Superintendent’s Spotlight: Siena “SiSi” Donahue

Warwick Valley Middle School eighth grader Siena “SiSi” Donahue plays the drums, she sings, she writes, she crushes equations, and she flies.

“Oh, I fly at way over 100 miles an hour,” said the 14-year old and nearly 10-year indoor skydiving veteran. “Actually, I used to like to say to people that, basically, I could fly in a Category 4.”

SiSi’s favorite terrestrial academic subjects are social studies and ELA. She shared that the class she’s doing best in this year has been math.

“And that’s shocking to me, because I’m not that great at math,” SiSi said, adding that she challenged herself to improve. “So, I’m very proud of myself this year for getting better at math. I’ve been hitting all 90s, which is very exciting.”

Having to sacrifice a little time with her other favorite activities -- band and chorus -- to realize her math goal has been, admittedly, “a little annoying, but definitely helpful,” SiSi said. She’s been in both since fourth grade, and in the band, she plays percussion—a decision inspired by family.

“My dad did it. He was in a band in New York City when he was younger,” said SiSi. “So, I already had a teacher to help me.”

SiSi played drums during the WVMS Guitar Club’s 30th Annual Rock Concert a couple of weeks ago. It was her first year in the club after being inspired by the fun she had supporting a friend at last year’s concert. She performed in two songs: “I Fought the Law” by The Clash and “Losing My Religion” by REM.

SiSi has also been into musical theater since fourth grade, when she played Rafiki in the Sanfordville Drama Club’s production of The Lion King. Now, as an eighth grader, she is a member of the WVMS Drama Club and is currently in rehearsals playing the part of cake-weary Bruce Fogtrotter in Matilda Jr.

This spring, SiSi will also be part of the Warwick Valley High School Drama Club’s production of Les Misérables. SiSi also pursues her passion for performance at the Warwick Center for the Performing Arts, where Warwick Valley High School’s very own vocal teacher, Noreen Hanson, is an instructor.

One of the things SiSi loves most about being in the band and drama club is that both have strong communities. She and her friends in both groups have been together since the Sanfordville days.

“And now we’re in eighth grade, four years later,” SiSi smiles. “It’s just such a sweet group, because we’re all just extremely supportive of each other.”

Community and support are recurring themes in Sisi’s life. She has also found another tight-knit group in an unexpected place -- the indoor skydiving world.

“My aunt, Catherine Donahue, is a crazy legend in the sport of actual skydiving. She passed away base jumping,” SiSi shared. “My dad wanted to honor her memory... he got into indoor skydiving. I was young, and I’d go watch and was like, ‘this looks weird, let me try too!’ We started doing it as a hobby – a memorial – and here I am now!”

You’d be hard-pressed to find another flyer of Sisi’s age in the tri-state area with her experience. She regularly flies with adults.

“It’s always such a cool experience to be flying with adults, considering I’m like a 14-year-old kid and they’re, like, 30 and up.”

SiSi attributes much of her success to the support she gets from the indoor skydiving community, a global network she calls “a very wholesome, everybody loves everybody group.” She has found it incredibly welcoming, and its diverse membership is one of its biggest strengths.

SiSi has nothing but love and gratitude for her fellow flyers, especially dad, and knows how fortunate she is to have grown up in the community.

“It taught me that no matter what, there are people who will support you, which is such a great thing to learn at a young age,” SiSi said. “Because it gave me the confidence that, no matter what, even if I mess up, there will be people encouraging me to get back up and try again.”

SiSi is headed back to nationals next year, and she was also interviewed recently by ABC for an upcoming segment on the sport, which will air on Nightline.