors.

“If there is one most important part of high school that everyone should know, it’s that getting involved is the best possible thing you could ever do. I know it seems scary, especially if you’re a little freshman in a big sea, but finding what you’re passionate about and finding others who share that passion is what high school is all about. You’ve never had this many opportunities to find yourself and your people! Don’t be afraid to try new things or start something new at RM. I promise you’ll find friends who will join you, even if it’s for making friendship bracelets and talking about The Bachelor.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This post is a part of HORM's senior appreciation week following their graduation. We want to recognize some of the diverse stories and experiences of RM's seniors.

“I think first and foremost our priority is making sure everyone is okay emotionally and mentally and then we can get to the academic stuff later; this is basically what I told my classes in my welcome back message because we don’t know what kinds of situations people are experiencing. There might be people at home watching siblings and they have a single parent who’s an essential employee. So we just have to give a lot of grace and be really caring and delicate because that’s the only way we’re going to get through this. If looking at the whole day looks too overwhelming, make a list of goals about what you want to achieve in the day and be gentle with yourself. Or devise a reward where if you do something productive you reward yourself with a break, a snack, or watching a show or something. Or just breathe, just stop and breathe. If you can just try and calm down and focus on what’s in front of you then you can move onto the next thing.”

“When the coronavirus first started spreading in China, my parents and other Chinese Americans contacted their own associations from universities and tried to donate supplies there, and now we ask those same people to donate the supplies to us since we’re the ones who need it now. So they mailed over masks and we dropped off over 2,000 masks today. We just drove around with the masks in our trunk and gave them to the post office and Safeway, Giant, places like that. The post office had three or four employees actually there, but they said they have 40 carriers as well. My dad asked the lady at the post office how many masks they had left, and she said they had one more box left, which is about 50 masks. She was like, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do anymore,’ so we ended up giving them around 600 masks and she was really happy. I didn’t even realize how much people needed [protective equipment], especially since this was my first time leaving the house since the break began and I’ve just been at home working on my own things. I didn't even realize how different people’s lives are right now. I just thought it was fine—I’m just staying at home, nothing is going to happen to me. I think going out and actually seeing what they were doing everyday made me see this entire crisis from a different angle. So that was my day so far.”

“Whenever I’m asked what it’s like having a twin, I don’t really know what to say because I haven’t had it any other way. Growing up we did everything together. He’s the only person I’ve gone to school with since kindergarten and we’ve also done a lot of other crazy things like gymnastics, karate, running, tennis, and even breakdance together. So I guess there’s a lot of comparison and competition that’s come with that, which is boring and kind of sucks. But we’re heading to different colleges next year. I’m sad that I’m not going to have someone to accompany me for everything. Something I’m really going to miss is our morning and afternoon car rides because I don’t see him much during the school day so when we drive home and back we talk a lot and jam to music. But I’m also happy that I’m finally going to be able to grow independently from him, since I feel like a lot of my identity is associated with him. But still, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Please read this update from our team. Any story (most certainly does not have to be related to current events) is welcome. Stay safe!

"What have your experiences been like tutoring students?"
“It’s actually a really rewarding experience. It might be a little bit frustrating at times, but when they start getting better and start understanding the concepts you kind of attribute it to yourself, and it's really rewarding."

“My birthday is actually on Christmas, so that day has always been something to look forward to. Also, Christmas is just one of those times in the year where everyone is just happy–I mean, I am grateful for it because I know that that is not true for a lot of people, but personally I have never had a bad Christmas day and luckily I share it with my birthday."

What has been your most memorable moment in your acting career?
“Probably ‘Addams Family’ and getting to perform onstage with my sister. She’s my onstage sister and my real-life sister so it was really special.”

“I used to live in Beijing. It was tough when I first came to America, with things like the language barrier, but I’ve been here for three months now so I’m getting used to it. I feel like there’s a lot less academic pressure. I would say the schools and atmosphere are different—students are livelier here, and school is much easier. Now I live with my aunt, who has wanted me to come since I was young. She always thought there would be more opportunities here.”

