Chamois Class President Veronica Slack at Friday’s commencement ceremony told classmates their journey to this point has been filled with a lot of great memories and said the future will be bright.
“We have come a long way from where we started,” she said. “Most of our class has been together since kindergarten, Shawn (Tune) being the exception, joining us this year. When we were in kindergarten we learned how to tie our shoes and we made swords out of markers for battles. In first grade, we read the Junie B. Jones books and did number roles, which was a struggle. In second grade we did speed math and Kaylee (Sieg) would sit under her desk for some unknown reason. Third grade meant being the star student and wearing the safari hat and taking care of Joey, the guinea pig.”
Fourth grade, Slack said, included a journey down the Oregon Trail and choosing a famous Missourian to present, and picking Team Troesser or Team Joyce. “In fifth grade, we helped Mrs. Busken start a community garden and she gave us star punches for good behavior,” Slack noted. “In sixth grade, most of the class participated in the play, which brought around the realization that Eli (Deppe) and Nate (Nolte) were not actors. This was the end of elementary school and we were now moving into the high school building. In seventh grade, we got lost going to classes and we were once again the youngest kids in the building.”
In eighth grade, the girls won the basketball conference title and Katie (Keilholz) tried to kill Deppe with adhesive spray during a track meet.
“Our freshman year was the start of our high school sports careers,” said Slack, adding that Keilholz medaled in state cross country and the boys were a part of the Final Four run.
As sophomores, Slack said and her classmates were only concerned about getting their licenses, which may or may not have caused some tears. In their junior year, the girls won a district basketball title and then the school year suddenly ended due to COVID-19.
“We had to have prom in the middle of the summer and outside due to COVID regulations,” said Slack. “This made having a normal senior year a struggle. We didn’t have apple butter or a Senior Trip and so many of our sports seasons were cut short due to being quarantined.”
The volleyball season was cut short and the girls missed so many games, not to mention they were not able to play in the district tournament.
“The band girls were not able to do so many of their normal band competitions and they were so limited to where they could play,” Slack continued. “The basketball season was cut short not only by COVID but also by snow day after snow day. Eli has been quarantined the most this year. We missed so much school this year because we were stuck at home. But the naps were great!”
Slack said she and her fellow graduates have come together as a class and become a weird family of sorts. “Senior year was full of making college plans and realizing that in a few months we are going to be adults and that nothing is going to be like it was in high school,” she added. “We went on college visits and applied to the colleges we liked the best. This year has been such a blast with the adventures we took together.
“We survived MaKenna’s blond moments and Katie’s many moments of attitude,” Slack continued. “Somehow we made it through Nate’s many practical jokes and Destiny (Bledsoe’s) overall quiet personality. We adapted to getting a new senior in the middle of the year and Kaylee’s quirky hairstyles that would randomly change. Eli made sure we knew that he was the best at getting injured by doing something funny. And, I will definitely be remembered for my moments of clumsiness. We have been together for so long and we continue to be by each other's sides as we go to different colleges and on different paths of life.”
Even though these eight graduates won’t be in the same classes and for the most part not even in the same city, Slack said they will stay in each other’s lives and support each other forever.
“In five years I hope that most of us will have already graduated from college, with the exception of Katie, who has always had to be an overachiever,” said Slack. “I hope we have jobs we enjoy and are thriving in. I wish my friends the best of luck as we move on to a new chapter of our lives.”
In welcoming family and friends to Friday’s ceremony, MaKenna Wuelling thanked teachers, sponsors Mrs. Mehmert and Mrs. Birmingham, and parents for their support.
