1-15 Class of 2020

The

in partnership with local businesses

Presents Class

the

2020 of

Belding High School

Greenville High School

Carson City-Crystal High School

Ionia High School

Central Montcalm High School

Lakeview High School

Clearwater Academy Homeschool

Montabella High School

Fellowship Baptist Academy

Tri County High School

Vestaburg High School

Page 2 | Saturday, May 16, 2020

Graduation

Index

BELDING HIGH SCHOOL 2-5

CLEARWATER ACADEMY HOMESCHOOL 6

LAKEVIEW HIGH SCHOOL 31-32

CARSON CITY-CRYSTAL HIGH SCHOOL 6-8

FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST ACADEMY 8

MONTABELLA HIGH SCHOOL 33-34

GREENVILLE HIGH SCHOOL 16-26

TRI COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL 35-38

IONIA HIGH SCHOOL 27-30

VESTABURG HIGH SCHOOL 38-39

CENTRAL MONTCALM HIGH SCHOOL 9-14

‘I’ll do it’

Montabella senior’s resiliency inspires, leaves a mark

W

HEN Maggie Ludwig begins pre-med stud-ies this fall at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, she will be bringing 18 earned college credits along with her.

The Montabella High School senior also has the qualifications to work as a certified nursing assistant while she attends college, and that is her plan. She only has to pass the state credentialing exam, which she can’t take until September when she turns 18.

Maggie said people underestimate her abilities sometimes because she has cerebral palsy, a group of disorders that affect movement and muscle tone or posture.

“I don’t let my CP stop me,” said Maggie. “I want to prove to people that I can still do things and be successful.”

Along with a desire to prove herself, signing up for dual enrollment classes at Montcalm Community College, and the CNA course at Mid-Michigan Community College, while in high school was also a practical decision. Maggie took two semesters of freshman English, as well as courses in medical terminology (because she intends to go to medical school), sociology, political science and psychology. She’s aware of how much schooling she has ahead of her.

“I know I’m going to be in college forever, so I want to get some of that out of the way,” she said.

Born three months premature and weighing just 1 pound, 5 ounces, Maggie was in the neonatal intensive care unit for 97 days. Her mother Katie, now an emergency department nurse at McLaren Central Michigan Hospital in Mount Pleasant, said determination was in Maggie’s personality from the beginning.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that’s why she survived. She just fought from the start,” Katie recalled.

“As a nurse, I see things every day, and I’ve seen miscarriages that were that big. I was thinking, ‘This baby isn’t going to make it.’ But she just had that ‘I’ll do it, I’ll do it, I’ll do it’ right from the start. If she wants to do something, she just figures out a way to do it.”

Maggie is as good-natured as she is goal-oriented, and always smiling, said Katie. When Maggie was little, she wanted to ride a bike, but with CP, her balance was poor. As with other challenges throughout her life, she met this one head-on and succeeded. She rode that bike.

“She doesn’t ever give up. It’s just not in her. She just keeps on and does what she has to do, and it doesn’t bother her,” said Katie. “She’s a tough little cookie.”

People sometimes confused her physical disability with an intellectual disability when she was younger, Maggie said. There is still a lot of stigma around that

aspect of cerebral palsy.

“There can be mild cases, which is something I have, or severe cases where they are mentally and physically challenged,” said Maggie. “I may walk kind of funny, but I’m not mentally challenged. People judge me for that.”

She has an enviable resume for any high school student. Maggie will graduate with high honors. She participated in academic team competitions like Model UN, Quiz Bowl and Science Olympiad. She was a member of the Spanish Club and traveled to Spain for almost two weeks the summer after her sophomore year. Maggie also served on the prom committee and was secretary to both student council and National Honor Society.

Her favorite high school experience, though, was marching band, in which Maggie played trumpet.

Marching is not the easiest thing to do for someone who has difficulty with walking and coordination.

“I had some challenges I had to deal with, but I managed, and I think I pulled it off. It was fun,” she said.

Maggie has had multiple surgeries, beginning in sixth grade, to rotate and straighten bones, lengthen tendons and cut out certain nerves to reduce spasticity.

For the nerve surgery, she was out of school for a month and spent time at Mary Free Bed for rehabilitation.

“They cut into my back, and I had to learn to walk again. It was pretty rigorous,” said Maggie.

Montebella High School Principal Shane Riley said “resiliency” comes to mind when he thinks about Maggie.

