Kendall Howard dances into the hearts of RJR

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McCray White, Staff Writer

Kendall Howard is a Junior at RJ Reynolds High School and is very involved in the art programs. Howard has been singing and involved in different theater programs since she was five years old. 

She is currently a member of Syncopate, the all female A Capella group at RJR. 

“I really like the people in A Capella and have expanded my range through the years,” Howard said. 

Josh Settlemyre, the current A Capella teacher at RJR, has had great pleasure in discovering Howard’s talents on the stage. Over the last few months of getting to know her, Settlemerye has observed how fearless and confident she is when given an opportunity.

“Kendall is fearless. She is not afraid of anything musically. She’s not afraid of different styles or events. She’s not afraid to lead. She is not afraid to express different creativity and ideas,” Settlemyre said. 

It is apparent that Howard is very busy and hardworking. She has taken the lead and committed a lot of her time to dance and A Capella. 

“Syncopate rehearsals are every Sunday for about an hour and a half but these past two weeks before Jam[an annual concert hosted at RJR it was every other day for about an hour,” Howard said. 

She is also involved in the theater program and will be performing in the spring musical, “Into The Woods”, in the upcoming months. 

“Play rehearsals are pretty fun because for the most part everyone in the cast is friends so it’s a positive environment,” Howard said. 

Junior Sophie Spangler has been one of Howard’s classmates for three years and shows her so much love and appreciation for her dedication to the group.

“I love Kendall because she is so kind and an amazing friend,” Spangler said.  “She is always there to laugh with me and help me out whenever. She is also incredibly talented! She is very much a leader. At Jam this year, she took the time to choreograph all of our dances and sacrificed hours on end to teach us the choreography until we all had it down. That is something I know we are all so grateful for.” 

Howard is a part of the dance program at RJR as well as at UNCSA jazz. Her love of dance has led her to want to pursue dance after high school as well.