Senior Ryan Longstreth has been going through a long journey from freshman year to senior year. A native Altoona resident, Longstreth was born and raised in the Altoona district and started participating in many activities. 

One activity that Longstreth participates in is band.

“I used to play violin, ” Longstreth said. “And I was not good at it at all. It was too hard, and I quit halfway through the year. I took a break from instruments for a while. Whenever it was time to decide if I wanted to play an instrument again, my mom said, ‘Hey, you should do band. I think you’d enjoy it.’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t know what I would play.’ I was going to play the trumpet. My mom suggested I play the drums. I’ve always been the kid to tap a pencil or, you know, do that or do this on the desk. I enjoyed sixth grade, and I loved it and I just decided to stick with it now.” 

Lonsgstreth loves playing in the stands. 

“I like playing with our cheers because it’s a more fun environment,” Longstreth said. “We get to let loose a little bit, put on fun hats and be silly. The wind ensemble is my favorite part of it after the football season is over. That’s our more concert focused kind of band environment. I like that because you focus more on the music than on the marching.”

In Longstreth’s 10th grade year, he spontaneously decided to audition for the fall play.

“I texted my mom and said, ‘Hey, don’t come pick me up until this time. I’m going to do this audition.’ I got into the play and instantly fell in love with that. I met so many great people. All my friends pretty much are in that club. My first year in drama club, I received the lead role in the musical, Newsies, and I was blown away. I loved it. It was such a great experience. I ended up winning an award for that role. And then last year, I got the leading role again in the musical and also received an award for that role as well,” Longstreth said.

As Longstreth entered his senior year, at first he felt it seemed like this really scary thing. 

“It’s your last year of high school, and you think it’s going to be so stressful,” Longstreth said.  “You have all this responsibility, and you’re older now. You have to be this role model. My piece of advice is that it’s not as bad as it’s made out to be. It’s way less scary than one might think.” 

Longstreth has advice for underclassmen.

“It’s honestly a such better experience than any other year of high school,” Longstreth said. “This has been my favorite year so far. You are so much more relaxed with your classes. You basically get to pick everything. The only thing you’re required to take is English. It’s nothing to be scared of. And I think that anyone who has that looming fear of senior year should give that up because it’s not that bad.”