“She is a very hardworking young lady and has a pretty upbeat personality despite some of the things she has had to overcome,” Riley said, adding that there were times she missed a lot of school because of medical procedures that she’s had to undergo.

“The fact that she didn’t let it slip, she kept up her with her studies through all of that, obviously talks about her dedication and speaks to her … again, that word ‘resiliency’ keeps popping up,” he said.

Maggie is a role model for other students who are facing any kind of difficulties in school, whether physical or emotional, said Riley.

“The fact that she was able to work through the cerebral palsy and do so well could be used as an inspirational example,” he said.

Working through the CP and other challenges is a part of Maggie’s personality as well as her mom’s. “I can’t” or “I won’t” has never been part of either of their mindsets.

“When kids were not including her, I made her deal with it,” Katie said. “I told her, ‘People are going to treat

you different your entire life. It’s not going to go away. You need to learn how to deal with it, and you need to learn how to deal with people to deal with it.”

KAREN BOTA Because of what kbota@thedailynews.cc Maggie has been through with her cerebral palsy, she has had to work “three times harder” than anyone else, Maggie said, yet she takes it in stride.

She describes herself as determined, outgoing and confident — the confidence coming from growing up knowing “I am myself and nobody can change that.”

“I want to be remembered as someone who stood out in terms of a disability, but also someone who rolled with the punches and was always determined to be successful and not let anybody tell them otherwise,” said Maggie.

When Maggie expressed interest in a career in medicine, Katie wasn’t surprised. After all, Maggie started physical therapy at 10 months old and has grown up around health care providers. Katie talks to Maggie and her other daughters, Natalie, 12, and Maxie, 10, about her experiences as an ER nurse, so shop talk at home is common.

Maggie said at first she considered nursing, or maybe studying to become a physician’s assistant, but her mom nudged her in a different direction.

“She said, ‘You’re competitive, and with your drive, you could push all the way through medical school,’” said Maggie.

As Maggie looks ahead, she thinks she’d like to be a neonatologist and work with babies who were born early, as she was, or perhaps a radiologist, diagnosing and treating injuries and diseases using medical imaging.

“Because of the CP, I have some physical limitations.

Being on my feet all the time would put some stress on me if I were an ER doctor,” Maggie said. “As a radiologist, you don’t have to be in the hospital as much. And it looks fun.”

“If she wants to be a doctor, she completely will be a doctor. She’ll figure out a way to do it,” Katie said. “I have no worries about her being a productive part of society.

“She will make her mark for sure.”

Graduating Class of 2020

and a Very Special Congratulations to Lauren Barker Dr. Charles R. Barker, Jr., D.O. Family Practice, P.C.

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Saturday, May 16, 2020 | Page 3

Be l di n g To the Class of 2020:

F Tayah Allen

Thomas Anderson

Cam’Ron Antcliff

Christian Augustyn

Maria Barbosa

Lauren Barker

Valerio Bello Munoz

Dylan Betz

Luciano Biella

Erica Billings

Jack Bonning

Ashton Boroff

Mitchell Brokaw

Breanna Brown

Eli Brown

Erica Buchner

our years ago, we began a journey together at Belding High School – you, as students, and me, as your principal. When the adventure began, you were the first student group I met with. I recall our first meeting during freshmen orientation and telling you how humbled and honored I was to serve in my position. I also told you that the four years of high school would pass in the blink of an eye. In no time at all, your goofy freshman energy made a sudden shift into adulthood, accelerated swiftly by our current somber situation. It is somewhat amusing to think that at a time where the world is forcing us to slow down, you are faced with a rush of emotions, changes, and decisions that were supposed to be shared with friends, family, and staff members over the final two months of school. Yet, I do not fear the future because I know it is the good hands of the leaders, scholars, thinkers, creators, collaborators, and citizens built at Belding High School.

As you move beyond the walls of BHS, I only ask you to do so with three simple concepts as your guiding force: Be Kind, Be Honest, and Be Tough. I commonly tell both students and my own children that it costs nothing to be kind. In a world sharply divided on almost every conceivable topic, being kind is a skill that translates to all arenas and transforms all attitudes. Kindness matters – always. Very few qualities rank as highly on my personal list of characteristics as honesty. Be honest in relationships with family and friends; be honest in your profession; and, be honest in the pursuit of your passions. You do not have to dig too deeply into literary canon for advice about being true to yourself. Honesty is the cornerstone of your character and the litmus test of your loyalty. Finally, toughness. You have been conditioned from an early age that being “Belding Tough” is important. While at times this mantra applies to physical toughness, I believe that it is about more than feats of strength in the athletic arena. Being tough means giving your all when giving up is easier. It’s perseverance, grit, drive, determination, and any of a number of qualities that lead to success in all facets of life.

