From the mat to the stage, senior Henry Obare’s highschool years were something he’ll never forget. He started out with basketball in his freshman and sophomore year, and ended up joining leadership while he was a sophomore. Obare worked his way up to the Big Six ASB during his senior year.
“I was planning on running since freshman year but I couldn’t keep a consistent schedule coming into it, so I wasn’t able to do it until junior year. I would have been way too overwhelmed. During junior year there were people running but there were not really enough people running, so I just decided ‘why not run?’ So I did and it was fun.” Obare said during an interview when asked how he got into the Big Six. “Now I’m just general ASB, I help vote for stuff, and make decisions.”
Obare also has a history with wrestling.
“It was really hard,” Obare says, “I almost quit a couple times but I really loved it. I started last year, and that was fun.”
Obare had planned on joining wrestling during both his freshman and sophomore year during his time here at MTHS. His love for wrestling started during his time in middle school.
“We had an open mat thing at my middle school during PE. I was like, ‘this is REALLY fun, I want to be doing this.’” Obare said, “I asked my parents and then they said no. Then the next year, freshman year, I asked if I could do wrestling and they said no. And then sophomore year I asked again, they said no.” Obare also mentioned that he had done basketball in between those two years when he was denied the ability to join the wrestling team.
“Junior year they were finally like ‘yeah, I guess you can try it. I hope it goes well,’ so I got into it, and it was SO fun. Was it really hard? Yes, but it was fun. For the first year I did kind of well, I’m kind of ridiculously strong,” he said. “I picked up on it quickly because it was audible, its also a physical contact sport so it’s not that hard to pick up. I’m used to other sports-aka basketball, which helps with thinking quickly on your feet and making sure you know where people are, which helps with wrestling.”
Obare soon got the hand of wrestling, and he says his other skills with separate sports helped him become captain of the team, “You can transfer a lot of skills in different sports, so this year I got to be captain which was really cool. I went to the state and that was fun,” Obare said.
It doesn’t stop there though, Obare is also currently involved with theater.
“I’m the ASM, I give people ques and make sure everything goes right on my side of the stage.” he says.
If you’re thinking of joining ASB or plan on joining, Obare has some advice for you.
“It’s about commitment, and trying and giving it not your all, but as much as you can. Focusing on it and managing your time well, because it takes a lot of time,” he said. “You plan most of the school events, so school dances, homecoming, spring fling, you have to help with all of that. Then you have the assemblies, and then you have to approve events and stuff. You’ll also be apart of a class, you’re gonna have to focus on your classes stuff too. Fundraising for stuff, like prom, or graduation, grad night, etc.”
Reminiscing about his senior year, Obare mentioned many highlights that made it easier.
“Homecoming and the homecoming game were two of my favorite events,” he said. “The homecoming game was all in all, in technicality, my first football game. I really enjoyed it because I got to go with two of my friends, one which I officially met that day and I really had fun during homecoming.”
If Obare were to end up going to college, he would probably go to culinary school. “If I’m not going to the Edmonds Community College I might try Everett or Shoreline and get into the psychology program there. For now, my plan is just to work,” Obare said.
As of right now, with graduation fast approaching, Obare has no set plans for his future, and currently plans to just go straight to work. He hopes to carry the skill set he gained here at MTHS into his future careers.
