Whether you’re fully awake or not, junior Alex Coniaris ensures that by the end of first period, you most certainly will be. The star of the Friday morning announcements may be a nuisance to those that don’t get enough sleep, but Coniaris’ zeal has allowed him to become a vital member of many groups around the school and community.
Having an extreme passion for the arts, Coniaris takes the time to be heavily involved in an array of clubs and classes at South, including Theatre South and Mass Media.
“Theatre has been a passion my whole life. There’s a certain joy that I get when I’m on stage, and I’m pouring my soul into what I’m doing,” Coniaris said.
Because of his passion, Coniaris has spent a large span of his life participating in performing groups such as Stages Bloomington and the show choirs of BEAT. Coniaris has had extreme success in his experiences with theatre, recently performing the roles of Willard Hewitt in “Footloose!” and Robert in “Proof,” the latter of which he earned an “Outstanding Actor” award for at the Regional Thespian Conference.
“I’m playing this 50 year old, middle-aged, crazy, intelligent, dead man, and to [be able to] say that people enjoyed that – it was a really cool moment.”
Moving behind the scenes, Coniaris has found a deep interest in video production, a skill that he has built through years of Mass Media and Advanced Editing classes at South. After being initially brought into production through his brother, South graduate Lucas, Coniaris has found his own appeal in the matter.
“It’s different from theatre, because you just write a script, put it together and perform it. In theatre that would be unorthodox. It’s a fun experience because you get to be involved in all of the different aspects.”
While he has found a community in several different arts programs, his hobbies also extend into athletics, especially in the form of tennis.
“Tennis was a very important thing for me personally. I was this little, chubby kid, and sports didn’t really click with me. I ended up finding tennis, and it gave me an outlet to enjoy sports.”
Not only has he made great contributions to the South tennis team, but Coniaris was also one of the earliest members of the revamped Bloomington Bullets frisbee team. Though he had little to no experience with the sport, he has proven to be a dedicated member and continues to play with the team whenever possible, participating in state and local tournaments.
Finally, and maybe most notably, you will recognize Coniaris from his infamous gig on the morning announcements, riling up the student body with a loud “gooooood morning Bloomington High School South!”
Though, in the beginning, Coniaris’ high-pitched, freshman voice initially drove people to the edge of anarchy, his enthusiasm and eagerness have become a integral part of the school.
“Ever since freshman year, it’s kind of been a tradition. It’s been so cool to see the evolution of it because people used to be so annoyed by even the near mention of my name or voice, but as the years have gone on, it has truly become a meme and has been so fun for me.”