I do not know what is next for each of you, but I know that you have the ability to change your communities for the better. Using kindness, honesty, and toughness, combined with the abundance of skills honed at BHS and those that will be developed at your next destination, you are ready to be the storm of positive impact that is needed in this world.

Andrew Bunce

Marina Campo Calvo

Jasmine Castillo

Benjamin Catindig

As always, I am proud of you, I am thankful for you, I love you, and I count you positively among the blessings in my life. Congratulations, Class of 2020!

Love, Mr. Ostrander Belding High School principal

Not Pictured:

Leo Bacajol-Macario, Matthew Blackledge, Joshua Carter, Zackary Carter, Erica Collins, Zachary Conley, Kyra Emmons, Cassandra Lopez, Ignacio Medina Jr., Alexander Osmolinski, Marco Roque-Badder, Carlos Israel Rosales, Jacob Smith, Nathaniel Stanaland

Andrew Chambers

Hannah Chambers

Makenna Church

Cassandra Coe

Briana Conley

Raven Cramer

Brandy Dart

Katelyn Dombrowski

Elisha Doty

Christina Douglas

Paige Dukes

Cayden Edmonds

Malte Einvall

Ashley Enbody

Nils Eriksson

Lizzie Feuerstein

Travis Fiedler

Katelynn Gasper

McKenna German

Rafael Giraldi Riskalls

Mica Gladding

Alice Grillo

Page 4 | Saturday, May 16, 2020

Be l di n g

A letter to the Belding High School class of 2020

O

ne of the most common phrases I’ve heard the last few weeks from my classmates has been “I never thought I would miss school.”

Although that short phrase is commonly overlooked, to me, that poses pride and backs up the love I have always had for this school and community.

I am a firm believer that Belding has the best staff and most down-to-earth and good-hearted students around, backed up by the most supportive community.

Throughout this school year, our class experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. From the best homecoming spirit week to the last home game of our sports career, last home band show, and the final drama production. The most important thing is that those experiences were spent together.

On March 12th, we walked out of high school together for the last time in our lives. At that time, we

didn’t know that we would be missing out on the most memorable months high school has to offer. You might get told that these months weren’t as important as we think they are, that we will look back and will laugh. Don’t accept that advice.

We’ve spent the last 14 years growing up with our classmates. We’ve experienced some of life’s hardest lessons and have watched each other grow up. Senior year prom means more than a dance. Senior year sports mean more than a season. Graduation is more than a ceremony. They’re a proper goodbye to the people that have shaped us. My advice to you is to find some way to compensate for that goodbye. Go out of your way to thank a student or teacher for what they have done for you. Take some time to look back on high school and just be upset that you’re missing these things. Life isn’t about five years from now, it’s

about the present. There’s an empty part in every senior’s heart right now for a lot of different reasons.

To the class of 2020 and Belding High School, thank you for giving me the best experience I could have asked for. They say that graduating is about new beginnings and it is not. High school is an integral part of you becoming who you want to be. I truly consider myself lucky to have gone to Belding High School and I hope nothing but the best for Paden Rousseau every single classmate.

Emily Guernsey

Nathan Haarsma

Joseph Hall

Lorynn Harding

Samantha Harig

Maddilynn Harkrader-Nickolai

Riley Hart

Antonio Hernandez-Lopez

Blake Hulliberger

Hannah Hummel

Daniel Iacopelli

Gabrielle Jakeway

Caiden Jensen

Jack Johnson

Layla Johnson

Azariah Jones

Ella Jones

Madison Kazmerski

Emma Kinsey

Nathaniel Kramer

Joyshellee’ Kunecki

Molly Lake

Riyen Lake

Joseph Lanning

Guy Link

Olivia Lowry

Abigail Maag

Connor Magee

Mason Maharry

Jordan Mangus

Sofia Marino

Luke Marvin

Alexis McCarty

Britney McMaster

Alexandria McNinch

Luke Meadows

Jacob Mendoza

Maxwell Merren

Tyler Meyers

Matthew Miller II

Abby Millering

Ailey Neal

Cameron Nummer

Blake Oberlin

Carmen Olmsted

Zoe Ornelas Macedo

Lillian Oswald

Brett Parcher

Saturday, May 16, 2020 | Page 5

Be l di n g

Emersen Parker

Rafael Pehna

Justin Pennington

Molly Pennock

Tori Perez

BethAnn Peters

Michele Pileri

Liz Powers

Zachariah Powers Jr.

