Staff writer
Marion High School seniors Dane Purkeypile and Derek Stuchlik will go out at the top of their class Sunday at graduation.
Both students earned 4.0 grade point averages for the entirety of their high school careers. And both of them plan to use their talents for math and science in college, studying technological fields.
Landon Leiker is the salutatorian.
Dane Purkeypile
Purkeypile will study computer engineering at Walla Walla University in College Place, Wash.
Walla Walla University has good engineering facilities for a private university, he said. Additionally, he is excited by the prospect of going to college at a university affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, of which he is a member.
“For the first time in my life, I’ll get to be with Adventists my age, because here there aren’t many Adventists,” Purkeypile said.
He said he is also interested in studying software engineering after earning his bachelor’s degree. However, Walla Walla University doesn’t have software engineering classes.
When asked what he wants to be able to tell his classmates at their 10-year reunion, he said he wants to be part of something big, and having a successful career would be nice, too.
“I think it would be cool to come back as somebody that would make a difference,” he said. “And it would be cool to come back with a really nice car.
“When I was little, my goal was to get a Lamborghini,” he said.
Purkeypile said that attending school in Marion had been a double-edged sword. He sometimes wishes he went to school in a bigger town where there is more to experience, but Marion’s size offers some of its own advantages.
“It’s small enough that I haven’t gotten lost,” he said. “Here at Marion all the teachers genuinely care.”
The teachers are passionate and urge their students to reach for greatness, he said. As an example, math and physics teacher Don Molleker told a class Purkeypile was in that whoever invents more efficient solar panels will be set for life.
“He encouraged us to be that person,” Purkeypile said.
He attributed his academic success to several factors. For one, math and science come naturally to him, he said. There has also been a history of academic success on both sides of his family, and he finds other sources for motivation.
“A chunk of it is just competition with other students,” he said. “I don’t like the feeling of losing.”
He said he realizes schoolwork isn’t really a competition, but thinking of it that way helps him keep his enthusiasm.
He has been active in basketball and golf. He also played two years of football, two years of baseball, and one year of scholars’ bowl. He is a member of National Honor Society, and was the treasurer this year.
Melissa and Bill Ledford and the late Don Purkeypile are his parents.
Derek Stuchlik
Stuchlik will have a dual major of computer and electrical engineering at Kansas State University in Manhattan.
“I’ve always liked working with computers and technology, like how they work,” he said Monday.
Math and science are his strongest and favorite school subjects, he said. He cited several reasons for choosing Kansas State. It has a great engineering program and he enjoyed his campus visit. Additionally, it is close to home, and both his parents attended Kansas State.
His parents, Gary and JoAnn Stuchlik of rural Pilsen, also were influential in his high school work.
“My parents really pushed me to do my best,” he said. “They had high expectations.”
Financial considerations also played a part in his school efforts. He said he knew good grades would help him get scholarships.
“Freshman year is paid for,” Stuchlik said.
Stuchlik will arrive at campus in the fall with nearly a semester’s worth of college credit, having taken English composition 1 and 2, psychology, and speech through Butler Community College and Cloud County Community College.
He said teachers and staff who took an interest in all of their students helped contribute to his high school success, but the biggest advantage of attending Marion High School for Stuchlik was participating in school plays and musicals all four years of high school.
“Before, I did not really talk to groups of people,” he said.
But getting on stage really helped him come out of his shell. He said he would advise new high school freshmen to be themselves.
“Don’t be afraid what other people think about you,” Stuchlik said. “Do what you like to do.”
When he returns for his 10-year reunion, Stuchlik would like to be able to tell his classmates “that I successfully got my two majors, and that I am currently working for a place like Apple or Dell, designing new technology.”
He has competed in cross country, basketball, and golf. He has also been involved in student council, National Honor Society, choir, and Catholic Youth Organization. He was a cast member in four musicals and two plays, and was a crew member for two other plays. He has also played piano and organ for the Catholic church in Pilsen for a little more than a year.