BRAINERD DISPATCH | May 29, 2020 • PINEANDLAKES ECHO JOURNAL | May 28, 2020
C lASS OF
2020:
Mackenzie — like all high school seniors — misses out on making her last memories
I
t was a bright sunny day in 2008, when an estimated 500 kindergarten students in their colored T-shirts hanging past their knees walked proudly around the track at Adamson Field on Kinderfriend Day at Brainerd High School. Parents and family members sat in the bleachers with their cameras in hand, smiling and waving to their kindergartner. As a mother of a kindergarten JENNIFER graduate, I will never forget KRAUS this day. There was so much Staff Writer excitement and energy in the air. My daughter, Mackenzie Stockinger, in her lavender T-shirt with her fellow Riverside Elementary School classmates — along with students from all Brainerd Public Schools elementary schools — had massive smiles on their faces and were so ecstatic about their day of fun. I remember standing on the field in awe thinking the next time all these students and their families would be together again on
Resilience, dedication, patience, positivity in unprecedented times By Theresa Bourke Staff Writers
the young adults graduating from high school whose senior year was a far cry from the expected. nprecedented times. Instead of the last prom, last sports Uncharted territory. season, last day of school and a Unparalleled circumstances. traditional graduation ceremony, this Similar phrases are used year’s seniors were met with boarded up seemingly in overdrive to describe not businesses around only the 2020 town, closed movie school year but life theaters, canceled in general over the celebrations and past few months. at-home classrooms. For the We never would have expected generations alive They didn’t get it to end this way. We never really that last lap around today, a global wanted it to end this way. pandemic is the bases or the something new JONAH MACEJKOVIC, Brainerd senior track, that last golf — unprecedented, swing, that last uncharted, concert or play, that unparalleled. last fancy outfit for a With a new school dance, that last walk through the experience comes new challenges, new hallways with friends or that last day of a opportunities and new ways of life. A favorite class with a beloved teacher. group that understands that perhaps better than anyone is the class of 2020, RESILIENCE: Page H14
U
SENIORS: Page H14
Brainerd High School senior Mackenzie Stockinger holds up her Kinderfriend Day shirt. Mackenzie has missed her last season of softball and dance and wasn’t able to go to her last 2020 prom due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Jennifer Kraus / Brainerd Dispatch
Aitkin High School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H6
Lake Region Christian School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H6
Pillager High School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H5
Brainerd High School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H2
Little Falls Community High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . H3
Pine River-Backus High School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H10
Crosby-Ironton High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H6
Pequot Lakes High School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H10
Staples-Motley High School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H9
Crosslake Online High School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H9
Pierz - Healy High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H4
Wadena-Deer Creek High School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H9
Class of 2020
H2 Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020
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Brainerd High School graduates Commencement: Virtual graduation ceremony livestreamed at 8 p.m May 22. Students graduating: 482 Class colors: Benevolent blue and scholarly silver. Class flower: Blue and white rose. Class motto: “We can’t all be stars, but we can all shine.” Thoughts from Principal Andrea Rusk: “The Warrior Class of 2020 will go down in history for the strength they demonstrated in the face of a world pandemic. No other class has endured the unique disappointments and loss of many special events and through it, the Warriors continued to show their grit!”
Top students
Emma
Leigh
Name: Christopher Boucher.
Name: Emma Korhonen.
Parents: Donald and Marie Boucher.
Parents: Ashley and Kyle Korhonen.
Extracurricular activities: Mountain bike team, track and field, running, weightlifting, key club, National Honor Society, peer tutor, math league.
Extracurricular activities: Diving, softball, robotics, peer tutoring.
Hobbies: Cycling, running, cooking and baking, long-range rifle shooting.
Future plans: Pursue a degree in electrical engineering at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan.
Future plans: To be inducted into the U.S. Naval Academy June 25 and go on serving as an officer in the Navy for many years to come. Part-time work: Full-time seasonal employee at Red Raven Bike Cafe, parttime seasonal employee for the city of Cuyuna maintaining Cuyuna Pump Track and city park. Memorable high school moment: “My memory of Brainerd High School is not any one particular highly memorable event, but rather about the many small personal interactions that composed my four years here. Coming from St. Francis of the Lakes Catholic School, I knew next to no one at the high school, but building relationships with hundreds of fellow students in my class and others has been an invaluable experience for me. I also have grown very close with many of my teachers and they have become just as much a part of my personal life as my academic one. Due to various life situations, I never made it to homecoming, prom, or a graduation ceremony. Instead what will stay with me throughout the years are the small victories and achievements, such as turning in my AP Research Paper, or that last nod of good luck between friends as an AP Exam is about to start. As I begin the next chapter of my life, I will carry these memories with me throughout the years as I leave this city behind.”
Hobbies: Canoeing, fishing, hunting and spending time with friends.
Part-time work: Common Goods. Memorable high school Moment: “My favorite part of high school was taking AP seminar. I learned very valuable skills that I am going to utilize in many of my college courses and my career. Along with that, I made some lifelong friends in the class.”
Name: Leigh Preimesberger.
Name: Maya Preimesberger.
Parents: Paul and Angela Preimesberger.
Parents: Paul and Angela Preimesberger.
Extracurricular activities: Music listening contest, chamber orchestra, interact club, eco club, National Honor Society. Hobbies: Walking my dog, reading and listening to music. Future Plans: Attend the University of Texas at Dallas as a National Merit Scholar and a Collegium V honors student, with the intent to double major in physics and math. Part-time work: Fancy Pants Chocolates. Memorable high school moment: “Making it to the state competition of the Music Listening Contest three years in a row with my friends.”
Future plans: Attend the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (College of Science and Engineering) Honors Program. Memorable high school moment: “My junior year following a practice exam session for AP Chemistry Exam Mrs. Lundgren gave me some sincere and meaningful compliments. She thanked me for all my hard work and said I was a brilliant student that made her feel appreciated.”
Parents: Karla and Eric Nesheim. Extracurricular activities: Nordic ski, wind symphony, eco club, church activities at Lord of Life. Hobbies: Hiking, biking or anything else outside; longboarding; playing piano and guitar. Future plans: Attend the University of Minnesota-Duluth for chemistry and biochemistry with a minor in Hispanic studies. Part-time work: Lifeguard at the YMCA Memorable high school moment: “Going to State two years in a row with the Nordic Ski Team.”
Sarah
WAY TO GO GRADUATES!
Your year was cut short, but your dreams were not!
218-568-5440 • PEQUOT LAKES PINE RIVER • NISSWA
Hobbies: Reading and studying.
Name: Sarah Nesheim.
Best Wishes 2020 Grads!
Dairy Queen
Maya
Best wishes to all 2020 graduates! You have a bright future ahead of you! www.emily.net
A
DOUBLE AUTOMOTIVE
Terry Aleckson and Denny Aleckson
587-2558
1389 State Hwy 84 SW
Congratulations Class of 2020! Karl F. Skog
HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING “Serving The Area Since 1974”
Congratulations Graduates!! Dondelinger Automotive would like to congratulate you on one of your first Major Achievements in life. We have been family owned and operated for 50 years and we are born and raised in the area. Surprisingly not all positions require a secondary education. If you are unsure of your future and are interested in a career in the Automotive Industry we would love to talk to you! Aim for the sky but keep your feet on the ground. Sincerely Dondelinger Automotive
Congratulations Jewel we are all so proud of you and can’t wait to see what lies ahead. You will accomplish whatever you set out to do, we love you! From your loving family.
