A tall blonde with a lion’s mane for hair can be seen strutting down the hallway with her best friends by her side wearing creative outfits during the school day, and tearing up the field hockey field after school, senior Alyson Kiss has big plans ahead. 

Kiss was originally inspired to play field hockey by her mom, who played when she was in high school.  

“The way she talked about the sport and how happy it made her inspired me to play. She had so much love for it and I wanted to feel that way too,” Kiss said. 

Kiss has been head-over-heels in love with the sport and her teammates, ever since. 

“My favorite part of being on a team is making memories with people I’m around every day. It’s fun playing the sport I love with awesome people,” Kiss said. 

As one of three captains on the team, Kiss has a major role when it comes to her team’s performance and being a respectable role model.  

“Alyson’s a great leader for our team because she encourages us on and off the field by complimenting us when we do something successfully, showing us how to fix something when we struggle, and leads us by example,” sophomore Carly Amerman said.  

Kiss is also in charge of mentoring her ‘little sister’ Gracie Caiazzo by offering life advice or giving her tips on the field. 

“Alyson reminds me to never give up and to always try my hardest because giving it your all is the most important,” freshman Caiazzo said. 

Over the past four years, Kiss has been a part of very successful field hockey teams. In 2015 her team placed fourth in the Colonial League. The following year her team placed third and second in District XI. Along with placing as a team, Kiss made the Colonial League Second Team in 2016. 

With the team’s current undefeated record of 9-0, Kiss is sure to have another victorious season.      

“The field hockey team beat Moravian Academy this year which is a big accomplishment because Bangor hasn’t beaten them since 2010,” Kiss said. 

With a nostalgic feeling, Kiss reflects on her past seasons as her final one quickly passes by. 

“I’m definitely going to miss playing field hockey. Field hockey has been my life the past four years and for me to let it go will be hard because I have so much love for the sport,” Kiss said. 

In addition to field hockey, Kiss has a passion for fashion that she refines while she attends Bethlehem Vo-Tech studying in their Fashion Industries program. 

“What inspires me is my own love for fashion. I think it’s so fun being able to create a look for people to wear and feel confident in,” Kiss said. 

Along with designing for other people, Kiss uses her eye for style while picking out her own outfits. 

“What inspires my outfits is being able to show my individuality. I like standing out. I don’t like being compared to others because I enjoy being different,” Kiss said. “When I pick out my outfit, I usually just wing it. I’m not the person that has to pick out their outfit the night before, I wake up and throw things together.” 

Kiss’ style catches the attention of her peers and creates new trends in the high school. 

“My favorite thing about her style is that she doesn’t care about what other people say, she just does her own thing,” best friend Lauren Haffling said. 

Even Kiss’ boyfriend of three and a half years is impressed by her style. 

“I love how Alyson makes every day count and she is so unique and creative with her fashion and clothes. She is truly one of a kind,” Bryce Kiefer said.    

With the desire to continue her fashion career, Kiss is looking at applying to her dream school, The Fashion Institute of Technology, to major in Fashion Designing. 

“I’m going to apply to FIT in New York City. I’ve visited the school and am completely in love. It’s going to be weird going from a small country town to the middle of Manhattan and be able to walk to Times Square,” Kiss said. 

Kiss hopes to graduate college and become a fashion designer where she will have a broader range of people to influence. 

As Kiss leaves her final marks on Bangor, the community wishes her nothing but the best as she begins her new life.