This post has been translated from Chinese

"So when I was about 8 and 12 years old I used to do acting and I had an agent that would book me for small gigs like commercials or small videos on the internet. One of my biggest acting things was being on a TV show called ‘Taxi Brooklyn’ that was on Netflix and aired for only about one season. I recently did a commercial for the FDA, but most of
the acting requires you to go to California which is not an option for me right now since I've decided to focus on my education."

"So, I’m making a short film. I’ve made a couple of films, but they weren’t all by me. In my personal [MYP] project, I’m going to be the director and the producer. I’m actually shooting it myself, so instead of having a whole team with me, it’s just me by myself so that’s just a little different. It’s a scary movie, and it’s going to be a bunch of my friends. I’m still composing the cast, but it’s just going to be about a girl, and it’s supposed to be like a creepy plot where you don’t know what’s actually happening to her, but you get the sense of fear and it has all the aspects that a scary movie might actually have.”

“My grandfather played the accordion a lot when I was little and I used to sing while he played. I guess it has stayed with me since then. I think it runs in my family. My family is very musical, not that any of them are professionals, but there is always someone either singing or playing music in my house. My mom especially likes to play music while she does things around the house so there is always music in my head. I guess that’s how I decided to pursue a music ‘pathway,’ I started to take singing lessons and I like how it has affected who I am. All the music in my life has really influenced who I am as a person and how I want to express myself. To me, the lyrics of a song represent more than just words—sometimes words can’t express as deep of a feeling as a song can.”

What is something that has changed the way you go about life?
“I’m gonna start with my journey with soccer. I was cut in seventh grade, so worked harder to make the team in eighth grade. Playing with my club team, I broke my ankle so I was out for 2 months. I couldn’t try out, so I was manager. I worked hard again for my sophomore year. But then, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I didn't cry or anything, but it hit me. We’re really Catholic, so I prayed. That's how I coped. [In sophomore year,] my mom was still recovering. I didn't have the best or the worst season. I was a striker. I didn't score at all. I got pulled up to varsity and I learned a lot. Everytime I would mess up, I would put my head down—like physically put my head down. My coach told us that it makes us look bad and won't help us at all, so even just physically putting my head up every time I feel down now helps mentally, and I just keep moving forward. My mom was cured my summer before junior year. It made me more grateful. My senior season at RM was the most memorable. We really became a family, and worked together well. We got far in the playoffs, and we actually made it the second round. Other schools were scouting us. I was consistent, and was like a top scorer. I’m proud to say that we got that far.”

“I was born in Nicaragua, which is where my mom’s side of the family is from. My dad grew up in Montgomery County, but he worked for the Red Cross when I was growing up so we moved around a lot. We lived in Armenia, India, the US, and El Salvador, where I did pre-K. Then, we moved to Peru and lived there for four and a half years, so I finished third grade before moving to Panama. I know, it’s a lot. We later returned to the US and I started seventh grade at Julius West, so yeah. It’s been nice because I went to IB schools, so I would meet not only people from those countries but also people from all around the world. For example, when we lived in Panama I met a lot of Panamanians and my teachers were Panamanian but I would also meet people from all over. One of my friends was living on a boat for the past year, and was just traveling from coast to coast. It’s been really cool growing up and seeing different cultures and learning about other people’s experiences.”

“Where did you get inspiration for your costume from?”
“I honestly don’t know. I thought of this the night before and then went to target and bought a f***y pack because everything thing else, I owned. I just remember seeing the picture before, and I was like, ‘It’s kind of cool.’ I want to do that, and then, I did it.”

“I really got a gem in the ocean. She’s been there for me every single moment I’ve needed her. She knows me better than I know myself at times. From the moment we became close friends, and every single memory since then, I knew our bond was something special.”
"He truly makes me a better person. There's no one who can make me smile so effortlessly like he can. He’s been my rock these past 4 years, and I’ll love him always”

"Four years go by super quickly, and then suddenly you realize that you won't see most of these people for a really long time. It's made me slightly regretful that I didn't get to know as many people as I would've liked, but I'm appreciative of the bonds I've formed through high school."
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This post is a part of HORM's senior appreciation week following their graduation. We want to recognize some of the diverse stories and experiences of RM's seniors.

