We love shining a spotlight on our Peabody Alumni and hearing about their journeys after Peabody. This month we are excited to feature a family of Peabody graduates: Ben (2006), Ellie (2009) and Kate (2013) Kayton.

Ben graduated from Peabody in 2006. After leaving Peabody, Ben says he was well prepared for his high school academics, especially writing.  Charlottesville High School was huge compared to Peabody, but he found it a great place to continue to be involved in sports teams such as golf and wrestling. He went on to the College of William and Mary where he majored in both Computer Science and Math. He was fortunate to land an amazing job as a web developer with ESPN and works in the Charlotte office. He has worked with the SEC Network website, X-Games and the main site.   

Ellie graduated from Peabody in 2009.  Although Charlottesville High School had a much larger student population than Peabody, she found many opportunities to be involved.  Ellie joined the singing group, thje Knightingales, and participated in competitive cheerleading, lacrosse and field hockey as well.  She also joined and eventually led BACON (Best All-around Club of Nerds). She remembers how exciting it was to help Dr. Shields design the STEM space built in 2013.  

Kate graduated from Peabody in 2013.  She feels that her work ethic and perseverance were key to making it through middle school as well as high school.  She remembers that the teachers at Peabody offered many different teaching styles and were always willing to answer any questions.  Kate is currently a freshman in the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where she is working to earn her BFA in Classical Ballet.  In five years she hopes to be dancing with a professional company while also keeping her options open to pursue a DPT degree.  

Thank you to Ben, Ellie and Kate for taking the time to share a little about your lives.  Your Peabody community is proud of you and all your accomplishments!