Musicality, vocals, and incredible coordination, senior Taylin Ruhe has got it all. Ruhe has been a student at North Canton City schools since her eighth grade year, and has made quite an impact since. With her involvement in band, theater, color guard, art and more, there really is nothing she can’t accomplish. Ruhe shares about her background before moving to the Hoover district, and how she got involved with the arts. She was born in Houston, Texas, where she lived for six years before moving to Lima, Ohio, where she sparked an interest in creating art. At age 10, she moved to Clemson, South Carolina, where she developed her love for theater, then moved to Savannah, Georgia at 13 years old, where she was trained on the saxophone. Finally, she made her way to North Canton. Ruhe has been involved with Hoover’s art program since her freshman year and has developed a knack for sketching and painting since she was young. Currently enrolled in AP Art, it’s clear that this passion had carried with her through the majority of her life. She shares what she loves most about this activity, and what it means for her.
“I love color, texture, and experimenting with different mediums and materials, so naturally art has been a huge creative outlet for me,” she said. “For other things, I think they come more naturally to me, like music, but with art I really had to struggle and work at it. I like it because it’s an artistic outlet that allows me to push myself.”
Art teacher Mr. Chris Triner, spoke of her talent, personality and involvement in the program.
“I had the good fortune of having her in Art I, and last year in Art III, and this year in AP. She’s shown a lot of growth in the work she’s done,” he said. “Her energy often brings humor to the class, and we appreciate that. Some people think art is fun and games, but oftentimes it can be very stressful. She tends to bring levity to those stressful situations.”
Ruhe expresses her gratitude for her art teachers here at Hoover, andwhat their mentorship has meant for her as an artist.
“I have loved how my art teachers, Mrs. Grandjean and Mr. Triner, have pushed me past my limits with art,” she said. “Their classes have caused me to fall in love with it and pursue it as a career.”
Along with her love for art, Ruhe is well-versed in the world of performance and music. From musical theater to choral music, from band and color guard, Ruhe can do it all. She talks about her experience playing
her chosen instrument, the saxophone, and how that introduced her to the world of band.
“I’ve been playing saxophone since fifth grade, when I was home-schooled, and I played in South Carolina and Georgia, and now in North Canton with the school band,” she said. “I picked the saxophone because my mom thought it matched my personality; it’s very loud and jazzy and rambunctious. I was rigorously trained on the saxophone in Georgia, so coming to North Canton, I felt prepared in that sense when joining the middle school band in eighth grade here
at Hoover.”
Mr. Ron Varn, Hoover’s band director and coordinator, discusses her involvement with band — including her leadership and talent.
“She’s involved with Symphonic band, playing the first alto saxophone, and she’s the section leader in that,” he said. “She’s in Jazz band and plays the lead alto part in that. She also sings in Jazz band, and she’s part of our leadership team called the SPIRIT team.”
With all these leadership positions, Varn explains how Ruhe exemplifies good character in the classroom, and how these qualities make her an amazing leader.
“Taylin has always been respectful, she’s kind to the other students,” he said. “She can be trusted to be there when you need her, if we need volunteers she is the first to volunteer. She is personal, you can talk to her and she doesn’t just tell you what you want to hear. She’ll tell you the truth, she doesn’t lie. She’s honest, and that’s what exudes a good leader.”
Going along with the topic of “character,” theater, specifically musicals, have been a vital part of Ruhe’s life since she was a child. She shares about how she got her start in singing, and some important lessons that she’s learned from
theater.
“My mom told me that when I was a baby she would make me match pitch with her as she fed me, so I had a very early start,” she said. “Theater has taught me how to persevere and to not give up, because eventually your hard work is worth it. It’s really helped me understand how to network and interact.”
Along with being a leader in Symphonic band, Ruhe is also captain of Hoover’s color guard team, and is involved with Collage, a separate color guard team based in Akron. She shares about the opportunities that Collage has given her, and her sentiments regarding her position as Hoover’s color guard captain.
“There is this competition called Winter Guard International in Dayton, and I’ve gone to see it every year,” she said. “It’s crazy because this year I might get to perform in that arena. I love that being captain; [it] has given me so many leadership opportunities, and I get to help everyone from freshman to seniors.” Mrs. Ellen Varn, assistant director of Hoover’s band program, comments on Ruhe’s leadership and compassion towards her teammates. “She’s just always been a real positive part of her class, musically and just as a person,” she said. “In color guard, when someone makes a mistake, you’ll often hear Taylin say ‘it’s okay, you got this’ and just always supporting others. She’s willing to lead the group in color guard. She’s a talented young lady, and she has a bright future.”