Elvis Preston II

Kassondra Purcey

Trent Purcey

Mattsen Putney

Abigail Quinn

Cole Reeves

Bryanna Rhodes

Matthew Rich

Drew Riches

Brandon Rodriguez-Damaso

Jonathon Ross

Paden Rousseau

Hunter Shoen

Anakin Sims

Connor Slager

“Let your smile change the world but don’t let the world change your smile.”

Congratulations

to all

2020 Graduates!

We hope you will be blessed with great success in every field you pursue!

2020 GRADUATES We know your Senior Year did not end the way that you had planned...

But we can’t wait to see how you overcome and soar.

You were made for this!

Congratulations Class of 2020!

You Make Us Dr. John C.

O’Donald

Proud!

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Page 6 | Saturday, May 16, 2020

Be l di n g

Joshua Sluiter

Obec Sosa

Rachel Sosa

Trevin Springsteen

Freya Stendal

Brianna Stone

Olivia Stout

Dylan Straubel

Danielle Theodore

Ashley Tiffany

Cameron Tomich

Isiah Vandermolen

Jeremy Warner

Devin Wiley

Morgan Williams

Caitlyn Wright

Zakkariyya Yandle

Erick Zavalza Rodriguez

“Leaders think and talk about the solutions.

Followers think and talk about the problems.” — Brian Tracy

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Saturday, May 16, 2020 | Page 7

Car son City-Crystal Dear Carson City-Crystal High School Class of 2020,

Nash Akin

Devin Alton

Austin Carmichael

Abbagail Clark

Ellie Clark

Liberty Devereaux

Megan DeWald

Tayvon Evans

John Ewalt

Anne Fitzpatrick

Cade Fleisher

Hunter Fleisher

Alyssa Gillson

Katherine Hall

Nicholas Hardy

Chloe Haring

W

hat a way you have ended your senior year! I know that this is tough and I also know that you missed out on a lot of things that you were excited to experience. However, when I reflect on it, I feel that this will only strengthen the incredible bond you have as a class. You are a unique group of individuals and you have accomplished so much as a group. Many of you are heading off to college with scholarships, athletic commitments, and dreams for your future. Many of you are already prepared to start a job and have your careers planned out. But I believe what you have accomplished the most is the friendships and camaraderie that you have created. Your graduating class has always been supportive of each other in a way that other classes have not.

You all are spirited, kind, brilliant, creative, and a million other amazing adjectives. The method in which you ended your time in high school has not slowed down your friendships or the support that you have for one another. It is inspirational and heartwarming to watch.

As you move on from your time at Carson CityCrystal High School, I have a few suggestions for you. First, I want you to remember this period in your life. Continue to check in on your classmates as you grow in your own way. Don’t ever lose the part of yourselves that creates the strong connections that you have created. Second, never lose sight of your goals. I have watched how much you have all changed over the past four years. You have grown into amazing young adults and you are one of the most motivated classes I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. Always remember what you are capable of. (And if you ever forget, reach out because I’m happy to remind you!).

I know that I can speak for the entire high school staff when I say how proud of you we are.

Go out and share with the world all that you have to offer.

Congratulations, Class of 2020!

Ms. Verwys CC-C High School Teacher

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” — Dr. Suess

CONGRATS 2020 GRADS!

Class of 2020 Let’s celebrate YOU!

The road to success is not always smooth, but you have shown that dedication and focus can get you where you want to be!

Keep driving toward success!

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Page 8 | Saturday, May 16, 2020

Carson City-Crystal Carson City-Crystal High School, Class of 2020

W

ith the last half of my senior year approaching, I was preparing for the most exciting part of my high school experience. Graduation, the senior mystery trip, my last track season, prom, senior pranks, the final walk-through, Honor´s Night and our last day-barbeque were among them. With the closings of schools, businesses, universities and restaurants, my senior year was paused. Covid-19 eventually canceled the rest of my senior year.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused all of my plans to become no more. I was beginning to narrow down my list of colleges that I wanted to attend. I could not visit campuses, meet with advisors, or coaches. This made it difficult for me to take all the factors into

consideration to make my decision. I may not have a graduation ceremony, and cannot spend the last few months of my senior year with my friends and family before I plan to leave for college in the fall.

