by Megan Fee
Culture Editor
    “Just keep going and something will happen” is the philosophy that senior Cody Rhodes uses throughout his life. Rhodes has a busy schedule with the spring musical, and he has been in five other school plays and two AIDs benefit productions. Rhodes is also in the concert choir and Jazzpurr at LGHS. Singing for the high school is fun for Rhodes, but can also be a lot of hard work.

    Furthermore, Rhodes’ favorite play that he has acted in is the K2 Lifeline production this past fall. Since the play consisted of only four characters, a lot of pressure was put on the actors. Rhodes recalled, “We had to be really into our characters and our relationships in order for it to be believable.” Rhodes remembers that producing it was a bit difficult because some details did not get figured out until opening night. 

   Rhodes enjoyed playing this part because he was able to do many physical stunts that came along with the role. One stunt included jumping from a tower about 17 feet above the floor, and a rope stopped him right before he hit the ground. Rhodes thought the production turned out very well and said, “Looking back and reflecting on the play, I was able to learn a lot about myself and my introspective process in creating a character.”

   Rhodes is currently in the spring musical, A Chorus Line. Although this play consists of a lot of dancing, Rhodes admits that his character does not do any, since he is the choreographer. Rhodes enjoys being in this musical because a lot of his friends are in the play with him. He recalls that the hardest obstacles in this play are figuring out where all the parts and the characters go. The cast practices almost every day and are looking forward to their performances in March. 

   Not only does Rhodes stay busy during the school year, but he also does many activities throughout the summer. Last year, he went on a trip with Amigos, a non-profit organization that sends high school student volunteers to Latin America to live with a host family and do community service there. He traveled to Panama for eight weeks and lived in a farm town called Jobero. The town was small, with only 200 people, and everyone knew each other. The houses were about 30 minutes apart, and Rhodes really enjoyed spending time with his host family. He improved his Spanish and became comfortable with himself and the people around him. He was able to establish a broader perspective on his life back home. 

   His project in Panama consisted of teaching physical education to the children at a small school. The school only consisted of 18 kids, but Rhodes and his partner taught them by using arts and crafts, drawings, and games. Rhodes thought this trip was an amazing experience and he would recommend it to anyone.

    For the future, Rhodes wants to continue with theatre. He has enjoyed the plays that he has been in at LGHS and you can see him perform in his next show in the spring musical.