“There may be only eight of us but most days we seem like a class of 50,” said Wuelling. “I am going to miss being with my classmates every day. I know there are lots of memories we will never forget. One of my favorites is when I asked Eli to Barnwarming while singing on the intercom the song ‘Sweet Eli Deppe’’ to the tune of ‘Sweet Caroline.’ He said ‘’NO.’ He did end up attending Barnwarming that year. In junior high, Nathan had a bet with Mr. McKague and Mr. Burkett stating he would not talk during class for a month. If he won, he would get a Chris Carpenter bobblehead. If you know Nathan at all you will know he is a diehard Cardinals fan. He made it to the last day when he thanked someone for picking up his pencil. He did not get the bobblehead. Another is when Veronica tripped over her desk in Sociology and face-planted onto the floor. I remember all the times Katie and I had to be moved away from one another so we would stop talking. Did that work? No. Or when we wore our clothes inside out to school one day. Something I will never forget is when I would not stop talking in Safety Class and my desk was turned faced into the closet so I could not talk or see anyone. Did that work? Probably not.”
In addition to classroom memories, Wuelling said she is glad that Bledsoe and Sieg painted the backdrops for the Chamois Day floats or there is no way they would have been in the running for first place.
“I will forever hold these memories with me,” Wuelling said. “Guys, we have finally made it to the day we have been looking forward to for the last 13 years. I hope you enjoyed this journey just as much as I did. I will cherish all the memories that we have made.”
In closing, class valedictorian Katie Keilholz said everyone knew this would not be a typical year due to COVID-19 but everyone made the best of it.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank a number of people,” Keilholz said. “First, I would like to thank our parents for taking time out of your day to help us through the long nights of homework. Thank you for your care and support in all the activities we have done throughout the years. You have done everything possible to guide us down the right path in life even though I know all of us can be a handful to deal with sometimes. Thank you to our coaches. Without your time, guidance, patience, and dedication to our teams, we would not have succeeded or grown into the student-athletes we have become. You have taught us leadership, good sportsmanship, respect, and many other values needed throughout our lives. Just because you may fail at something does not mean you stop and give up. Thank you for disciplining and pushing us to never give up, even after failure.
Thank you to our staff, administration, and teachers for providing us with the knowledge and education needed to prepare us for the next steps in our futures. Thank you not only for your long hours spent grading homework and preparing lessons but for your tolerance and patience with our class. I know we are small but our personalities make up for our size.”
To her classmates, Keilholz said that since kindergarten, they have been dreaming of this day and it seemed as if they were never going to make it.
“Well, here we are,” she added. “Even though we are all grateful for this day to finally be here, I know there will be many things we will miss about each other. I will miss the endless jokes and laughs we had each day, mostly due to Eli and Nathan. I will miss walking into morning cross country practices and seeing MaKenna wide awake and ready to run. We all know how much she enjoyed those early mornings. I will miss watching Veronica’s clumsiness because no matter what was around her, she always seemed to find something to trip over. To Kaylee and Destiny, we finally made it through Anatomy even though I know we won’t miss those Monday quizzes that we barely studied for over the weekend. Shawn, I know you have only been with our class for a part of the year but we still cherish the memories you have made with us.
“Thank you for the endless memories, some of which we will never forget,” Keilholz continued. “We have all been through a lot together and probably know way more than what we should about each other. I will cherish all the memories we have made together as a class. I could not have asked for a better group of friends to grow up with. My last message that I would like to give to my classmates is one that my dad gave me this year. Never take anything for granted. Not being able to compete in volleyball or basketball districts this year showed me that you may never know when it will be your last game or your last chance to prove yourself. In life, there are going to be challenging situations that we will each be faced with. You want to be able to look back on those situations and know you put 100 percent effort into the outcome, good or bad.”
Superintendent Lyle Best said he appreciates the way students, staff, and members of the community came together to push through the challenges of the last 14 months, with the pandemic demanding new ways to learn.
“It feels good to be back here for graduation in May,” said Best. “It takes a special group of people to make their way down a path when there is no path. This group of students on the stage, the students we have in the halls, and our staff, have done an excellent job of that, and I want to thank them for it. There’s a lot to be grateful for and a lot to be proud of with these (graduates). Congratulations.”
Valedictorian Katie Keilholz finished with a GPA of 4.14, and salutatorian Destiny Bledsoe posted a GPA of 4.10, and Best presented American Legion Citizenship awards to Keilholz and Nolte.
Of the eight graduates, seven are committed to pursuing higher education, and one is entering the workforce.