The gym shook with excitement and energy on Class Competition Day. Students cheered and shouted for their respective teams, teachers watched from the sidelines and the usual chaos of the most anticipated day of the entire school year filled the air. 

     However, on this year’s competition day, not everyone was having fun. While the crowd roared with enthusiasm, junior Margo Armstrong noticed something was off.

     As she sat in the bleachers, she felt a sharp pain in her leg — something that initially didn’t seem serious and she hoped would go away.

     But it didn’t.

     Within days, Armstrong would end up in the hospital, marking the start of a medical journey that would keep her out of school for almost all of November.

     For most students at school, Armstrong seems like the kind of student who has everything in focus. As a junior enrolled in five Advanced Placement courses, she spends her days managing demanding coursework while still having time for herself — and maybe even a YouTube video or two (her personal favorite being Disney blog videos). 

     But school is only a part of Armstrong’s world. When she isn’t navigating a packed schedule of college-level courses, she can be found behind a camera, capturing small details that most people don’t even notice.

     Photography has always been a constant in Armstrong’s life, but it really started to pick up around middle school. What started as casually snapping photos of her friends while hanging out quickly turned into something more serious.

     “I love, love, love photography,” said Armstrong. “I’ve always loved taking photos. [In middle school,] I took an online class through FLVS, and that’s when I started learning … the technical part. Then [I began] doing photography here.”

     From there, her passion only grew. This year, Armstrong took on AP Photography and is actively involved in the school’s photography club, equipping her with the skills that would eventually earn her three honorable mentions via the Scholastic Art Regional Awards.

     One of her award-winning pieces, called the “Silent Snake,” captures a coiled chain illuminated by sunlight.

     “This [photo] is really interesting because for my whole AP portfolio, I’m trying to focus on the contrast between man-made [objects] in nature,” she said. “It kind of looks like a snake, but it’s metal, so it’s a human-made object.”

     And yet, last fall, Armstrong’s focus shifted away from her camera and school and towards something unexpected. 

     What began as a sharp pain in her leg on Class Competition Day quickly escalated and was eventually given a name.

     Armstrong was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation in the digestive tract.

     “It was hard to walk,” she said, recalling what it felt like in the hospital after receiving her diagnosis.

     What started as small pains evolved into an everyday struggle that would end up keeping her from school, friends and important dates in every teenager’s life. “I wasn’t able to go to Homecoming because I [couldn’t] stand. That was probably the biggest impact it had,” she said. “And also, Halloween.”

     While she is making progress with her disease, getting infusions every month and taking medication, she continues to fight.

     “I’m still in and out of the ER, back and forth, getting scans,” she said. Originally, doctors said she could recover in around 16-18 weeks from when she was hospitalized, but now they’re saying she has to get surgery over the summer because she doesn’t seem to be making significant progress.

     Even on the hardest of days, however, Armstrong still manages to move forward in school — and in life — which she completely credits her friends and teachers for.

     “I can’t imagine if I had been in a school where my teachers hadn’t been accommodating,” she said.

     While being hospitalized, four different groups of her friends came to visit, offering comfort and support.

     “They brought gifts and stuff — that made it better,” she said.

     Nowadays, Armstrong is learning how to approach her life the same way she approaches photography: with balance and perspective.

     “I think finding balance is so, so important. Being in the hospital forced me to learn that,” she said. “You don’t want to end up back [in the hospital] stressing yourself out on things that you know you’re not gonna care about in 10 years.”

     Margo’s focus has shifted from solely prioritizing school to taking time for both her health and hobbies. Whether she’s in a classroom or behind a camera, Armstrong is making a recovery, one frame at a time.