#1StudentNWI: Washington Township’s Newest Siblings: Josh and Hannah Baldwin

#1StudentNWI: Washington Township’s Newest Siblings: Josh and Hannah Baldwin

Every year, new students come to Washington Township. Whether it is from a school in Spain or from Morgan Township, they all make wonderful additions. This year, Hannah and Joshua Baldwin joined our school. With them they brought the knowledge of being able to play eight instruments collectively, a love for singing and acting, a humor-based personality and several other impressive skills.

Although not quite through the first half of the school year, Hannah and Josh have been very involved. This last weekend, they both starred in the school’s play, “The Trial of the Wicked Witch.” They took on the roles of Little Red Riding Hood and Prince Charming/Hansel with ease. Their boisterous personalities added to the characters and made it fun to watch.

“Brother and sister, Josh and Hannah Baldwin, bring much talent to our school. This was evident in the recent Drama Club production. Their comedic timing, facial expressions, and excellent delivery of lines were enjoyable to watch,” said Janet Wade, director of the play and choral director at Washington Township.

Hannah not only added to Wade’s positive view of the play, but she also enhanced Wade’s view of the choir.

“She is a member of the High School Choir. What a great addition to the choir,” said Wade

Hannah has made a positive impact on most she meets. She also serves as a role model for younger students, according to freshman choir member Josie Jones.

“Not only is she absolutely hilarious, she helps push people to step out of their comfort zone, like singing in the talent show. She is an amazing person and an even better friend”.

Hannah is also very involved an organization called Sweet Adeline's International, where she sings in a chorus called the Great Lake Sound Chorus. They meet every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for practice led by their director Carol Thompson. They warm up and sing songs from their repertoire and also practice their ballad and uptune for the regional contest.

“Even though we always work hard, we make sure we have fun doing it. We assign each vocal part a month, and they spend that month doing themed motivational stuff during practices that month. We also have parties sometimes and celebrate birthdays. The chorus is like my second family,” said Hannah.

Josh is also musically talented. Although not in choir, he has a great voice. Along with singing, he plays saxophone in the school band.

“I have had Josh as a student since sixth grade, and he has always shown great character and kindness to others. It is great to have someone with such a positive attitude in class. He is also becoming a very good saxophone player,” said Justin Thompson, the band director at Washington Township.

Fellow band classmate and freshman baritone player Katherine Evans sees Josh’s musical talents as well.

“Josh is always playing his saxophone. Whether it is in the band room or outside, he plays songs from memory perfectly,” Evans said.

Josh is a very talented, yet humble young man. With all that he can do, he is still a laid back, funny guy.

“First day he came, he acted like he knew me for all of my life; it was so cool. All around he's definitely one of the nicest guys in our grade. It always seems like he is there for you, even in your darkest hours,” said freshman Steve Finley.

The siblings are not only personable, but also have unexpected skills that teenagers their age would not normally have.

Hannah is phenomenal at face painting. When she was younger, she saw a show about body fainting. She tried it out and turned out to be really good.

“Every year for Halloween I try to do something cooler than the year before with my face paints. I have an Instagram for all my face paintings. I just really enjoy using my creativity for face painting. When I'm bored, I face paint,” said Hannah.

She is always trying out new, creative ways to make face painting fun.

Similarly to Hannah, Josh has an unexpected talent. Every since Josh was younger, he has been interested in cooking.

“I love cooking because all of my family cooks, and I sort of got into a habit of wanting to cook. It started one day when I decided to make breakfast for my mom, and I cooked a perfect half-circle omelet. My mom was so amazed, so I started by cooking breakfast,” Josh said. “Now I can cook dinner for the family, and I also cook meat and vegetables. From there I started to cook meals for myself and others and that became my passion.”

Josh hopes to pursue a career a cooking, which is very ambitious for a freshman. Along with Josh, Hannah knows exactly what she wants to do.

“I plan on going to college for engineering and doing an NROTC program on the side so I can graduate as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps,” Hannah said.

With all the incredible skills Josh and Hannah have, they could not have picked it up themselves. Their parents have been their biggest influences.

“Because of them, I have an enormous love for music and singing. They encourage me to continue to sing and play my instruments and are overall pretty supportive,” Hannah said.

Josh and Hannah’s mother, Lissa Baldwin, has sung for as long as they can remember, and their father, Thomas Baldwin, was in a band in high school and can play several instruments. Their parents encourage them to try new things and expand their horizons every day.

“My parents are amazing. There is no way I would be doing half the things I love to do without their help,” Josh said.