Taylor James

Age: 18

Birthday: April 7, 1989

Hometown: Sunapee, New Hampshire

College: Dickinson College

Email: jamesta@dickinson.edu

Residence

I am originally from Andover, Massachusetts but moved to Sunapee, New Hampshirethe summer going into 8th grade. I grew up skiing during the winters at Mount Sunapee and spent my summers at the lake. When we moved up to Sunapee my dad kept his job in Boston Massachusetts. We have an apartment in Boston next to the Museum of Science.

Schools Attended

• Shawsheen Elementary School
• Bancroft Elementary School
• Sunapee Middle High School
• Holderness School
• Dickinson College

I attended Shawsheen Elementary School from K-2 grade. Since Shawsheen Elementary School only went to third grade, I attended Bancroft Elementary school from 3-5 grades. After Bancroft I went to Doherty Middle School for grades 6 and 7. The summer after 7th grade my family moved to Sunapee New Hampshire where I attended Sunapee Middle High School 8th grade. For my four years of high school I attended Holderness School in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Holderness is a boarding school located about one hour from my house in Sunapee. After graduating from Holderness School this past spring, I now attend Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Family

The James family is quite normal, or at least we think so. I have a dad named Steve James and my mom is Laura James originally Laura Richards. I have two sisters, Carter James (but she goes by Tink) and Sarah Filler. Tink is my real blood sister, and Sarah is someone I consider my sister. She started working as our nanny at the ripe young age of 13. She lived very near us and eventually began staying at our house while she attended Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts as well as helping my parents whenever possible as a nanny. After Brooks School she lived with us full time for several years. She is now married and lives in Watch Hill, Rhode Island with her husband and three children. I grew up in the town of Andover, Massachusetts. When I was 13 we then moved to Sunapee, New Hampshire. For many years we spent winter weekens skiing at Sunapee and at least one summer month on lake Sunapee. When we moved we lived at my grandparent’s home for a little less then a year while we built our own home. We have lived in Sunapee ever since. My dad lives and works in Boston during the week. He is a commercial real estate broker and works for NAI Hunneman in Boston Massachusetts. Our apartment is next to the Museum of Science and commutes back and fourth on weekends. My mum worked for Katherine Houston Porcelain when I was younger and now works for Alison Vernon at the Little Brook Gallery in New London, New Hampshire. She is also a painter.

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Pets

Throughout my lifetime I have had many pets. From dogs to cats, frogs, hamsters, bunnies, rats, fish, horses, pigs, hermit crabs, and snails. My family loves animals, especially my mum and my sister, Tink. My mum used to show dogs before she had children, which is why we have so many now. She also used to foster dogs while they were waiting for a new owner. Now we have four dogs, Pippin, Rossignol, Tallulah, and Mogul. Pippin is a red, short-haired dachshund, Rossignol is a black lab, Tallulah is a black and tan, wire-hair dachshund, and Mogul is a chocolate lab. They enjoy running around in our front yard, which is where they spend most of their days. The "big dogs" as my dad calls them love going on runs, out on the boat, swimming, and car rides. Tallulah also enjoys car rides. They are all very well behaved dogs and I enjoy their company very much. I love them and miss them a lot when I am at school!

Sports

I have played a variety of sports throughout my childhood. I started out with soccer, lacrosse, and gymnastics. Gymnastics was my main passion when I was younger and I competed at a very high level. I eventually gave up after realizing it was controlling much to much of my life as a kid only in 5th grade. I switched to dance when I was in 6th grade. I took dance locally at Dance Infusion in Andover Massachusetts. I took classes in tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, and modern dance. I continued my love for dance through eighth grade. After moving to Sunapee in eighth grade I decided to try soccer again. I had a lot of fun but realized that I was not quite as talented as I had thought. During the summers when I was younger I competed in sailing. I had been playing lacrosse since 4th grade and was continuing my love for the sport even though Sunapee school district didn't offer it as a sport. I played in the neighboring town of New London, at the New London Outing Club because the sport was not offered through school until you were in high school. When I first went to Holderness School I realized I needed to play another sport. (They require you to play three sports your freshman and sophomore years.) I picked up Field Hockey which I loved. I had also been ski racing since I was very young and continued my love for the sport into High School. At Holderness I skied at Cannon Mountain and at Loon Mountain. I played JV Field Hockey for two years, and decided to try out for the varsity team my junior year of high school to see if I would make the team. I ended up making the team which was very exciting since I had only been playing for a short period of time. I was on the lacrosse team beginning in 10th grade and continued to play at a very high level. I joined a summer/fall league which was very competitive. Freshmen through junior year I competed at a very on the Eastern Ski Team. I went to the Junior Olympics when I was a freshman. I did very well in skiing but decided to take a break from intense competition and was a member of a more recreational ski team instead. My senior year of on the Varsity Field Hockey Team we won the NEPSAC Championships which was a great accomplishment. After putting a lot of time into my sports I decided to take a break and focus more on my school work when I started going to Dickinson this fall. I love to run and work out and try to keep these activities at a high priority because I really enjoy doing them.

Work Employment

• The Quack Shack
• Lake Sunapee Yacht Club
• Filler Family

I have worked for the past three summers. I began working at The Quack Shack, the best spot for ice cream in Sunapee, New Hampshire. While I was working there I also worked as a part-time junior sailing instructor. I had worked a few days during the week the previous summer. Summer going into my senior year I worked only at The Quack Shack. I was in charge of the shop when the manager was away and worked usually six or seven days a week. This past summer I was a live in nanny for the Filler Family. (Sarah, the mom, is one of my sisters.) I worked from the end of June through most of the first week of August.

Family History

1880 United States Federal Census

My great great great Grandmother Julia Ward Howe wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic and was married to Samuel Gridley Howe. Samuel Gridley Howe, my great great great grandfather started The Perkins School for the Blind. Henry Richards and Laura ELizabeth Richards, my great great grandparents started Camp Merryweather in Maine. Laura Elizabeth Richards is a noted author and pulitzer prize winner. To the right is a census that I found on ancestry.com. It has some of the Richards family members, including Laura Elizabeth Richards.

Other Information

For five summers I attended Alford Lake Camp in Hope, Maine. Two summers ago our family started a road race around Pleasant Lake in New London, New Hampshire. We founded the race in order to benefit Pleasant Lake Protective Association and the Lake Sunapee Protective Association. The success of the race has been terrific and we hope it will continue for many years to come.