Jewel will be attending University of St. Thomas to major in Mathematics ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Basketball Captain, Fastpitch Softball, Weightlifting, Interact Club, WeAre Youth Advisory Board, Youth In Government, Choir, National Honor Society, Honor Roll.
692-2177 1-800-692-2177
South Hwy. 3 • Crosslake
001731487r1
Christopher
Class of 2020
Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020 H3
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Little Falls Community High School graduates Commencement: Drive-in graduation ceremony 2 p.m. May 24, in Little Falls Community High School parking lot.
Thoughts from Principal Tim Bjorge: “This senior class will forever be remembered for their perseverance, grit, and scholastic excellence. I have no doubt that this experience has taught them the importance of individual determination and flexibility as they go through life. These students will go on to accomplish wonderful things as they hold true to the values of Flyer Pride! Good luck and best wishes to the LFCHS class of 2020!”
Students graduating: 149 Class colors: Purple and white. Class flower: Purple bellflower. Class motto: “We came a long way, but not half as far as we will go.”
Top students
Camilla
Zachary
Thomas
Name: Camilla Johnson.
Name: Zachary Stich.
Name: Thomas Zupko.
Extracurricular activities: Cross-country, Nordic ski, track and field, band, volleyball, LINK.
Extracurricular activities: FFA, robotics, track and field, basketball.
Extracurricular activities: Football, Nordic skiing, track and field, band, jazz band, LINK.
Memorable high school moment: Nordic ski trips to Maplelag Resort. Favorite class: Health science occupations. Advice to younger students: “Get involved in activities and cherish the time spent with your friends!” Future plans: Attend University of WisconsinLa Crosse and major in biology.
Memorable high school moment: Singing “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers during karaoke on the Day of Caring. Favorite class: Mr. Ploof’s forestry and natural resources classes. Advice to younger students: “Even though learning takes time, it is well worth your time.” Future plans: Attend St. Cloud State University for meteorology.
Memorable high school moment: “Everyday has been great, but screwing around with my friends everywhere we go is the best.” Favorite class: I have liked most of them, but gym is the best. Advice to younger students: “Do NOT take any moment for granted. Cherish all the ups and downs, the relaxing times and the tough times, everything about high school and never take it for granted.” Future plans: Attend North Dakota State University for engineering, along with Army ROTC.
Jaylin
Claire
Name: Kaleese Kuchinski-Helgeson.
Name: Alex Gwost.
Extracurricular activities: Girls golf, LINK.
Extracurricular activities: Baseball, basketball, LINK.
Memorable high school moment: “Playing carbles in the library during study hall with Mrs. Doble!”
Memorable high school moment: “Section and State Baseball Tournaments last year.”
Favorite class: Any class with Mr. Massman.
Favorite class: Phy-ed with Mr. Massman.
Advice to younger students: “Stay on top of your school work but also make sure to have fun everyday! These four years will fly by.”
Advice to younger students: “Get involved. ... My most memorable moments in high school have been while I was playing baseball or basketball.” Future plans: Play baseball at St. John’s University while pursuing a pre-med degree.
Name: Emily Liddell.
Extracurricular activities: Cross-country, Nordic skiing, track, musical, Jubileers, LINK.
Extracurricular activities: Drama club, art club, fall play, one act play, spring musical, speech, Jubileers.
Memorable high school moment: “Either senior year homecoming week or playing catchphrase in Mrs. Gwost’s room.”
Memorable high school moment: “My favorite memory from high school was my senior year Homecoming, it was the funnest week ever with the best people ever.”
Favorite class: Health science occupation
Favorite class: AP econ with Mr. Stockard.
Advice to younger students: “Make every moment count and don’t be afraid to try something new and get involved.”
Advice to younger students: “Don’t take anything for granted! Trust me, your whole school career can change in the blink of an eye, so make the most of every single day you have with your friends, teachers and coaches. Don’t wait until your senior year to try new things, just go for it!”
Memorable high school moment: “One of my favorite memories is of the SAG awards held by our drama club. Every year the President and Vice President make a video to introduce the awards. Each year some new and funny joke is the crux of the video, like the year they were looking for Carry. Or the year they were mourning the loss of Carry.”
Extracurricular activities: Volleyball, basketball, softball, LINK, Homecoming committee, Kindness Retreat, Courage Retreat.
Future plans: Attend the University of Minnesota and gain an undergraduate degree in biology on a pre-med track.
Future plans: Attend Carlson School of Management at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities to pursue a degree in marketing.
Kali
Class of 2020
Advice to younger students: “Focus on making actual friends. If your current friends are awful to you then make friends that will support you. If your friends do support you, then they are friends you should keep for the rest of your life. Everyone needs good friends to make it far in life.”
Adrienne
Name: Kali Schirmers.
Name: Adrienne Kresha.
Extracurricular activities: Track, cross-country, gymnastics, skiing.
Extracurricular activities: Cross-country, Nordic skiing, track and field, LINK.
Memorable high school moment: “Dancing at the homecoming pep fest.”
Memorable high school moment: Prom.
Favorite class: Gym.
Advice to younger students: “Get involved and have fun!”
Advice to younger students: “Don’t rush, enjoy the ride.” Future plans: Attend Winona State University for criminal justice and Spanish.
Favorite class: Spanish.
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2020 Way to go Max!
Future plans: Attend North Dakota State University, major undecided.
Congratulations Graduates From all of us!
to all area graduates!
Congratulations
Favorite class: Independent study with Mrs. Warner.
Future plans: Study mathematics at Concordia College Moorhead.
Congratulations
218-692-2777
Emily
Name: Claire Zack.
Alex
Name: Jaylin Strack.
Future plans: Attend Bemidji State University as a social work major.
Kaleese
RIP ! Bud
Crosslake Town Square 218-692-2502
GARDINER’S HARDWARE & FURNITURE 587-2585 Downtown Pine River
Steve Kappes Registered Pharmacist
Best Wishes Seniors
COUNTRY DOC VETERINARY CLINIC Dr. Kyle Adkins, DVM 5508 County Road 1 Pine River, MN 56474 Phone: 218-587-4196 Fax: 218-587-2491
Congrats Graduates!
Best Wishes Graduates!
001733524r1
Fair Dates: August 4-8
Brainerd / Baxter (218) 829 -4759 • www.holdenelectric.com
Baxter 218.828.9545
TOLL FREE 877.338.3937
Crow Wing Fairgrounds
PO Box 361, Brainerd, MN 56401
218-829-6680
www.crowwingcountyfair.com
Class of 2020
H4 Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020
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Pierz Healy High School graduates Commencement: Drive-in and livestreamed ceremony for graduates and immediate family at 7 p.m. May 22. Students graduating: 98. Class colors: Diamond white, obsidian black, ruby red. Class song: “I’ll Always Remember You” by Miley Cyrus.
Class flower: Red-tipped white roses.
allow yourself to avoid something because you feel you won’t be successful. You can achieve whatever you want with determination and hard work. “There is no challenge too big as long as you believe in yourself. You have been able to withstand a spring like no one has experienced before, which is proof of your ability to persevere. Good luck to all of you and may you find happiness in whatever you decide to do. Go out and do great things - I know you can!”
Class motto: “Behind us are our memories. Beside us are our friends. Before us are our dreams that will never end.” Anonymous. Thoughts from Principal Karrie Boser: “I want to wish all of you nothing but success as you start your new journey. My hope for you is that you set your goals high and work until you achieve them. Don’t ever
Top students
Roblyn
Katie
Rylee
Claire
Simon
Matthias
Name: Roblyn Austin.
Name: Katie LeBlanc.
Name: Rylee Rauch.
Name: Claire Riedeman.
Name: Simon Kroll.
