By Maya Gomez

Editor in Chief

Senior Ethan Holl juggles a rigorous course load, Model UN, town politics, musical theater, and participation in LG bands.

Aside from his demanding assigned coursework, Holl is President of the Model UN club and often gets involved in local politics, working with former mayor Marico Sayoc to edit the general plan of Los Gatos and volunteering on Rob Moore’s campaign. 

Holl has also found his place in the LGHS theater. Having performed with both the Los Gatos Youth Theater and Children’s Musical Theater San Jose, Holl is ecstatic to jump back into musical theater this spring in LGHS’s The Lightning Thief. While he adores performing, singing has always been the senior’s true passion. “Funny story actually,” Holl announced, “I was in the eighth grade, and I wasn’t planning to take vocal lessons. But I sang so much, and it was so bad that my mom and brother came to me [and said], ‘you either have to start taking lessons or never sing again.’ So that’s where it pretty much started.” Despite his plans to study city planning post-graduation, the performer intends to continue singing for fun in college. 

When he isn’t on the stage, you can find Holl frequenting the school’s band building. As a trombonist and Head Drum Major during the marching season, members of the music program know the senior as both a talented performer and an active member of the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band, and Marching Band. When discussing the differences between the variety of bands, Holl commented “They’re all different enough that it doesn’t get repetitive. Wind ensemble is really therapeutic — a time to kind of just relax, not think about school, and just listen to and play music.” The student added, “Marching Band requires a lot more energy. I found that it’s based much more on leadership for example, and being really exact about timing. I think that I’ve been a little more mentally involved in Marching Band.” 

While his involvement within the LG music program began in high school, Holl developed his skills in Fisher Middle School’s music program. “My parents were both in band, and it was really important to them that my brother and I play music.” Holl conveyed, “I started playing, like a lot of people [in the LG bands], in the fifth grade. We were going to pick an instrument, and they said that I wasn’t qualified to play trumpet or flute, and I really didn’t want to play clarinet. So I picked up the trombone. It started there, but I really continued through Fisher to get here.” 

Among LGHS’s most interesting students, Holl always goes above and beyond in all he does. Whatever the subject, whether it be city planning, politics, vocals, or instrumentation, the pupil will inevitably walk away victoriously, with a bright future ahead.