Senior Casey Williams marches into a new chapter of his life as trombone section leader and avid artist.

   As a former sprinter, Williams explored his passions in visual arts and marching band, which allowed him to express himself without the stress track brought him.

   “Music is very artistic and awe-inspiring, and makes me feel like I’m contributing to something bigger than myself,” Williams said. “What I’m trying to emphasize when I’m playing the trombone is the artistry side of it because there are a lot of fundamentals, but when it comes down to it, it’s about the ideas the music conveys and how it makes the audience feel.”

   Williams took tremendous pride in the opportunity to perform a solo in “You’ll Be Back” as part of the Pride of the Bears’ show.

   “I was really honored to get the solo because being able to go up and project my voice toward an audience really excites me,” Williams said.

   His ardor for music does not end at halftime; over the summer, he tried his hand at the practice of music composition as well. Along with performing arts, Williams has also been involved in the visual arts department, with a passionate focus on drawing classes specifically.

   “I’ve spent a lot of time drawing this one picture,” Williams said. “It’s called ‘Your Benefactor.’ I’ve worked on it since tenth grade and I think I’ll have it done for the art show this spring. Dedicating that extra time to make it thoroughly excellent is more than worth it.”

   While in high school, he continues to discover and establish his individuality in artistic forms, with plans to further augment every facet of his creativity in college.

   “I know that I want to express myself and create something, which is leading me toward architecture or engineering,” Williams said. “I’m taking architectural drafting to support my interest in architecture and to see if I really want to do it.”