Name: Matthias Algarin.
Parents: Michael and Lola Austin.
Parents: Mary and Justin LeBlanc.
Parents: Jerome (Jerry) and Beth Rauch.
Parents: Allen Riedeman and Gretchen Miller.
Parents: Duane and Linda Kroll.
Parents: Luis and Lisa Algarin.
Extracurricular activities: Spanish club secretary, peer helping co-chair, president of Minnesota Honors Society and Upward Bound.
Extracurricular activities: Volleyball, golf, Minnesota Honor Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters, WEB (Where Everyone Belongs), EPIC (Encouraging Positive Influences & Choices), Spanish Club.
Extracurricular activities: WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) leader, football manager, baseball.
Extracurricular activities: Dance, Spanish club, WEB (Where Everybody Belongs).
Memorable high school moment: “I don’t really have one specific moment that stands out, my favorite moment as a whole has to be playing baseball with my friends.”
Future plans: Attend CLC to finish AA degree and then transfer to major in business or forensic science.
Extracurricular activities: Football, track, a cappella choir, Minnesota Honor Society, WEB (Where Everyone Belongs), EPIC (Encouraging Positive Influences & Choices).
Future plans: Attend Bemidji State University, majoring in elementary education.
Future plans: Pursue an accounting degree at Saint John’s University and try to play baseball as well.
Extracurricular activities: Speech, robotics, fall musical, FFA, BPA (Business Professionals of America), cross-country, Knowledge Bowl, jazz band.
Future plans: Attend Winona University in the fall to receive a degree in social work and minor in Spanish. Memorable high school moment: “Participating in club events, spending time with friends, and playing cards.”
Memorable high school moment: Section golf tournament.
Rhiannon
Kami
Cole
Name: Kami Athman.
Name: Cole Andres.
Name: Brenna Andres.
Parents: Lynn and William Athman.
Parents: Michael and Carolyn Andres.
Parents: Mike and Carolyn Andres.
Extracurriculars activities: Peer helping, WEB (Where Everyone Belongs), Spanish club, yearbook club.
Extracurricular activities: Tennis, golf, MHS, peer helping, Spanish club, jazz band.
Extracurricular activities: Track, Cross-country, jazz band, EPIC, yearbook club.
Future plans: Attend the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a major in psychology and a minor in biochemistry.
Future plans: I have joined the Air Force and will leave this summer.
Extracurricular activities: Cross-country, track, speech, Knowledge Bowl, Business Professionals of America, peer helping.
In Your Best Interest.
Memorable high school moment: “When I proposed to my fiancé, Emma, and she said YES! Scoring the game-winning touchdown in the State Championship is also a moment I will never forget.”
Congratulations 2020 Graduates!
Future plans: Attend the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities for business.
Future plans: Attend Winona State University and major in recreation and tourism with a minor in adventure tourism.
Memorable high school moment: “Having conversations at the lunch table with my friends.”
Memorable high school moment: “My favorite memory from high school was competing in track.”
COMMUNITY
Bowl AND PIZZERIA Downtown Pine River • 218-587-3100
a salute to the class of
Congratulations
Brainerdsavings.com 218.829.5183 524 S Sixth St., Brainerd
Future plans: Attend the University of Nebraska to major in business management and compete in football and track.
Brenna
Parents: Jayna and Chuck Theis.
Class of 2020
Memorable high school moment: ”Getting to go to California for the National BPA conference.”
Memorable high school moment: “My most memorable high school moment was dance sections my senior year when we qualified for state!”
Name: Rhiannon Theis.
Memorable high school moment: “Going on the Nashville/Chicago Band Trip.”
Future Plans: Attend North Dakota State University for computer engineering.
Independent Insurance Association
COMPANY INSURANCE
Congrat
ulations
“Serving All Your Insurance Needs”
Hackensack 218-675-6610
2020
CASS Dan Meier, CIC Lic #1009084
Kris Barchus, CIC
!
Pine River 218-587-2374
Lic. #40410775
HARDWARE & LUMBER Backus Lumber & Supply
Hackensack Lumber & Hardware
218-947-3456
218-675-6188
Backus, MN
Hackensack, MN
Ad:SUPN15253170; Format(134.92mm x 76.19mm) Date: 06/22/2015 13:25 EST
Congratulations 2020 GRAD UATES
“Your Success is Our Business”
• Tax Return Preparation • Payroll • Bookkeeping • Business Consulting • QuickBooks ProAdvisor
218-568-5242 • lakesareacpas.com PEQUOT LAKES • NISSWA
Class of 2020
Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020 H5
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Pillager High School graduates Commencement: Drive-thru graduation 7 p.m. May 22 at Pillager High School, followed by a parade through town. The ceremony was streamed on Facebook Live and broadcasted on CASH 95.5. Students graduating: 70. Class colors: Maroon and gold. Class song: “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins. Class flower: White carnation.
Class motto: “Every day may not be a good day, but there is something good in every day.” Alice Morse Earle. Thoughts from Principal Jason Savage: “If your success is what determines your future, the Pillager Class of 2020 has a very bright future; they have experienced an enormous amount of success in and out of the classroom during their high school career.
Top students
Grace Name: Grace Ann Nagel. Parents: Chris and Sara Nagel. Extracurricular activities: Volleyball, basketball, track, Special Olympics, Knowledge Bowl, Spanish club, student council, National Honors Society, District Leadership Team, class vice president, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and musical. Future Plans: University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a major in communication sciences and disorders. Memorable high school moment: “Traveling to Wisconsin Dells with the basketball team, New Orleans with the band and Costa Rica with the Spanish club.” Class rank: 1.
Ziya Kendra
Lauren Name: Lauren LeaAnn Hughes. Parents: Tony and Kelly Hughes. Extracurricular activities: National Honors Society, Spanish club and track. Future plans: North Dakota State University for retail merchandising. Class rank: 3.
Carson
Name: Kendra Rose Beach. Parents: Eric and Mindy Beach. Future plans: Central Lakes College to become a registered nurse. Memorable high school moment: “One of my most memorable moments is deciding to take my classes at CLC. I have enjoyed my time at PHS, but I’ve also enjoyed my time at CLC.” Class rank: 5.
Parents: Clint and Kelly VanVickle.
Parents: Travis and Jamie VanVickle. Extracurricular activities: Volleyball, basketball, track, Special Olympics, musical, student council and National Honor Society. Future plans: South Dakota State University. Memorable high school moment: “Holding three school records in track for the 100m, 200m, 400m.”
Abigail
Extracurricular activities: Basketball, track and trap.
Class rank: 1.
Name: Jordyn Lee VanVickle.
Class rank: 6.
Name: Carson Gene VanVickle.
Future plans: Continue being owner/operator of VanVickle Lawn Care, along with being the co-owner/operator of VanVickle Excavating.
Jordyn
Name: Abigail Elizabeth Koel.
Ann
Parents: Chad and Melissa Koel.
Name: Ann Margaret Pugh. Parents: Mark and Amy Pugh.
Emma
Extracurricular activities: One act play, musical and golf.
Extracurricular activities: Trap team, choir and musical.
Name: Emma Jacqueline Hardy.
Future plans: University of Minnesota-Morris.
Future plans: South Dakota State University for early childhood education.
Parents: Jeff and Julie Hardy. Future Plans: Central Lakes College for registered nurse.
Memorable high school moment: Going to New Orleans in 10th grade for the music trip.
Memorable high school moment: “First day on CLC campus. It is a different environment than the high school.”
Memorable high school moment: “Performing alongside my brother Ben in the musical ‘Fiddler On the Roof.’ It was just so much fun to share the stage with him, an opportunity that a lot of people don’t have.”