Any advice for underclassmen? “Stay out of trouble and start believing in yourself and motivate yourself to do things you never thought you could do”
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This post is a part of HORM's senior appreciation week following their graduation. We want to recognize some of the diverse stories and experiences of RM's seniors.

“My favorite memory of RM was not when the mock trial team won the state championship but actually the night before. Hanging out with the rest of the team in a hotel room at midnight eating snacks—one of the parents had bought the entire Trader Joe's snack aisle—was a bonding experience like no other. We were nervous for the competition, but being together erased most of that and brought us closer together. I think that even if we'd lost, we would have felt like winners.”
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This post is a part of HORM's senior appreciation week following their graduation. We want to recognize some of the diverse stories and experiences of RM's seniors.

“During junior year, this is when I found out who I was. It made me realize that I am creative. I went from just not liking school, thinking it is all bad to becoming one of the most spirited students of all time. I have always been comedic. During freshman and sophomore year I became surrounded by people who I once believed were my friends but always criticized me for being Gold Vader. That's when I knew I had leave because all they did was bring me down. So that's when I left the group and began to be myself, the creator of Gold Vader.”

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This post is a part of HORM's senior appreciation week following their graduation. We want to recognize some of the diverse stories and experiences of RM's seniors.

"The biggest of piece of advice I would give to underclassmen would be to put yourself out there. I know that coming into high school, I was afraid of being seen and making myself different from everybody else, but I think forcing myself to audition for all the shows we put on at the school and auditioning for acapella groups and chorus really helped me have so many amazing opportunities to meet new people. Even if you're afraid of joining a new club, of approaching a new person to talk to them, of auditioning for a show, or any other thing you want to do, you need to not be afraid of doing it, because I guarantee you that the reward is going to be so much greater than the risk."
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This post is a part of HORM's senior appreciation week following their graduation. We want to recognize some of the diverse stories and experiences of RM's seniors.

“I remember when I was coming into freshman year and doubting myself in a way that I never had before—it was uncharted territory for me, I spent middle school years at a small private school where everybody knew everyone, and then I suddenly felt lost in a sea of people. So I reverted into this shell, censoring myself, and too insecure, afraid to speak because I was scared I would say the wrong thing. I’ve come a long way since then. I’ve gone for and tried almost everything I’ve wanted to do—even if they didn’t pan out—and have no regrets at all. I’ve found community and family, especially in drama and even SGA. I’m not afraid to be myself anymore.” ---------------------------------------------------
This post is a part of HORM's senior appreciation week following their graduation. We want to recognize some of the diverse stories and experiences of RM's seniors.

Any words of advice for underclassmen?
“It’s extremely gratifying to do something—a club, a hobby, a project—for no one other than yourself. A lot of people, myself included, feel pressure to participate in activities that look good on college applications, but when I went to fill the application out, I had many more activities than I had spaces—and rather than annoyed, I felt relieved that some of the activities I cared the most about wouldn’t end up judged by far-off educational institutions. You can learn to appreciate yourself and celebrate your skills rather than completely lean on outside sources like grades and college decisions for your self worth.”

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This post is a part of HORM's senior appreciation week following their graduation. We want to recognize some of the diverse stories and experiences of RM's seniors.

“I’m a 100% different person at school. It depends. I’d say when I’m not doing any school-related or people-related activities, like when I’m with family, I’m probably more reserved, or at least handle myself less excitedly. I don’t have a problem with [that difference]. Certain attitudes are more appropriate in different places, I guess. I’m definitely more entertaining and more of a people-person when I’m not around family, not to say that I don’t like myself when I’m with my family. It’s just different.”

“Because you’re an immigrant, your parents kind of expect a lot from you, so I do feel some pressure on that aspect. It’s like you have to do good. Your parents left their lives behind in their countries so you kind of have to do better and aspire to be the best you can be. Of course, when you have brothers and sisters who are doctors, there’s a lot expected. You have to either become them or surpass them.”