Freshman excels on and off the court

by Amber Bartley

Darting effortlessly across the court, freshman Carson Conley returns the fluorescent green tennis ball to his opponent and wins the match. A twin, geography bee champ, and aspiring student, he hopes to balance his studies, family, and much more.

From horses to cats to pigs, Conley is always occupied with taking care of his animals or participating in

Freshman Carson Conley races to the ball just in time. His opponent is his twin brother, Cooper Conley. Photo by Amber Bartley.

4H events. After six years and more to come, Conley said that all the demanding work pays off at fair week, where he gets to ride thrilling carnival rides every night. This past fair season, Conley’s pig won Grand Champion.

He also has a passion for orchestra. He plans on continuing orchestra throughout high school and hopes to maintain first chair and excel in Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Freshman Marleigh Torres, who plays along with Conley in orchestra, considers him a talented musician and a kind person.

“He can play very well and he’s very advanced for his age in orchestra,” said Torres.

After his father’s death nearly 10 years ago, Conley has relied on his mother, DeAnn
> Thrasher, who is a special education teacher at FC.

“I have worked here for longer than he has been alive, so he is very, very familiar with the school, how it operates, the faculty, the staff; so he has come in as a freshman definitely knowing where to go,”  said Thrasher.

“I feel like I have it way easier at FC and through high school than anyone else does,” said Conley. He said that he felt better about high school knowing he has his mom there for him and her room there as a place for him to go on a stressful day or just to hang out.

Coming from a big family consisting of numerous brothers, some of which have theiir pictures on the athletic wall, Conley has a lot of expectations, in both grades and athletics. From serving an overhand, to acing the rigorous tests, Conley is always busy.

Biology teacher Amy Mefford had nothing but positive comments about Conley’s participation and attitude towards learning in class.

“He works really hard, he’s very curious, he’s interested, he always wants to go deeper than he needs to go, he’s got a great attitude, and he’s really positive,” said Mefford.