Class rank: 10.
Class rank: 8.
Class rank: 6.
CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES! Crosslake 218-692-BEER Crosby 218-545-3004 Pine River 218-587-3166
B GRERAADTSJOOF G
2020!
2020
These challenges will serve you well in your future... Remember, calm seas never made a skillful sailor!
HARLAN & KEEGAN JOHNSON
218-818-4419
Pine River, Minnesota
2 0 2 0
Helping you with all your health and life insurance needs. 218-568-4900 | 31113 Front Street | Pequot Lakes, MN
www.kimbercreekford.com
Extracurricular activities: Volleyball, track and field, National Honor Society, student council, Special Olympics and track and field. Future plans: Heartland Masters Commission for one year, and then continue education at another college to become a physical therapist. Memorable high school moment: “My favorite school memory would have to be going to track practice every day with my team and making it to True Team State.” Class rank: 9.
Extracurricular activities: Cross-country, basketball, track and Spanish club. Future plans: University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Memorable high school moment: “Finally having powder puff senior year, it was the most fun out of all my homecomings. I wish we had powder puff the rest of my high school years. Me and girls I never really bonded with in high school got to bond and play together. And we all loved it and we won so it made it better. And all the boys were supportive and were into it just as much as the girls. They helped us with plays and were in every huddle with us. I’m definitely going to miss the good times like that where everyone was friends.” Class rank: 4.
218-568-4620
Harlan V. Johnson Agency, Inc.
Class of 2020!
Parents: Mike and Tami Ramsey.
31073 Front Street Pequot Lakes
and the entire class of
May God Be With You On Your Journey
Name: Mariah Jo Ramsey.
Parents: Darrell and Vindy Pulak.
Chad Nelson Agency, Inc
Congrats Cassidy Chaney
CONGRATULATIONS
Name: Ziya Rae Pulak.
Mariah
CONGRATULATIONS We wish you the VERY BEST in your .
future adventures
Hwy 371, Pine River, MN
587-2476 866-324-2476
Home Care and Hospice
WAY TO GO GRADUATES!
knutenelson.org
by KNUTE NELSON
Class of 2020
www.brainerddispatch.com | www.pineandlakes.com
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Brainerd Band
Pillager Football
Brainerd Homecoming
Pierz Football Fans
Brainerd Warrior Fishing
Pequot Band
Brainerd Fans
We along with the community support the 2020 Grads of PR-B
829 8th St NE, PO Box 116 Crosby, MN 56441 tandjservicesllc@gmail.com
PINE RIVER BAKERY The Area’s Full Line Retail Bakery Downtown Pine River
218-587-2545
001725187r1
Congratulations
Congratulations to the
Graduates!
Class of 2020!
Lutheran Church (WELS)
Worship: 9:00am Sunday
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dream” - Eleanor Roosevelt
(218)829-4511 Baxter
2 Locations: 505 NE Washington St. 521 W Washington St.
(218)568-5011
Pequot Lakes www.lakesdentalcare.com Jeffrey E. Olson | Cassandra J. Spitzley | Sam C. Hennies | David M. Ude
13815 Cherrywood Drive, Baxter, MN • 218-829-4105 www.ChristBaxter.com
Congratulations Class
of 2020
Way to Go!
H8 Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020
Class of 2020
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Pillager - Little Falls Volleyball
Crosby - Pillager Flag Football
Brainerd Softball
Aitkin - Pequot Basketball
Congratulations Graduates!
Happy Graduation!
Corner of 7th and Laurel Streets
Lutheran Church of the Cross
001725196r1
829-7266
Congrats!! Best of Luck!
Little Falls Brainerd Nordic Ski
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
5064 County Road 13, Nisswa www.lccnisswa.org • 218-963-2564
14643 Edgewood Dr. Baxter
218-454-3290
www.pizzaranch.com 001725177r1
001725165r1
WWW.HYTECCONSTRUCTION.COM
Pequot Lakes and Baxter 218-568-5025
$200 BONUS
for the Class of 2020!
(218) 829-8529 • BRAINERD
Congratulations to the Class of 2020 & Best of Luck
Brainerd BN Credit Union
Whether you’re starting your career, or just need a summer job, Penmac Staffing will pay grads a $200 bonus after 160 hours of work!
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“Intelligence plus character— that is the goal of true education.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
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Class of 2020
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Wadena-Deer Creek graduates Commencement: Social distancing ceremony at 7 p.m. May 22, at Wadena Municipal Airport. Parents and graduates remained in cars, with students stepping out to get their diplomas. The ceremony was broadcast through local radio stations.
Class flower: Lavender lisianthus. Class motto: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Dr. Seuss. Thoughts from Principal Tyler Church: “WDC could not have asked for a better group of Seniors to get us
Staples-Motley High School graduates Commencement: Drive-up graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. June 5 in the Staples-Motley High School student parking lot.
Students graduating: 59. Class colors: Blue and gold.
Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020 H9
Class motto: “Looking ahead but remembering the past.”
Students graduating: 99. through the COVID-19 experience. High school should not end the way it has for this group, but through it all they have represented us better than I could have ever hoped for. Mature, respectful, understanding, and overall just amazing young men and women. Thank you WDC Class of 2020 for doing things the right way!”
Class color: Gold and white. Class song: “On Top of the World,” Imagine Dragons. Class flower: Sunflower
Thoughts from Principal Mike Schmidt: “The class of 2020 is one we’ve all enjoyed. They’ll be remembered for the camaraderie as a class, their efforts and accomplishments not only academically, but in their activities as well. They’re a proud class that’s endured together.”
Top students
Top students
Ryan
Margaret
Kennedy
Name: Margaret Carlson.
Name: Kennedy Gravelle.
Parents: Paul and Shelagh Carlson.
Parents: John and Wendy Gravelle.
Extracurricular activities: Cheerleading, concert band, jazz band, yearbook, Knowledge Bowl, student council, National Honor Society.
Extracurricular activities: Volleyball, basketball, track & field, NHS, choir, FCA, senior class officer.
Hobbies: Playing piano, skateboarding, reading, traveling and exercising. Future plans: Study biology and global health at Northwestern University and prepare for medical school. Part-time work: Cozy Theatre and AmericInn. Memorable high school moment: Advancing to state knowledge bowl and getting to stay in a private cabin. Class rank: 1.
Hobbies: Being outdoors, spending time with family and friends, and working out. Future plans: Attend Northern State University to major in biology and play volleyball for the Wolves. Part-time work: Summer-Rec and helped dad with his septic business. Memorable high school moment: “Being able to see my friends every day! I also love getting the chance to play sports, it really brings our student body closer together.” Class rank: 1.
Kaitlyn
Valedictorian: Ryan Wick.
Salutatorian: Kaitlyn Smith.
Parents: Christie Berg and the late Paul Wick.
Parents: Brian and Heidi Smith.
Extracurricular activities: Football, basketball, baseball, band, choir, Minnesota Honor Society, musical tech booth, CIS courses, school dance DJ, Homecoming court, 2020 Snodaze emcee, lip sync, Sacred Heart Church choir.
Commencement: 7 p.m. May 29 via Facebook Live. Speakers will address students in the live feed. The Dueling Pianos will provide entertainment before the ceremony. Students have the opportunity to share a video. In the days after graduation, teachers will parade to students’ homes to deliver diplomas and gifts.
Class colors: Green and blue. Class flower: Morning glory. Class song: “Home” by Phillip Phillips. Class motto: Blaze the Trail.
