by Amy Baez, Staff Writer, June 2022

A senior who is not typically front and center of the school unless showcasing yo-yo tricks, Matthew Friedman (Class I) reflects back on the community he has been a part of for the past four years. As he nears the end of his senior year he is unsure on how he feels about graduating from highschool, and diving into a new and different academic world. 

Through Nobles, he has learned more about himself, traveled to new places, and further improved on hobbies he has been practicing since he was a child. 

An example of this can be his involvement in Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble. “I started playing the clarinet in fifth grade. I should practice more at home, but it’s fun to play in a group at school,” Friedman says. Twice a week, he practiced clarinet at Nobles before the final performance. In May, he performed in the Jazz Concert with other student musicians, the last performance he had  in his Noble career. 

Not the first time on the Lawrence stage, Friedman showcased his yo-yo skills earlier this year during morning assembly. He said, “I first saw yo-yo tricks on the internet in middle school and thought it was cool. I got really into the yo-yo, but the passion was short-lived. Ever since, I just occasionally pick it back up whenever I have the burst of motivation.” On stage, he demonstrated several yo-yo tricks that impressed the crowd. “All yo-yo tricks are named extraneous things, but my favorite has to be the UFO,” he said. 

Outside of school, Friedman has picked up the hobby of baking. He said, “I’ve taken up bread baking recently. It’s pretty fun, and this weekend I tried to make baguettes even though they weren’t so successful since I made them too thin.” Friedman has also baked milk bread, a sweeter and softer type of bread made with milk substituting water. He even brought in a loaf of milk bread for Science Faculty John Chung’s AP Physics class last Monday. 

Alongside his new passion for bread baking, Friedman continues to try new things by joining the Ultimate Frisbee team for the spring season. Friedman says, “The team is all seniors, and it’s a good time. Everyone is really nice and full of team spirit.” A great afternoon program to be a part of to end one’s senior year, the team is close-knit and spends more time together after practice. “Everyone likes to go to Daddy’s Dairy Ice Cream after practice.” Even though Nobles Ultimate Frisbee athletes may not take the sport as seriously compared to other schools, it makes it all the more enjoyable. 

Overall, Friedman’s favorite part of his senior year has to be the aforementioned AP Physics class. A small group of ten students, Friedman always looks forward to class  due to the group’s inseparable nature. The jokes shared in class he described as “soul-fulfilling” and said, “We still get everyone to play one round of Among Us; even though it’s a terrible game, it is still funny.” Friedman is known for his humor regarding the deduction game.

As the days until summer vacation become easier to count down, and more students are seen outside on the Beach, seniors realize that these are their last moments of high school and make the most of it. Although Matthew Friedman says he might not miss the school work or classes, he can appreciate the community he’s been a part of for four years and all the laughs he has had here.