Guest Contributor – Lucy Gussio, Class of 2018 and recipient of the Chastity Dunnaville Scholarship
Chastity Dunnaville was an amazing young woman who touched the hearts of many. At NDP, she was awarded the White Blazer, one of the school’s greatest honors. She dedicated herself to everything and was up for any challenge. She had impressive grades and persevered in sports. Chas was such a strong person who kept a steady mind through any obstacle. She had so many friends and was such a loving person to be around. I am so thankful to be one of the recipients of Chas’s scholarship, and given the opportunity to follow in her footsteps at NDP. I just finished my junior year at NDP, and these three years have gone by so quick. Throughout my three years in high school, I have tried to live like Chas. She is huge a role model for 
me, and I am so lucky to be able to follow her example. In my three years, I have striven for good grades and dedicated a lot of time to my studies. I have managed to move up in my classes each year, and continue to work hard as a student. NDP has given me so many amazing opportunities, and I have tried to take advantage of them as much as I can. I went to middle school at NDP, so I had many friends coming into high school. However, with around one hundred new classmates coming in, I did not see all of my middle school friends that I had been comfortable with as often. I had new faces in all my classes, and it was a bit overwhelming freshman year. I managed to branch out of my comfort zone, make many new friends, and I am lucky to be a part of the NDP sisterhood. I look forward to going to school every day and try to be as involved as possible. This 
year I played tennis in the fall. I had never played tennis for a team before, and it was a fun opportunity to try. I also played lacrosse in the spring. I have been playing lacrosse since I was four, and have played every year for NDP’s team. I love playing sports for NDP. It gives me the opportunity to become friends with girls in other grades and is a great overall experience. I try to dedicate myself to sports just as Chas did with volleyball and basketball. NDP is known for having many wonderful traditions, too. Each March, NDP has one of its most well-known traditions, Gym Meet. Gym Meet is one of my favorite traditions, and I look forward to it each year. It gives me the opportunity to make stronger bonds with my classmates and is so much fun to be involved in. This year, 
I participated in aerobics, and enjoyed every second of it. Another big tradition at NDP is the Ring ceremony. This occurred in the fall, and the entire junior class received their class rings and had a ring dance. Receiving my ring allowed me to become an upper-class woman, and is such a special symbol of NDP’s sisterhood that I will cherish forever. I have made so many memories that will last a lifetime, and have another year with more awaiting. I am so grateful to attend NDP, and I hope to continue Chas’s legacy here in the halls, and even leave my own legacy.