Name: Kamea Shreves. Parents: Jennifer and Joshua Shreves. Extracurricular activities: Yearbook, student council, band, NHS, fall and one act play. Hobbies: Drawing, painting, reading, baking, hiking. Future plans: Attend University of Minnesota to major in genetics, attend medical school and study to become an OB/GYN. Part-time work: Cozy Theatre and babysitting. Memorable high school moment: “One of my favorite memories was going to Washington, D.C. as a freshman for a band and choir trip. It was the first time I ever felt really independent and could just enjoy the time exploring with my friends.”
Courtny
Thoughts from Director Cliff Skagen: “Congratulations to the graduating Class of 2020. You have faced extraor-
dinary hurdles during your senior year that no other class year has faced. During this pandemic you have witnessed just how important technology is now and will be in the future. As graduates of an online school, you are already ahead of the curve. During the past few months you also learned just how incredibly resilient you are. You faced the loss of milestone events, you missed your friends and you dealt with unexpected challenges – yet here you are ready to graduate from high school. If you combine that resilience with perseverance, determination and hard work, you have a recipe for future success. Remember as you move forward in this world, to take nothing for granted and to look out for one another. I am proud of each and every one of you.”
Name: Courtny Warren. Parents: Paul and Heather Warren. Extracurricular activities: Volleyball, dance, softball, student council, yearbook, NHS. Hobbies: Staying active, being with family and friends, cooking/baking, sewing. Future plans: Attend the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, majoring in interior design.
CONGRATS
Class rank: 1.
Graduates!
Congrats Grads!
Trinity Lutheran Church
Memorable high school moment: “A memorable high school experience was going to the volleyball state tournament. It was an unforgettable experience with a team who became family.”
Class Rank: 1.
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High school highlights: Being salutatorian, basketball captain, two-time all-conference basketball player, academic all-state award for tennis and basketball, graduating with 64 college credits.
Crosslake Community Online High School graduates
Students graduating: 33, including 25 from the greater Crosslake area.
Kamea
Extracurricular activities: Basketball, tennis, Special Olympics, student council, Minnesota Honor Society, blood drive volunteer.
31067 Front Street, Pequot Lakes | 218-568-4695
Congratulations Celebrating our future leaders.
Best wishes for a bright future!
H10 Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020
Class of 2020
Pine River-Backus High School graduates
Pequot Lakes High School graduates
Commencement: Drive-in graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. March 29 in the Pine River-Backus High School parking lot. Students graduating: 51. Class colors: Orange, black, gold. Class flower: White rose. Class song: “Forever Young.” Class motto: “You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So ... get on your way!” - Dr. Seuss
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Thoughts from Principal Chris Halverson: The Pine River-Backus Class of 2020 can be defined as a very intelligent and highly competitive group who possess a very strong work ethic and all things needed to take on adversity and the next stages in life! PR-B Proud and Strong! Go Tigers!
Top students
Commencement: Drive-up ceremony 7 p.m. May 22, at Pequot Lakes High School. Graduates and parents pulled up to the ceremony in their cars, and graduates stepped out only to receive their diplomas and pose for a photo. The ceremony was broadcast by KLKS 100.1 and KUAL 103.5.
and were deprived of the richest moments in any life, the last few months of their Senior year. This Students graduating: 126. group of Seniors have shown great Class colors: Blue and white. promise and I believe that hardship has only built their determination Class flower: “Good Riddance” and resolve making them all the by Green Day. more likely to be successful. My Class song: Red rose. hope for this class is that the Class motto: “We have experience of their Senior year will not diminish in any way the come a long way but not half appreciation our staff and student as far as we will go.” body have for our Seniors. They Thoughts from Principal have led us into a new decade and Aaron Nelson: “The Class of shown great character in the face 2020 will forever be special to me. of unprecedented circumstances.” This class has so much promise
Senior Class Officers Emma
Hannah
Anna
Valedictorian: Emma Kristine Barchus.
Valedictorian: Hannah Marie Nordlund.
Salutatorian: Anna Katheryn Felthous.
Parents: Kristofor and Amy Barchus.
Parents: Samantha Skinner and Jason Nordlund.
Parents: David and Cindy Felthous.
Extracurricular activities: Volleyball, basketball, softball, band, Jazz Band, National Honor Society, Student Council, Prom Committee and Relay for Life.
Hobbies: Painting, hiking, camping, video games.
Extracurricular activities: Volleyball, golf, National Honor Society, Relay for Life, Prom Committee.
Hobbies: Reading, swimming, tubing and being with friends and family.
Part-time work: I work as a painter in the summer with my dad.
Future plans: Major in aerospace engineering at the University of Alabama. Part-time work: Salty Dog Restaurant.
Future plans: I will be attending the University of Minnesota Duluth with a major in French studies.
Memorable moment: “Fun times in French class.”
Memorable moment: “Dressing up for sporting events and spirit weeks.”
Hobbies: Traveling, shopping, spending time on the lake and baking. Future plans: Attend North Dakota State University majoring in business. Part-time work: I work at Ski Gull in the winters and waitress at the Salty Dog the rest of the year. Memorable moment: “Last year when we were setting up grand march for prom, we put on a concert while testing out the spotlights.”
Anthony
Carter
Greta
Name: Anthony Sullivan
Name: Carter Fritz
Name: Greta Harmala
Position: Pequot Lakes senior class president
Position: Pequot Lakes senior class vice president
Position: Pequot Lakes senior class secretary
National Honor Society students Tigerlily Bass Emma Benson Hayden Boelter Courtney Boller Grace Bonfig Cassidy Chaney Jenna Elfering Whitney Fink Alexa Fyle
Erik Geroy Elena Grove Greta Harmala Braden Holmes Cole Kaneski Kenzie Lampi Macie Lohmiller Blake Millner Madeline Morrison
Naarah Neumann Russell Pierzinski Madeline Pluimer Mariah Rickard Mariah Rubel Madeline Sherman Cloey Traxler Megan Tschida Rachel Voges
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Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020 H11
For high school seniors, coronavirus brings a sad ending and unexpected lessons I
By Joe Heim The Washington Post
n mid-March, on what turned out to be the last day of school, Annalisa D’Aguilar walked the hallways of her performing arts high school in Manhattan. The subway had been mostly empty on the way to school that morning. Many of her fellow students had stopped showing up as fears of the novel coronavirus swept New York City, the hardest-hit area of the country so far. On that day, the school’s typically packed halls were empty. “It just felt insane to walk around and have no one there,” D’Aguilar said in a phone interview from her Brooklyn home. “My friend said it felt like we were in a war. The next day they canceled school for everyone.” D’Aguilar is a senior at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. She’s a drama major and had spent most of the year working on two productions that were set to stage in March and April. She’d learned her lines, hit her marks, knew every scene. Tickets were already sold. One play included a choreographed dance to an instrumental version of the Lorde song “Royals.” When she listened to the song this weekend, she began to cry. “I recognize that although these are all big things to me, it’s small in comparison to what’s going on in the world,” she said. Like many of the approximately 3.7 million high school seniors across the country, D’Aguilar has had the last stretch of school pulled out from under her by an invisible and unforgiving menace. Grades and final projects float in limbo. Close friendships have been socially distanced. And as the coronavirus cancels spring, it is leaving in its wake entire rites of passage of the ultimate year of America’s K-12 schooling. Prom dresses hang in closets maybe never to be worn. Senior trips have been canceled. Senior pranks abandoned. And at many schools, the graduation ceremony, high school’s
Aisha D’Aguilar
Annalisa D’Aguilar, 18, is a senior at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York. final triumphant act, is in jeopardy. Students said they understand why the decisions have been made. Sacrifices are being asked of everyone, and making exceptions for them, they know, would only risk more damage. They’re already seeing the cost up close. This weekend D’Aguilar learned her great-aunt tested positive for the coronavirus. “It’s easy to be really mad about something like this, but the only thing we can do to get rid of coronavirus is to give up some of these things,” said Piper MacIntyre, 18, a senior at Garfield High School in Seattle. “It’s sad, but I don’t feel cheated. It just feels unlucky.” In a sense, national trauma has accompanied members of this senior class all their lives. Most were born in the dark and often frightening year following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. They were fifth-graders when a gunman killed 26, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. They were sophomores when another gunman killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The country has been at war externally since the members of this senior
