The Perspective

Wednesday after school seems an ordinary enough afternoon; students hurry home to savor as much “early out” time as they can while teachers mosey on over to their weekly staff meetings to discuss the future of University High School, but if you were to stop and listen before rushing to the parking lots, you would hear the bizarre, spellbinding sound of none other than bagpipes coming from the South Gym. Sam Leopold-Sullivan, a UHS senior, is the person behind the blowpipe. Every Wednesday, she practices with her fellow piper, or bagpipe player, Collin Stewart, in the field area behind the North Gym both for fun and in preparation for the rehearsal with her band, the Hugh O’Conor Memorial Pipe band, every Thursday evening. In 2005, when Sam was in middle school, she made the decision to take up bagpipes. “I decided to learn an instrument, and I loved Celtic music, so it was between, fiddle, drums, and bagpipes,” she said. When she saw pipers playing in the St. Patrick’s Day parade that year, she was sold.

Bagpipes are ancient instruments with uncertain history and origin, but are most renowned in the British Isles of Ireland and Scotland, where they have a rich cultural significance. The four-part instrument, which is traditionally played to provide music for dancing, has made resurgence in modern culture, and pipers and pipe bands are becoming increasingly popular. “It has nine notes,” Sam said, “so you don’t have to worry about sharps and flats and you don’t have to read music.”

For the past five years, Sam has been mastering the art of piping with incredible success. Two weeks ago, Sam and her pipe band traveled north to compete in five events in the annual Phoenix Highland Games, coming home with astounding victory. They received first place in the classical music of the bagpipe, called the Piobaireachd, and several second, third, and fourth places in other events including the two-four march, Timed Medley and the Jig.

Beyond bagpipes, Sam is one of University High School’s most popular knitters. She attends knitting club every Tuesday after school, is often seen wearing garments of her own creation, and is even rumored to be knitting a hat for English teacher David Herring. Sam is able to take her love of knitting to her place of work, Kiwi Knitting, where she sells knitting accessories and teaches customers how to knit. Aside from all of the accessories she creates, Sam was voted “Most Knit” in the 2009-2010 Senior Superlatives by her fellow seniors, and will be recognized in the 09-10 yearbook for her talent in the hobby.

Next year, Sam will leave Tucson to study Art and Environmental Science at Macalester College, a private Liberal Arts school in St. Paul, Minnesota, but before she goes, she has a lot to do. This Sunday, her Hugh O’Conor Memorial Pipe Band will be performing in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and she has upcoming piping competitions in which she will solo compete. Her band is also recording for their latest CD this week.

Sam has had a wonderful career at UHS, and has nothing other than a bright future in front of her. With such unique hobbies and interests, she is more than worthy of recognition, but at the end of the day, she says, “Thanks for wanting to learn about me, I’m glad I’m interesting enough.”