Freshman Eli Barbato’s intention this year was to step out of his comfort zone, exceeding this goal through joining multiple extracurriculars. Barbato joined the Ethics Bowl team during this year’s fall club fair. The team placed third at Nationals on Friday, April 11.

“ I joined Ethics Bowl because I like talking about dilemmas that make you think. I joined on a whim, and then I found out it was an entire competition,” said Barbato. “So far, we’ve talked about things like the ethicality of cloning or the ways in which you should treat your pets.”

Aside from prepping for Ethics Bowl, one of Barbato’s favorite parts of this year was his role in Lincoln’s fall production of “Clue” as the chief of police.

“It was my second [role], but it was also my biggest,” said Barbato. “I did an okay production of “Alice in Wonderland” in my eighth grade year. It was really fun, but the production value was not so high.”

In addition to theater, Barbato explores product design in his free time.

“A goal for the calendar year is learning how to sew pretty well,” said Barbato. “The peak would be making my own clothes or making prom dresses for people when prom finally rolls around.”

Freshman Frances McCullar, a friend of Barbato’s, emphasizes Barbato’s artistic side and how she enjoys spending time with him.

“We’ve gone thrifting. We’ve gone yarn shopping. He’s really crafty outside of school, which I guess he’s in art classes, but his whole room is like a maker space,” said McCullar.

Barbato advises on the importance of knowing your limits and adapting to those limits.

“ Sometimes it’s okay to do things that are outside of your comfort zone, and it’s okay to push yourself,” said Barbato. “But also I think it’s a really powerful thing to understand yourself, so what you [are capable of] and what [your limits are], and I feel like that helps me to [find] balance.”