class were born and has been increasingly riven internally as they have come of age. So perhaps seniors in this class have learned the hard way to be prepared for whatever is thrown at them. “Everything is not promised to you,” said Mia Jones, 18, a senior at KIPP DC College Preparatory, a charter school in Washington D.C. “Things can be ripped from you at any minute. So you need to cherish everything.” Jones bought her prom dress last month but hasn’t had it tailored. She’s not sure she’ll need to. She thinks the senior brunch at Union Market will be canceled, too. Few schools have said graduation ceremonies will be canceled, but many seniors are realizing it’s a distinct possibility. “That is what everybody has been working for all of our high school career,” Jones said in a phone interview. “I would want that to stay the most. Even though it’s just walking across the stage, it’s a big deal. College isn’t the path for all of us, and this is the last time we’ll all be together.” At Lawton High School in Lawton, Oklahoma, Zac Shell and his friends have joked that they’ll
Class of
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have to pick up their diplomas at a drivethrough ceremony. But humor doesn’t always work. “We joke and try and make each other feel better, but I’ve had friends who have cried because they’re so upset,” Shell said. “It’s just all happened so quick. We’re confused and dazed. For the rest of my life I’ll remember this.” Shell said he asked a senior girl to the prom one day and school was canceled the next. “We were just, like, well it was cute while it lasted,” Shell said, chuckling. For senior athletes, the shutdown of school brought with it the realization that their final spring season was over mostly before it started. Joey Graham, a senior lacrosse player at the private Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland, said missing his final season at the school he has attended since fourth grade was crushing. “I’ve always looked forward to being a senior, and a pretty large chunk of the year is being lost,” he said. “And it’s pretty heartbreaking.” But Graham, 18, took solace from an email his lacrosse coach sent to the players soon after the spring season was
canceled, citing the team motto: “Be in control, be grateful and compete.” “He said, ‘You guys need to carry these lessons with you no matter what you’re doing. Be in control. Be grateful. Compete to keep your family safe and the older generation safe,’ “ Graham recalled. “It’s a cool life lesson that through hard times you can get through by following those words.” Across the country, at Edison High School in Stockton, California, senior Dmetrio CavensSummers, a track athlete and football star, is also mourning the loss of spring sports. But he, too, has tried to keep everything in perspective. Cavens-Summers lives with his brother and his mother. When his mother developed a cough a couple of weeks ago, he immediately thought the worst. “I’m not going to lie, I was scared,” Cavens-Summers said. His mother recovered, but he continues to consume news about the coronavirus and post updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on his Instagram account, trying to counter the wild rumors he has seen posted by others in his age group. If prom and graduation are canceled, CavensSummers said, he’ll roll with that. His focus now is trying to keep his wits about him.
“The world’s going crazy. No one was prepared for this, but the best thing it has taught me is to be calm and be humble,” he said. “I’m just keeping my mind focused on what I need to do and to stay calm for my teammates and my family.” While the disruption to these seminal high school events has been widespread, many seniors already recognize the historic sweep of this pandemic and how it will alter the world in ways big and small. Seniors not planning on going to college will now enter a job market that has been devastated by the virus. Just weeks ago, the economy seemed to be humming along and help wanted signs were everywhere. That changed overnight. There’s uncertainty, too, for students planning to continue their education. Colleges and universities have been battered financially as well. Some seniors worry that their college career will be delayed. Others are waiting to hear if the financial aid they expected to receive is still going to come through. Emma Dabelko, a senior at Athens High School in Athens, Ohio, is still deciding where to attend college this fall. But she knows what she wants to study - international development and global health - and is energized about next school year even as she mourns the loss of this one. “Losing out on this American tradition and everything that comes along with that is really difficult,” said Dabelko, 18. “It’s definitely not always fun to be the people who have to live through a historical event like this, but it does happen. So in a way it’s amazing to think about because this going to be such a major event that people will be taught about and look back on for a long time.” She said the pandemic could deliver lessons that might not have emerged in the classroom. “It can be a learning moment for a lot of people to think about who we value and what we value in our everyday life,” she said. “I know I’m going to value some of the small things that I hadn’t before.”
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H12 Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020
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Born in the shadow of 9/11, my twins now graduate from high school amid a pandemic t was a beautifully sunny and crisp day to be home nesting. My husband had left for work and I had taken the day off to ready the nursery for the birth of our first children identical Richards twin boys. Heavily pregnant, I lumbered down the stairs, flipped on the TV, and prepped my breakfast feeling happy about the day ahead. It was Sept. 11, 2001, a day that began with hope and ended with unfathomable heartbreak and grief. My mom stopped by to help with the nursery, but instead we huddled together in front of the TV watching horrific scenes unfold in real time. I will never forget putting a hand on my huge belly, wondering what kind of world I was bringing these babies into and feeling grateful that they were still safe and protected in the womb. My twins were born on Dec. 9, 2001. They are now high school seniors, members of the fateful Class of 2020, born in the shadow of the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history and set to graduate in the midst of a terrifying global pandemic. On March 11, our school district announced that schools would be shuttered immediately, with all activities canceled. Similar to 9/11, we had no warning that 3/11 would be our last day of normalcy for a long time. My husband and I now have four boys: a first-grader, a high school freshman and the twins. All four boys came home that day to the new normal of self-quarantine and physical separation from friends and extended family, including their grandparents. One of my seniors has disability issues, and his final Individualized Education Program meeting was supposed to be last week. It was to be a meeting of goodbyes and thank-yous to the many staff, teachers and specialists who have been by our sides since kindergarten. My son has weathered 26 surgeries over the past 18 years but always kept up with his schooling. We remain hopeful (though it’s looking unlikely) that he will don a cap and gown and receive his hardearned diploma along with his twin brother in front of friends and family. In the scheme of the pandemic, with lives being lost daily, this is a small sacrifice, but it’s still hard to grapple with. It’s these moments that students, parents and grandparents look forward to. Instead, we’ve been sheltered in place at home for more than three weeks and our boys haven’t had face-to-face interaction with anyone but us. We don’t leave the house other than to take a quick walk around our block. My husband has left twice in the past three weeks to get the necessary groceries to keep everyone fed. One of our twins loves his job at Trader Joe’s, but he can’t
work right now because his asthma puts him in a highrisk category for covid-19. My twins understand that these measures are crucial, and they’ve been truly amazing in their positive, helpful attitudes, but I want them to know that despite what’s happening in the world, it’s OK to feel sadness and disappointment over the loss of regular life compounded by the loss of a milestone year. This is the time they’ve looked forward to and worked so hard for, but it ended before it began. No prom, no senior trip, no decorating their car with “Class of 2020” written all over it and driving around town. No hanging out with friends, enjoying the privileges and all the fun and hope that this time brings for any graduating class. No “lasts” to savor, and most likely no graduation ceremony. College acceptances have come in, but the colleges are closed indefinitely. My boys’ future is on a long, hard pause. I texted a friend whose son was sent home from his freshman year at college because of the pandemic and she said about my boys: “Very hard. No matter the reason, doesn’t change the loss.” And she’s right. We’ve focused so much on how important social distancing is, and we pray for the health and safety of family, friends and those on the front lines of this insidious virus, but it’s OK to feel our own sadness, too. Loss is loss. This Class of 2020 has had to deal with school shootings, drills and
many other things that we never coped with. They are facing an uncertain world right now and need us more than ever, to be sheltering arms and listening ears. Being inspired by the heroes in this has changed their perspective. Despite being together 24/7 with zero privacy for any of us, there are fewer frays and more letting go
Photo courtesy Classified Dynamics
of minor transgressions among brothers. There’s an innate understanding and grace that only a time of crisis brings. I asked one of my twins the other night how he was really doing with it all and he said, “I’m taking it one
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day at a time, and that’s all I can do right now.” Eventually, life will slowly get back to normal and go on just like it did after 9/11. Someday, when my twins have their own kids, they might not be
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Laurie Hall
218-828-0460 Laura Richards is a freelance journalist based in Boston.
