These days, many schools look at how well-rounded students are, instead of just at their grades. Many colleges are looking beyond test scores and taking a deep look at our involvement within the community. Senior Samantha Morrison is just one of the many highly involved and motivated students Gables has around.

Samantha Morrison, known by her friends as Sam, is a senior in the Visual and Performing Arts academy, and has accomplished many things at Gables. Before becoming a cavalier in her sophomore year, Samantha was a star at the Academy of Arts and Minds in Coconut Grove. In the three years she has spent at Gables, she has accomplished many things and has overcome the uneasy obstacle of being the “new student” at a school. Sam is not only the president and founder of the Gables String Society, but also an active board member in over five clubs, including Speech and Debate, Gables Earth, and Thespians.

As a straight-A student, Samantha cares a lot about her grades, but makes time to do many different extracurricular. One of the things Samantha is most proud of is her nonprofit organization, Poison Tree Incorporated, which she is the CEO and founder of. Poison Tree offers an academic, arts-integrated elective for students in a 60 minute class that has lesson plans that range from elementary to middle school levels.

“We plan on developing activities for high school students as well for children of the 1-5 range,” said Morrison.

Poison Tree’s most recent class taught children about the water cycle, and then divided them into groups, in which the children then made up their own dance. After performing their dance for the other groups, they did an experiment about the water cycle. At the end of their session, they had an art session focused on how water was important to their lives. “We show how the arts can inspire innovation, and wonder for academic subjects,” said Morrison.

Outside of her nonprofit, Samantha holds many board positions in over five different clubs at Gables. She is vice president of Speech and Debate, Gables Players, and Thespians. She is also secretary of Gables Earth, public relations director of Art Club, and a board member on Interact. Morrison is the president and founder of the Gables String Society, where she shares her passion for music with others. On Mondays, the String Society offers a violin intensive class for beginners. “We learn scales, techniques, etudes, and go over pieces in order to build students’ repertoires,” said Samantha. “Music gives many opportunities in life, so I like giving my life to make sure people are able to reach those opportunities.”

Samantha’s accomplishments don’t stop there — this year she will be hosting a screen writing workshop with senior Michelle Tapia, and will also be starting an eco-summit at the school, where students will be able to make their own urbanized hydroponics gardens. Samantha hopes to complete other projects centered around urbanized gardens, which engineered specifically for apartment buildings and urban areas and will be common in the near future.

Morrison’s hobbies include reading, making short films, completing visual art projects, playing piano and guitar, and singing. Samantha has accomplished a lot over her three years at Gables and has many things planned for the years to come. In the future, she hopes to become an engineer, a neuropsychologist, or a film director. Samantha Morrison gives back not only to her school, but also to her community. She says on the subject, “I want to help people, and give people as many opportunities as possible. That is and will always be my goal, now and forever.”