HHS Senior Spotlight articles

HARRISBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT

For all schools, call 605-743-2567 www .harrisburgdistrict41-2 .org 200 E . Willow St ., Harrisburg SD 57032

High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1300 W . Willow, Harrisburg North Middle School . . . . . . . . . . . . 2201 W . 95th St ., Sioux Falls South Middle School . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 S. Cliff Ave., Harrisburg Endeavor Elementary . . . . . . . . . . 2401 W . 95th St ., Sioux Falls Explorer Elementary . . . . . . . . . . . .4010 W 82nd St, Sioux Falls Freedom Elementary . . . . 1101 Tom Sawyer Trail, Harrisburg Horizon Elementary . . . . . .5800 S . Bahnson Ave ., Sioux Falls Journey Elementary . . . . . . . . 6801 S . Grange Ave ., Sioux Falls Liberty Elementary . . . . . . . . . . . 200 E . Willow St ., Harrisburg

Jason Ahrendt, Agent 5109 S Cliff Avenue Sioux Falls, SD 57108 Bus: 605-339-2990 jason@jasonahrendt.com

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WILL ALLEN

Will is the son of Bill and Sheri Allen of Harrisburg .

HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

National Honor Society Honor Roll (4x) Varsity Golfer (6x) “Champion of Character”

GREATEST INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE

The person who had the most impact on me as an individual would be my dad, Bill Allen . He has always been more than supportive, no matter what . Not only has he supported my athletics, but he also stressed the importance of education, a good work ethic, and strong character . When it comes to sports, he never pushed me too hard, but he always made sure I was committed and bought in to whatever sport I was currently interested in the most . At home, he always strives to provide anything that my sister and I need to become successful adults. Without my dad’s support, kindness, and overall love, I am not sure I would be where I am today . I owe a lot of thanks to him and everything he has done for me in my lifetime.

FAVORITE MEMORY FROM HIGH SCHOOL

My favorite memory from high school would have to be my senior and junior years on the golf team. Not only did I grow closer to the other upperclassmen on the team, but I was able to mentor and aid in developing the passion of the younger golfers on the team as well . After an entire season, it was cool to see the growth in not only their passion for golf but their character as well . It was very memorable and special to me realizing that I had made an impact on the future of Harrisburg golf by simply becoming a leader and being myself .

FUTURE PLANS

SONNDOS ABDALLA NICK TSCHUDY

Sonndos is the daughter of Azmi Abdalla and Feryal Humran of Sioux Falls .

HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

Educators Rising Culinary Prostart The Boys and Girls Club Volunteer Student Council

GREATEST INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE

My biggest influence and role models are definitely my parents. They both encourage me to do my best and I always want to make them proud. I look up to them because they both worked very hard to become what they are today . They have had their down times, but no matter what they would always see the bright side and work hard to get moving and back to the top. They always make my siblings and I feel like we are on top of the world through the hard times, which I admire .

FAVORITE MEMORY FROM HIGH SCHOOL

My favorite memory would have to be when I got to do a debate while I was in Jordan for my history class . The debate was the American government versus the British government . It was between me and student from London and the debate was a surprise. We did not know we were doing a debate even though it went on for the whole class period and in the end I won .

FUTURE PLANS

I currently work at Truks-n-Trykes Nursery Care, a job I absolutely love. I will continue working there for full-time in the summer . I am going to Augustana University next fall on scholarships. I hope to major in biology and minor in psychology and continue on to medical school to specialize in pediatrics . I also hope to travel the world with my family . Nicholas Tschudy is the son of Mike and Mona Tschudy of Harrisburg .

HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

National Honor Society Basketball

Tennis Football FFA (Parliamentary Procedure) Honor Role (4 years) Homecoming Royalty Academic All State Athlete

GREATEST INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE

My parents have always had a major impact on my life. They have continually supported me at everything I do . No matter what I am involved in, they push me to be the best I can be. Thanks Mom and Dad!

FAVORITE MEMORY FROM HIGH SCHOOL

My favorite memory from high school is playing on the football team and competing in the DakotaDome. The adrenaline of running out on the field before the game is unmatched. Also, the feeling after winning a big game is something to hold on to forever .

FUTURE PLANS

EMPATHY AND LEARNING DIFFERENTLY ARE SUPERPOWERS FOR ‘COLT THE COURAGEOUS’

By Bob Fitch

Any fan of the superhero genre knows the great ones – such as Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Hulk – come alive by turning a stroke of bad luck into something incredible. Just ask Tony Stark, Peter Parker or Bruce Banner.

Or ask Colt Davidson.

Courtney and Colt Davidson reading “Colt The Courageous.”

Colt Davidson is a mild-mannered, third grade math whiz at Endeavor Elementary School. His kryptonite is dyslexia. But, just like Peter Parker used a bite from a radioactive spider to become one of the great superheroes, Colt has used dyslexia to turn himself into “Colt The Courageous .” His story is now a page-turner written by his mom, Courtney Davidson .

When Colt was nearing kindergarten age, Courtney and her husband, Mike, believed their son was ready for school . “Vocabulary-wise and attention-wise, going to kindergarten when he was 5½ seemed like a good fit. When school started, he loved it . But he started struggling with reading . By Christmas, it was obvious he was falling behind,” Courtney said .

However, by March of his kindergarten year, he was bringing books home from school and reading them to his parents. “But when I’d grab a book from his bookshelf, he didn’t want to read it to me . He was so uncomfortable – he was sobbing,” she said .

“I took words from his schoolbooks and wrote those down on a different sheet of paper. He couldn’t recognize the words that he had just read. Breaking the words apart, he could recognize the letters and tell me what sound they each made, but he couldn’t blend the sounds into the word .” He hadn’t really been reading the school books, but instead was reciting what had been read out loud in class .

Their physician directed them to Pathways Literacy Center . Pathways screened Colt and they started tutoring him three to four days a week. He made progress, but not enough. Pathways recommended formal testing at Scottish Rite Children’s Clinic for Speech & Language Disorders. Clinical staff there consists of University of South Dakota faculty who are ASHA certified speech language pathologists . USD graduate students provide services to children and their families under the guidance of clinical staff.

At the time, there was a six-month waiting list at Scottish Rite Children’s Clinic, but he was finally tested in January of his first grade year. The comprehensive examination showed Colt was advanced in many academic areas just like his older brother, Wyatt. But the test also confirmed he had a semisevere case of dyslexia .

As Courtney and Mike prepared to have a discussion with Colt about the dyslexia diagnosis, they searched the internet for helpful children’s books. They didn’t find much. Only two