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Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020 H13
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High school yearbook staff shifts from graduation, prom to pandemic
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By Dan Gunderson MPR News MOORHEAD hen spring break started back in early March, the Moorhead High School yearbook staff was preparing to document a hectic spring of sports, concerts, prom and graduation. But COVID-19 canceled all those plans. Now, the staff of the Cho Kio are documenting a pandemic. “We have more of a focus, I would say, on current events, how it’s impacting the community, not just the students at the high school,” said teacher and yearbook adviser Denetre Stetz. Because students aren’t focusing on typical high school moments, Stetz said, the staff’s yearbook experience this year is more like real journalism than usual. “Kids are collecting pictures of people putting hearts in their windows, and some kids are sending us pictures of their work and the different signage you see now at the places where they’re working: ‘Stay 6 feet apart. You can’t take more than one of this item.’ It’s really kind of how our society has changed right now because of shelter in place and social distancing and all these other new words that we’re learning and using all the time now,” said Stetz. That shift is already making its way onto the pages of the yearbook. Instead of putting together pages that highlight spring sports, Emmie Fierstine, an 11th grade staffer, is working on pages that highlight ways students are training for sports and staying in shape at home. But it’s been a challenge. “The hardest thing is finding a diverse group of people to work with, and get pictures from everybody,” Fierstine said. Fierstine and her fellow staffers said they’re missing faceto-face conversation, and are finding it’s not always easy to collect and verify information over social media. “It’s harder to reach out to people when it’s online, because not everybody is friends with everybody,” she said. Normally, they’d be finding people in
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Photo courtesy of Emmie Fierstine
Moorhead student Emmie Fierstine works on a yearbook page at her home.
I just feel like I’m losing a big part of what people say are the most important years of our lives — and I’m never going to get this time back again. With graduation, I just really was looking forward to getting my diploma and walking across the stage. OLIVIA JENKINS, senior and yearbook editor
hallways and classrooms. “If we really needed information, we were able to run out of class and go find a friend really quick,” said 10th grade staffer Gail Gross. “But now, everything is over social media, so you have to find someone, just to get in touch with them about something.” Senior McKenzie McConnell said she’s sad about missing prom and graduation, but the weeks of staying home have given her more time for introspection about the future. “I made a senior page with one of my friends,” she said. “We documented where
Good Luck Grads!
everyone’s going to college and what they’re doing.” Like many students this year, she put on the fancy dress she’d planned to wear to prom and took pictures, so while there isn’t a traditional prom, there’s still a memory. For senior and yearbook editor Olivia Jenkins, there’s a significant sense of loss at not being able
to cover the spring sports she planned to play, and the graduation she’s anticipated for 12 years. “I just feel like I’m losing a big part of what people say are the most important years of our lives — and I’m never going to get this time back again,” she said. “With graduation, I just really was looking forward to getting my diploma and walking across the stage.” But there’s also a realization she’s documenting an important moment in history, work she’ll look back on with pride. “I think it will be kind of bittersweet, because my high school experience is over, and it wasn’t really the way that I expected,” she said. Stetz said she feels that disappointment her senior staffers are experiencing. “They are grieving those experiences that they spent the last four years of high school looking forward to,” she said.
Congratulations 2020 Grads!
But this year’s staff, she said, can take pride in the fact the book they’re creating is likely to be pored over by more students and families than usual. Yearbook orders are higher than normal, as families recognize the pages of this yearbook will hold unexpected but unforgettable memories. “They are also doing a lot of really amazing, cool things right now that we’re trying to put in the book that they can remember later on,” Stetz said. “They didn’t have a traditional prom, but they did get to bond more with their friends in different ways, a lot of people are spending more time with their family, so there are things that they’re doing that I think will still be good memories for them later on.”
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H14 Brainerd Dispatch | May 29, 2020 • Pineandlakes Echo Journal | May 28, 2020
SENIORS From Page H1
this field — or anywhere for that matter — would be their high school graduation in the spring of 2020. Wow, everyone was right — I really didn’t believe time would fly by as fast as it did, but here we are. Fast forward to 2020. I also never would have thought our world would experience a major health crisis in 2020. A global pandemic robbed our seniors of their last two months of high school. They left the high school Friday, March 13, thinking nothing other than leaving like on any Friday of the school week and looking forward to a weekend off. Then the news Sunday, March 15, from Gov. Tim Walz came, that all high schools would be moving to an online schooling model beginning March 18 in response to COVID-19. Brainerd Public Schools announced they would not have their students return for the two days in between. Officials opened the school to students for two days for them to gather their belongings. They were told to get in and get out, with no talking or any lollygagging. As the pandemic continued, seniors — well, mine anyway — continued to cross their fingers that school would re-open. Mackenzie missed her friends, her teachers, the structure she once knew. She missed playing her trumpet with the BHS Wind Symphony group. Through it all, she remained hopeful she would get back on that softball field to enjoy her favorite sport, a sport she’s participated in since she was 9 when she joined the petite youth softball league through Brainerd Parks and Recreation. She remained hopeful she would be able to finish her last year as a dancer for Just For Kix, as she has been dancing for them since she was 3. The dance studio in the spring hosts several Together We Dance competitions around the state and then the big national competition in April in Rochester involving high schools in about five states. She has been so proud of all her ribbons and trophies she has received over the years in these competitions. She was looking forward to dancing for her last year as a senior and to be recognized at the end. She will not make any more softball and dance memories from her senior year, as they never did go back. Prom was postponed and likely may not be rescheduled; she wasn’t able to perform her last jazz or Wind Symphony band concert and she didn’t attend the Minnesota FFA Association state convention in person. All of her achievements, where she would have been honored in-person over different ceremonies this spring, such as the National Honor Society, Fine Arts Scholar and being awarded the Roy and Mildred Sargent
Family Scholarship through the Brainerd Public Schools Foundation, will not happen as she had hoped. As her mother, it has been hard to see the disappointment in her face and the sadness and emptiness she feels. These memories she would have created her last year, she will never make. Ever. Then the last of the heartbreaking news, no in-person graduation ceremony. This was supposed to be the time when all the students and parents would come together again, like on Kinderfriend Day, for their high school graduation on Adamson Field. But the pandemic has other plans, and graduation parties are on hold for the time being. The Class of 2020 sure have taken a huge hit. As parents, from the day our children are born we look forward to the milestones in their lives — and they had a lot taken away from them. However, even with all of this doom and gloom, I didn’t teach my daughter to have a bad attitude in life. Through it all, she has stayed #WarriorStrong and has kept her chin up. She worked hard every day on her online schooling and is doing her best. I’ve told her, “Yes, all of this does suck, but life goes on and when you are older and people ask you about your high school graduation ...” People will listen. She has a unique story to tell — a story of historical importance. She will be one of the many 2020 high school graduates who persevered and survived through the pandemic. In Mackenzie’s Brainerd High School “Senior Spotlight” her advice to younger students is: “Never take the little things in life for granted. You never know if it will be taken away from you.” This is great advice. These 2020 graduates never thought they would have their last memories of their high school careers taken away from them, but it happened. Reality is no one knows what the future holds. All we can do is control our actions and choose how we will respond to this thing we call life, how we respond to the struggles this pandemic has brought in this world. With her high school career now behind her, Mackenzie plans to attend South Dakota State University this fall to study animal science. She then will transfer to the University of Minnesota to follow her dream of becoming a veterinarian, as she loves animals. Mackenzie, you will do amazing things in your life. You will make a difference and leave your many imprints in the world. And even though your 2020 senior year ended differently than you wanted the achievements you earned are no less. Mom is very proud of the young lady you have become. I love you to the moon and back and will always have your back.
