Staff writer
Marion High School senior Ariel Depler won an academic award from the Council of Exceptional Children. She is invited to attend the April award ceremony in Washington, D.C.
“I was pretty excited,” Depler said after receiving the telephone call at her Florence home.
Depler was nominated for the national award after winning a Kansas Special Education Student of the Year award presented Sept. 18.
Depler began high school in special education classes because of a learning disability; it takes Depler more repetitions to understand a concept.
She received average grades until, as a sophomore, Depler decided to switch to general education courses, taking away a safety net of extra instruction. Although she has struggled at times, Depler persevered to earn honor-level grades.
“You have to have determination if you want good grades,” Depler said. “If you don’t work hard, you’ll let yourself down.”
Continuing to excel throughout her junior and senior years, she increased the difficulty of her class schedule. For example, the first semester of her senior year she took chemistry and physics concurrently.
“A lot of times students will use a disability as an advantage,” MHS counselor Phoebe Janzen said. “She never uses her disability as an excuse. She chooses the most challenging academic material and she has a very positive attitude.”
Janzen nominated Depler for the state award because of the MHS senior’s work ethic.
“She’s an example of a person who chose to work against all odds,” Janzen said. “It will never be easy and she will have to work twice as hard. She’ll be a hard worker always.”
Depler is one of three academic winners of the CEC national award and is among 24 other students nominated in fields of arts, athletics, community service, employment, extracurricular activities, independent living skills, self-advocacy, and technology.
With the exclusivity of the award, Depler believes she will have more opportunities for scholarships. She plans to apply for scholarships after Christmas break.
The Marion senior is planning to attend Friends University, Newman University, or Cloud County Community College and enroll in a nursing program.
The CEC will provide a hotel room for the event but not travel accommodations. Janzen said MHS is working on a fundraising plan to allow Depler to travel to the ceremony.