One of the great things about the St. Dominic community is all of the extra curricular activities that are available to students. Whether you love to play a sport, take part in the performing arts or one of the many clubs that are offered, there seems to be something for everyone. It’s difficult to choose just one, but can also be hard to balance multiple different obligations and multitask throughout the day, not to mention adding schoolwork on top! Yet despite all of this, it seems like one particular Crusader, senior Caleb Stoddard, has found his niche in the middle of all the chaos.

Just in the fall alone, Stoddard has had plenty of stuff on his plate. He ran for the boys cross country team and took part in the fall play. Almost every day this fall the cross country team has been practicing hard, and it eventually paid off.

It’s clear that Stoddard finds his own reward within himself. Since he has been running for the team since freshman year, he definitely needs a lot of self-motivation to keep going.

“For me, I feel accomplished after a run, and I feel like I have achieved something. Because of this I keep on running, even though it can be pretty painful. Overall the end justifies the means when you cross that finish line,” Stoddard said.

At the same time, Stoddard also gives it his all on stage. Most days he could hardly catch a break between cross country practice and rehearsal, but for him it’s definitely worth it. This fall Stoddard starred as the leading role of Grandpa Martin Vanderhoff in the play You Can’t Take It With You. Although the show had two separate casts that performed two nights each, Stoddard certainly got a good taste of all the limelight as he performed in both the skyrocket and the firecracker casts.

Over the past couple of years he has been a part of over ten shows here at St. Dominic. Yet, this one in particular stood out to Stoddard as he began his final year out on stage.

“I would rank You Can’t Take It With You as one of my favorite plays I’ve done, because I enjoyed working with two casts. It felt like being in two different shows,” Stoddard said.

It’s a shame that this will have been his final fall play as a St. Dominic Crusader, but Stoddard isn’t letting that slow him down for a minute. He’s taking his sweet time and relishing every minute on stage.

“I try not to think about it being the last for me, I treat it like all of the rest of the shows and do what I have to do. Plus it’s something I love, and I want to be able to remember that I did the most while I still had the chance,” Stoddard said.

Over the past couple of years Stoddard has made a huge impact on the school and the lives of those around him! He hopes to continue enjoying the rest of his senior year, while at the same time stopping to enjoy the little things around him. Going forward, he can hardly wait to get started with the winter play and the spring musical—and we can’t wait to watch!