Class of 2020 RESILIENCE From Page H1
“We never would have expected it to end this way. We never really wanted it to end this way,” Brainerd senior Jonah Macejkovic said. No one knew March 16 or 17 would be the last normal day of high school. No one said their goodbyes. “It ended, and we didn’t even know it was going to end,” Staples-Motley teacher Kermit Klefsaas said. It’s sad for some. It’s heartbreaking, even earthshattering for others. It might not be the biggest problem in the world facing a global pandemic right now, but for these kids, high school is their world. For Pequot Lakes senior Mariah Rickard, it felt like stress and frustration over the abrupt shift. For Pine RiverBackus senior Caleb Travis, it was missing out on endof-the-year of memories. For Pillager senior Luke Woidyla and Lake Region Christian senior Lydia Neubert, it was less time with friends. For Pierz senior Corrine Schomer it was not getting that class picture in caps and gowns, not signing yearbooks and not opening her time capsule with friends. Even Crosslake student Stephanie Aldrige, who was already used to online learning, missed out on bonding with younger students during time spent on campus. But the class of 2020 won’t be remembered solely for what they missed. Not even close. To Pierz band director Joel Pohland, they’ll be remembered for so much more. “They shouldn’t think of this as, ‘We’re the class that lost everything.’ They should think of it as, ‘We’re the class that set an example for the younger students in our district to follow our example to help lead the world into the next generation,’” he said. “That’s what I hope and firmly believe this class will be remembered for.” They’re the class, Pohland went on, that stayed home, kept others safe and led the world out of a pandemic. “Because they will,” he said. “They’re going to be the students who go to college, go into the workforce in the next few years, and they’re going to learn hands on right with this. And so once they’re fully entering the workforce, they’re going to be the voice that’s like, ‘Hey, we went through this. Here’s our experience. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen again.’” This year’s seniors are a piece of history, Pequot Lakes paraprofessional Darla Johnson said. They’re likely the first and perhaps the last to have drive-in and virtual graduation ceremonies. They’re the ones who overcame so much adversity, Pine River-Backus math teacher Steffanie Bristow said. And they’re the ones who will no doubt vividly remember their senior year for decades to come. “We’re going to be looking back in 20 years,” Brainerd senior Macejkovic said, “and we’re going to remember this school year because the
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senior year did not end the way we wanted it to, but it ended in a way that will be very memorable in the years to come and really will help to shape who we are and how we act in this world.” They will be shaped through their connections — both those lost and those gained. “The reason we all got into education is for the connection with students,” Pohland said. “... Students and teachers and staff alike are all struggling not getting to have those connections. It goes from the kindergarten teacher who’s the first teacher the students ever meet to the teachers who are teaching college class at the high school who are some of the last teachers they have — we all thrive on those relationships.” Teaching without seeing faces isn’t something most teachers plan for or want. “I miss seeing my kids every day. They’re my oxygen,” Bristow said. Teachers want to connect with students. After all, education is about human relationships, Klefsaas said. “I really think that’s what education is, is that being with that person — that teacher,” he added. “And you can’t really replicate it with technology.” But technology is a must and, if used right, can also be a blessing. Kids found new ways to connect with friends, maybe through technological means they never knew existed. Throughout the distance learning experience, Schomer saw growth in her relationships with friends at Pierz-Healy High School. And if those friendships can weather a pandemic, she knows they’ll last through college and life beyond. Technology brought Klefsaas closer to some of his Staples-Motley students who may have otherwise flown under the radar. “I had kids who would call me, and we would phone conference for a half hour, 45 minutes, and I would be looking at their screen, and we would talk through things,” he said, noting many were students who might not have otherwise asserted themselves in the classroom or reached out to him in person. But because of individualized instruction, he got to know and connect with them on a more personal level. An unexpected but pleasant consequence of distance learning, he said. For other students, the distance learning experience connected them to new subjects and experiences. Some of Pohland’s students dove into music therapy after he provided videos showing how beneficial music can be for Alzheimer’s patients. History teachers used online resources to allow students to explore eras of history that interested them, and English teachers pulled up all kinds of materials on poetry to widen students’ horizons. “They have the entire World Wide Web at their disposal, and I think we’re more willing to use it because we have to use it,” Pohland said, noting students had more time this year to explore more subjects. “I think all of us agree, even if one student finds a
connection with something new, that makes it all worth it,” he added. That extra time students gained this year translated to positive experiences outside the virtual classroom as well. Schomer grew closer to her family, even if that family time was somewhat forced. And as a Christian, she strengthened spiritual connections, too. “It’s been really sweet to have time where I can sit and read my Bible and FaceTime my friends and just talk about what we’re learning in life and the Lord for hours,” Schomer said. Pohland’s band students connected with their parents in a new way through a unique assignment tasking them to teach their parents how to play their instrument. With some parents needing a good half hour to make some semblance of music, Pohland hopes the activity gave those parents a new appreciation for their students’ skills. “I think now parents are more involved because their students are at home and they’re seeing the learning process a little bit more,” he said. “And I think that’s only a good thing because we want students who can have conversations with their parents about what’s going on at school.” Though the distance learning experience had its hiccups and wasn’t necessarily ideal, the positives will likely follow students through life. Self-motivation, reaching out for help, personal responsibility and learning how to learn. Those are some of the skills Brainerd social studies teacher Beth Bastian believes her students walked away with this year. “This has just been a year like no other, and I think our students have really risen to the challenge,” Bastian said. And for those reasons, the class of 2020 will be remembered for their resilience, dedication, patience, positive attitude and ability to roll with the punches. They learned to appreciate the small things and never take anything — even an ordinary day at school — for granted. “We’ve been through a lot together, and we stayed really strong,” Rickard said of her fellow seniors. “I think that this class is special. Going through this, a lot of us have learned to accept the circumstances and make the most of it. As much as we want to be together, we still have a lot of love and a positive attitude toward one another.” And one more thing they still have — a high school diploma. “Even though we might not have a graduation, we still did it,” Staples-Motley senior Ryan Wick said. “We still finished. And it still should mean the same that we still get our high school education.” THERESA BOURKE may be reached at theresa.bourke@ brainerddispatch.com or 218855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ DispatchTheresa. Pineandlakes Echo Journal Editor Nancy Vogt and staff writers Dan Determan and Travis Grimler contributed to this story. THERESA BOURKE may be reached at theresa.bourke@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchTheresa.
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