by: Hayley Strahs
Editor in Chief

From onstage with a guitar to on the sidewalk with his skateboard, senior Day Berenbaum radiates positivity wherever he goes.

As opposed to walking or driving, Berenbaum skateboards to and from school every day. He reflected on starting the hobby in fifth grade: “I picked it up with my best friend at the time, and we used to go to a skate park every Saturday.” He stopped doing tricks while briefly living in Arizona, but he still uses his board for transportation around town.

A longtime theater kid, Berenbaum performed in LGHS’s production of Hadestown as the Orpheus understudy and a principal member of the ensemble. Orpheus had been a long-time dream role for Berenbaum. He explained, “I like playing yearners.” For the upcoming Dramatic Desserts fundraiser on May 23, Berenbaum will play another pining man: Mal Beineke in The Addams Family, this year’s student-run one-act musical. Prior to transferring to LGHS, Berenbaum was in The Addams Family at Stamford American International School in Singapore. However, this production will be different. He reflected, “Because I’d been [at my old school] for 10 years, I was anxious about what everyone thought of me and stuff…here, I’m not really worried about that anymore, and it definitely shows.”

Theater isn’t Berenbaum’s only musical calling. After transferring to LGHS, Berenbaum immediately found his home away from home in the choir department with choir director Maricel Riley. Reminiscing on his first year at LGHS, he recalled, “I made so many friends in choir. And Ms. Riley is amazing; she’s been really helpful both musically and socially.” Aside from singing, he plays five instruments: guitar, ukulele, bass, drums, and piano. His interest in music emerged after watching the movie Sing and admiring the guitar-playing hedgehog; he’s been engrossed ever since. Music runs in Berenbaum’s family; his grandmother, whom he lovingly refers to as Granny, gave him his first guitar. They often play music together when he visits her in Florida.

After living across America and around the world, Berenbaum has decided to call Florida his home for the next four years. Eckerd College in St. Petersburg was the perfect choice for Berenbaum due to its strong marine biology program and close proximity to Berenbaum’s granny. Since he was little, Berenbaum’s adoration for sharks has drawn him to marine biology. Sharks are special to Berenbaum because “there’s so many and there’s always new things to learn. It’s kind of an evolving field, and we don’t know everything, but I want to.” He is currently working on a personal research paper in which he delves into his favorite sharks, like the thresher shark, and their characteristics.

Considering his various experiences and hobbies, don’t be shocked if Berenbaum becomes a famous shark-researcher-meets-singer-songwriter someday. When it comes to music, marine biology, or self-expression, Berenbaum is your guy.