School: Thorp High School (Honor Students – 2017)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Boie, Gillett, Reeg, Shilts, Wisniewski, Wenta, Anderson, Steinbach, Hass, Ogle, Schraufnagel

----Source: THORP COURIER (Thorp, Clark County, Wis.) 26 Apr 2017

On Friday, May 26, 2017, the senior class will be graduating and preparing themselves for their continued life journey. With that, we take time to honor the five students that make up the top ten percent of their class, including Brady Wisniewski, Morgan Boie, Ashley Gillett, Valerie Shilts, and Calvin Reeg. Each of them shared with us their life lessons, post-graduation plans, and overall life goals.

Morgan Boie: Morgan Boie is this year's salutatorian, and she believes she has been given as much as she has given to the school and the community. "Thorp High School, and Thorp in general, have taught me the importance of community and dedication. Whatever you do, do it well, and remember that there will be people there to support you. I just want to thank everyone that has been with me throughout this journey. It means a lot."

Morgan's journey has included the National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, Solo & Ensemble, mathletes, mock trial, quiz bowl, Spanish Club, basketball, yearbook, and time as a youth tutor. "I loved being in drama and NHS," Morgan said. "I had always been pretty shy, and these organizations helped me to open up more. Plus, I got to meet some great people. Al these activities were fun, and I am glad I was a part of each and every one of them."

After graduation, Morgan will be attending UW, Stevens oint to pursue a degree in speech/language pathology. She is excited to get started, as she has also been accepted into their honors program.

While her college years will be spent relatives close to home, Morgan's big life goal is to get the chance to travel. There are many place across the world that are taking up a lot of space on my bucket list," she said. "Even though I may not make it to most of them, I would love to get to experience at least a few countries, probably in Europe."

While she believes, in pursuing a pathology degree, that she may still be in college in five years, she would want to quickly land a job and then focus on getting married and starting a family if she graduated in four years.

Ashley Gillett: Ashley Gillett attributes much of her success to the hard work and dedication of some of her teachers, including, but not limited to, Mr. Wenta, Mrs. Anderson, and Mrs. Steinbach. "Mr. Wenta and Mrs. Anderson have taught me to never give up and to allow hard work to help me achieve my goals. Mrs. Steinbach has taught me to allow myself to have a positive outlook on life and take a break if things get too hectic."

Ashley was a part of the National Honor Society, youth group, mathletes, and mock trials. "My favorite memories throughout high school have either been with mock trial or band. Someone always had a witty comment and could always make me smile on days that I was feeling down."

After graduating, she plans to attend Edgewood College to pursue a degree in psychology. Once that is done, she hopes to get a job working in a children's hospital while she pursues her doctorate.

Ashley wants to achieve more than her parents had the opportunity to. She wants to make a good life for herself with a college degree, and in five years, she would like to be pursuing her Master's degree, and hopefully already her foster care license, so that she can help to make a difference in other people's lives.

Calvin Reeg: Calvin Reeg has been an active participant in many extra-curricular activities. He has played football, hockey, track, and golf. He also stayed active in band and forensics.

After graduation, Calvin will be spending the summer in basic training for the National Guard. Then he plans to attend UW, Stevens Point in the fall, where he will play football. He has not decided on a major just yet.

When asked what his biggest life goal was, Calvin said, success. "My goal in life is to be successful, be happy, and have fun." When asked where he saw himself in five years, he said: "Just graduated from college."

Valerie Shilts: Valerie Shilts has taken from her experience in Thorp many life lessons, including not to be afraid: "I have learned a lot from my time spent at Thorp High. Mr. Hass taught me that there is a difference between a nice person and a kind person, and I have learned that I want to be the kind person. Mrs. Ogle has taught me not to be afraid, but rather to be cautious out in the real world. Mr. Schraufnagel has taught me to not be afraid to speak my mind and to never lese my faith."

Valerie has been an active member of the All Saints Parish, National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, Future Farmers of America, and she was a CCD teacher. "My favorite experiences would have to be through FFA. From out meetings to our competitions there was never a dull moment. My favorite memory of FFA would have to be our speaking contests. I competed on the preliminary procedure team for the past three years and those were some of the best times of my high school career. I will miss everyone whom I have gotten to know through those extra-curricular activities."

After graduating, Valerie will be attending Chippewa Valley Technical College to pursue an Associate's Degree in nursing. Then, after working for a few years as a nurse, she would like to go back to school and become a physician assistant.

In the next five years, Valerie sees herself graduating from college and working as a nurse practitioner.

"My biggest life goal is to have a career which I love. My dad always told me, if you find a career you enjoy, you will never work a day in your life."

Brady Wisniewski: Brady Wisniewski, class Valedictorian, has been active in an impressive array of school activities. He was a member of National Honor Society, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a baseball and basketball player all four years of school, a member of cross country for three years, and a part of football for one years; he took part in forensics, drama, Solo & Ensemble, mathletes, quiz bowl, and a school mock trial.

Brady spoke of just how much he has learned as a member of the community and a student at Thorp High: "I have learned the value of hard work, and how it can pay off, particularly during our trips to the state tournament. I learned the power of community spirit and support as well."

Brady intends to study at Concordia University of Wisconsin, and though he is undecided on his major, he has interest in both psychology and education.

When asked what his biggest life goal is, Brady said: "If I had a street named after me someday, that would be really good." He also hopes that five years from now he will be able to start his career in whichever focus he chooses, and to successfully provide for his family.