Graduates reflect on experiences, plans
Staff writer
For graduation week, Marion County Record interviewed 11 graduating students at or near the top of their class.
All students were asked the same questions. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
This week, Marion-Florence High School and Peabody-Burns High School will have their graduation ceremonies. Students from those schools will be featured this week.
Students from the other three county schools will be featured next week.
Marion-Florence High School graduation will be 4 p.m. Saturday in the Sports and Aquatics Center.
Peabody-Burns High School graduation will be 4 p.m. Saturday in the Brown Gymnasium.
How would you describe your high school experience?
Luke Wessel, Marion — At first, you fail a lot. As you progress, you learn a lot, and you gain confidence. … Comparing it to middle school, the classes were easier, and the teachers were more relaxed.
Addison Cooper, Marion — I liked having the small-school atmosphere. It gave us the opportunities to really get involved and make the memories that we did.
Kenna Walker, Marion — Being in Marion since you were younger, and being here for all four years of high school, it definitely got easier. You have the same teachers throughout, and it’s easier to build from the teachers you know.
Taryn Kraus, Marion — I was pretty reserved and shy, but I definitely came out of my shell more, and I had good experiences.
Madelynn Blythe, Peabody-Burns — Chaotic but fun. Being from a smaller school, you kind of do a bit of everything.
What will be your favorite memory from your time in high school?
Luke — The thing that stuck out to me this year was the fall homecoming. Usually, it’s always a football player winning, but me and my cross-country teammates gathered together and tried to convince most of the school to vote for me. And I got it, barely.
Addison — Probably homecoming candidate games.
Kenna — Sports teams in general. You make really good connections with them. It’s like your little family. Especially as a senior, I enjoy spending time with the underclassmen.
Taryn — I’d probably say my experience doing the hedge apples on Main St. That’s always been a fun tradition.
Madelynn — Either all of the home football games, or our homecoming night.
What do you think is unique about your school compared to other county schools?
Luke — The lunch program. I talked to all of our league schools, and we seem to be the only school that lets students leave to go home or to any of the local eating places.
Kenna — We have quite a few teachers that have been here for a long time. … The kids really look up to them and know that it’s important to learn in their class.
Addison — I don’t know if other schools have the opportunity to take the range of college classes that we can. I can take calculus, composition, U.S. history, and I’ll have in-person teachers.
Taryn — I feel like our school had a little bit more to offer than some of the other schools. Some of the smaller schools around us, they either don’t have some sports teams or they don’t have all the classes that we have.
Madelynn — If you’re in basketball, you’re most likely in football. If you’re in cheer, you’re most likely in volleyball. Everybody comes to everything, and there’s no real disliking of people. We’re all just one family.
What are your next steps in life?
Luke — I will be going to Fort Hays to run cross-country, indoor track, and outdoor track, and I’ll be pursuing a degree in either engineering or business.
Addison — I’m attending KU to major in chemical engineering, and then I’m becoming a doctor. That’s my goal in life, to get that far.
Kenna — I’m going to Sterling and playing basketball, which I love. I’m also going to be a teacher, maybe. Middle, high school age — not sure, but a math teacher.
Taryn — I’m attending K-State next year for the next four years, and then after that, I’m going to major in kinesiology, and then I want to go on to a chiropractic school, most likely in Kansas City.
Madelynn — I’m planning to attend K-State in the fall for business.
Where would you like to live?
Kenna — I want to come back to a small community like this one. Maybe not here, but this type of environment.… I loved school here, and I definitely wouldn’t want to be in a big town going to school and not knowing anyone.
Addison — I could see myself being in the Kansas City area because I want to be close to my family yet still kind of have that distance. Sometimes I also see myself living on the east or west coast to get that different atmosphere.
Luke — Not decided on that. I’d be fine living in Kansas, but I’d also be open to living in Colorado or anywhere else.
Taryn — I don’t know if I could ever live that far from my family. If anything, I would probably just live in Kansas or maybe a couple states over. I have a lot of family here, and I don’t hate the town.
Madelynn — In Kansas for a while, and then maybe move out of the state. Georgia is one that I’ve looked at. My boyfriend went to AIT there, and he really enjoyed it.
Do you feel as if your school has pushed you to go into certain academic fields over others?
Luke — [I’m majoring in] engineering or business, and I’ve been pushed by our counselor to take a lot of business classes because of that.
Addison — I feel like they do a pretty good job of giving us all our opportunities. I’ve never felt persuaded to go into STEM.
Kenna — College classes, a lot of the ones we do have, they’re more STEM-based. But that’s also just because those are the main subjects that need to be given.
Taryn — They have a wide variety [of classes]. You have work-studies that you can go to the hospital for; you can do the welding program in Hillsboro.
Madelynn — I think yes. Being around a small town, you see a lot of people that have opened businesses, and they’ve helped me want to own my own businesses. They’ve shown me it’s possible.
What have you liked about growing up in a small town?
Luke — Comparing my friendships to the friendships that some of the students have at different schools that are bigger, it seems like my friendships are stronger than what they might have had.
Kenna — A majority of our class has been here since kindergarten. When you’ve known each other that long, half the teachers are like, “Oh, you’re this person’s sibling.” They know your family name. It’s nice and easier to make connections.
Addison — Having those connections that last multiple generations definitely makes you feel more at home.
Taryn — We’re all friends with each other.
Madelynn — The whole community is together when you really need them. If you need a fundraiser or to raise money for a tragic accident, everybody steps up and helps because they know you, and they’ve known you since you were 2.
What have you disliked about growing up in a small town?
Luke — The lack of activities to do outside of school.
Addison — In bigger cities, you have stuff you can go out and do. If we want to go and do something, we have to drive for 30 minutes.
Kenna — Yeah.
Taryn — Something that we might struggle with … is the culture shock [in big colleges], and having such big classes compared to our 10-person classes.
Madelynn — It’s harder to find a job.
What was your favorite class?
Luke — I don’t know if they’re considered subjects, but my favorite classes have been woodworking and lifetime fitness.
Addison — Anatomy and physiology.
Kenna — I’d say physics.
Taryn — Yearbook.
Madelynn — I’ve always liked English.
Who were your favorite faculty members?
Luke — Mr. Thierolf, Mr. Zabel, Ms. Thomas, and you could even throw Mr. Raymer in there.
Addison — I think it’s hard to pick. I like your favorite teacher, like they’ve all stood out to me in different ways.
Taryn — I can’t pick one.
Kenna — Yeah.
Madelynn — Mr. Kyle. He teaches gym.