Austin Pfaff

Sherry Ann Morgenstern and Rachel Conrad

Ranked No. 1 internationally 2013 in disc golf, Riverbend junior Austin Pfaff is a member of the Professional Disc Golf Association and is currently ranked 200 in the majors. He is also a member of Riverbend’s Ultimate Frisbee Club. Inspired by Michael Johansen, a disc golf pro ranked No. 4 in the 2012 World Championships, Pfaff said, “Practice is key. The more time you put into the sport the better you get.” Austin Pfaff is sponsored by Hyzer Flip Disc Golf Apparel.

Reagan Haley

Sherry Ann Morgenstern and Rachel Conrad

Few students have been lucky enough to see a show on Broadway, and fewer still have starred in one. Reagan Haley, a junior at Riverbend, spent her eighth and ninth grade years touring the country with a Broadway show. Haley played a character named Tracey Atkinson in the musical Billy Elliot. She said that this was “the most meaningful experience I’ve had as a performer.” In addition to acting, Haley dances all styles, but her favorites are hip-hop and contemporary. She said, “The most difficult part of performing is keeping the stamina up and giving the best performance possible show after show.”

Mr. Young

Sherry Ann Morgenstern and Rachel Conrad

Some students might know Mr. Young from taking Humanities, Advanced English 12, or Dual Enrollment English. Not all students know, however, that as a youth, Mr. Young sang for two prestigious opera companies: The New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Manon, Carmen, La Traviata, and La Boheme were among some of the operas. Mr. Young performed alongside prestigious opera singers such as Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. Mr. Young also performed in the Felt Forum with Mikhail Baryshnikov, noted as one of the best ballet dancers in history, as well as Jacques D’Amboise, a distinguished choreographer. “I don’t know that my childhood was all that different,” he said. Mr. Young likes to brag about his daughter, Zoey, who is nine years old and in the fifth grade. Zoey’s goal is to graduate high school before her mother did at 16 years old.

#TWERKFORBRADY

Emily Vinchiarello

Brady Beck is a sophomore that left Riverbend as a freshman and then came back to finish his time as a bear bringing with him thousands of social media followers. Beck said, “I love to dance. No matter where I am, I’m always dancing.” His dance moves not only steal the heart of girls everywhere; they put him on the popular page, along with over 100 thousand followers, on the social media app, Vine. Beck receives a lot of attention from girls over social media by using the Hashtag “Twerk For Brady”. Beck also has about 37 thousand followers on Instagram and about 11 thousand on Twitter. Beck said, “I try not to think of it as being ‘famous’ because I think most people think of me as conceited. I don’t want to be remembered as that kid.”

Around the World

Emily Vinchiarello

Riverbend’s very own Mrs. Letellier is one of this year’s most interesting people. Not only did she receive Spotsylvania County’s Teacher of the Year Award in 2009-10, she also has lived all around the world and now is here teaching AP Psychology. Mrs. Letellier attended Brown University for her undergraduate degree where she met her husband Mr. Letellier, another teacher here at Riverbend. After attending Brown, Mrs. Letellier went to University of Virginia for her graduate degree. However before any college, she traveled more than most people will in their entire lives. She began her high school career in India and then continued it in Ecuador. Both schools had extremely small graduating classes which allowed her to participate in almost every sport she desired. For her last two years, attended a boarding school in Michigan. Mrs. Letellier has lived an interesting life because she has lived all over the world. Mrs. Letellier said, “My dad was a US Foreign Service Officer. His job took him around the world so we went with him as his family. I was born in Pakistan and then moved to Thailand. I went to elementary school in France and then moved to India for middle school and my first year of high school.” Besides Mrs. Letellier’s passion for politics and reality TV, her many international homes and vast knowledge makes her one of this year’s most interesting people.