Bella posing for her senior photos. Photo provided.

This week, we have the pleasure of shining the spotlight on a one-of-a-kind senior here at Concord: Bella Coppernoll. She is a smart, funny, and kind young lady who consistently makes a positive impact on those around her and deserves to be recognized.

Coppernoll has been at Concord from the beginning. In those years, this place has brought her countless memories and laughs. She shares some of her favorites: “There are so many, really anytime I am with my friends. There was this one time Julia and I made popcorn for the whole school, which was a lot of fun.”

Since entering high school, she has continued to stay involved by taking on leadership roles in both the sports and clubs she has been involved in. For the past four years, she has played on the volleyball team and been a shotputter for the track team. She is also a member of the student council, serving as co-president, as well as a member of the NHS. She puts her all into everything she does, making not only the school a better place, but also the people around her as well.

Next year, she plans to attend Michigan State University to major in animal science. Coppernoll has always held a passion for animals, but after this past year, that has only become stronger. She explains, “I love animals, and recently my dog passed away from cancer. That just made me want to become a vet even more.”

One of her favorite classes during high school was advanced anatomy, which she took last year with Mrs. Fiero. This class was the starting point of her journey to become a veterinarian, teaching her some of the basic information she needed. Mrs. Fiero describes what Coppernoll is like as a student: “Bella is a friendly, joyful, and creative student. She brings positive energy to the room through laughter and connection with her peers.” She adds that she absolutely adores her and will be both sad and proud to see her graduate.

On top of being an honor roll student and a hardworking athlete, Coppernoll likes to fill her time outside of school with various activities. Some of her favorite hobbies include cleaning, going shopping, hanging out with her friends, and swimming in her pool. She is constantly listening to music, making picking her favorite song difficult. She shares that currently “I Wanna Be With You” by DJ Khaled is her top listen. Her all-time favorite movie is “Just Go With It.”

Coppernoll has created many close friends over the years, but Cece Barrett takes the spot as one of her best friends. They met in second grade and have continued to get closer since then. When asked to describe her, Barrett responded: “Bella is a very kind and funny person. I feel like I can always be myself around her and she can always make me laugh.” Their school schedules match up exactly, so they spend a lot of time together throughout the week. They also like to hang out on weekends. Barrett explains that some of their favorite memories together come from their fishing trips in the summer and when they sled behind the snowmobiles in the winter.

Family is also very important to Coppernoll. Since she and her cousin, Bradie Lehman, are so close in age, they have had the opportunity to grow up together. When they were younger, they were always doing something different. Lehman explains, “We would play a lot of make-believe games on the trampoline and at our grandma’s house. There was one time when we were on the trampoline, just playing, and our goal was to make our hair as staticky as possible. We also used to play mermaids a lot at the river.” Lehman adds that her favorite thing about Coppernroll is how kind she is. Coppernoll is always willing to help wherever someone needs it. She ends by saying, “Bella is one of my favorite people, and I know she will do so well in life because of how kind she is.”

Another extremely important person in Coppernoll’s life is her mother, Kristina Mandrelle. She explains that from a young age, Coppernoll was very confident in making all of her opinions known. She wasn’t afraid to express herself, recalling that when she was between three and four years old, she wore Halloween costumes almost every day. As she grew older, her everyday actions have shown what a caring and responsible person she truly is. Mandrelle shares, “She is incredibly responsible, she always has been, and she is someone you can truly count on when you need her. Bella is exceptionally thoughtful; she regularly reaches out to family and friends to wish them happy birthday and is usually the one reminding me to do the same. She is also a huge help around the house, cleaning not only our home without being asked, but also both of her grandmothers’ homes every week.” Mandrelle adds that she admires a lot about Coppernoll. She loves how she can make her laugh and the way she can laugh at herself (usually after falling). She finishes off by saying: “She is so deeply loved and truly a special soul, there simply aren’t enough wonderful words to come close to capturing all that she is.”

It is not every day that a writer gets to write about her best friend. Bella is truly one of the funniest, most compassionate, and selfless people I know. She always puts everyone else before herself, and I know I can always count on her. Bella, I am so proud of everything you have accomplished so far, and I know that whatever your future holds will be amazing. I am so excited to dorm with you, and I know that we will make many more great memories. Thank you for everything you have done for me, and on behalf of Concord schools, good luck with all of your future endeavors!