Through all of the negative news and cancellations of exciting events, the small community has made sure that we seniors have been noticed and that we are getting our stuff taken care of. I am extremely excited to get back to seeing my friends and family after this pandemic ends. To make up for my missing year of track and field, which was planned to be very successful, I am looking forward to competing on the Olivet College track and field team this nest year.

I really hope that this pandemic will be over and my plans to attend the college in the fall will not be

changed to all online classes.

My senior year was very interesting due to this pandemic. I could not be more excited to get back to all the activities I had planned and to see all of my friends and family soon. We are so sad that our most exciting events have been canceled. The class of 2020 definitely can make it through Allyson Stevens anything.

Cecilia Havens

Isabell Hill

Ryan Holland

Kali Hollinshead

Travis Hutson

Monica Ibarra

Trystyn Jeffery

Meghan Keiffer

Dakota Kozlowski

Jenna Loomis

Elena Lopez

Sarah McCrackin

Madison Miller

Olivia Miramonti

Conner Newswanger

August O’Brien

Aoife O’Grady

Angelina Peiffer

Congratulations to all area Graduates.

CONGRATULATIONS

CLASS OF 2020

LAKEVIEW

TRI COUNTY

Lakeview - Howard City - Trufant - Morley www.cffcu.biz 271294 271573

Saturday, May 16, 2020 | Page 9

Car son City-Crystal

Zachary Pinkston

Victoria Polley

Brenden Saylor

Jacob Schneider

Victor Silva

Connor Smith

Torie Snider

Allyson Stevens

Gavin Stevens

Hannah Taeter

Dalton Tyler

Nicole Tyler

Alonzo Velazquez

Jamison Ward

Elizabeth Wieland

Brian Yeakey Jr.

“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one who gets the people to do the greatest things.”

— Ronald Reagan

Fellowship Baptist Academy From the Graduating Class of Quarantine

T

o anyone willing to read the ramblings of a high school senior such as myself, as a member of the Graduating Class of Quarantine, I say goodbye to many of the teachers, friends, and mentors I met along the way. As a member of the Graduating Class of Quarantine, I fear what is to come in the uncertain future that lay ahead of me. But while the future may be uncertain, I can still rely on the people around me as we endure the epidemic, which currently plagues us as well as withstand the strife in the world around us.

So while we are together, let me tell you how school has been for the Graduating Class of Quarantine. Every day is its own senior skip day, but what we don’t lose in school attendance we gain in opportunity, even if it is restricted to our front porch.

While we may not be present in each other’s lives, we

Jackson Chandler

are present in each other’s minds because that is what we can aspire to do. I am not saying that seniors have it all, or that high school is perfect because I’d be lying. There is the graduation we will miss, the open houses we may not get, and the obscene number of tests we must take. All of this is in the hope that we can do it for four more years because next is college, and college takes work. If all that wasn’t enough, my entire class has contracted Senioritis.

For those left behind, you have my condolences, but remember to stay strong and work hard because as you can see, it doesn’t get easier. These years have such a huge impact on the rest of your lives, so don’t waste them. My biggest regret from high school was not learning better study habits because four hours of college statistics each Monday has made me want to cry. So if you are going to be a sleep-deprived high school senior or a student in general, make sure that

Keyz Armstrong

Parker Miller

you are doing it for the right reasons and not because Skyrim is still fun.

This year has been a year to remember not because of the attempted impeachment of our president or the notorious virus for which I have named this year’s graduating class, but because we were able to be a part of it together, and yes, that includes the noisy middle-schoolers.

Sincerely, Jackson Chandler The Graduating Class of Quarantine Valedictorian

Jackson Chandler

Gabby Schneider

Congratulations and Good Luck to all

2020 Graduates!

Molly Lake

Belding High School 271894

200 N. Gooding St. Belding | 616-794-1130

Page 10 | Saturday, May 16, 2020

Central Montcalm To the Central Montcalm Graduating Class of 2020:

Tyler Alexander

Linda Appoloni

Haley Baker

Mitchell Bannister

Bianca Bean

Sarah Bodman

Garrison Bohen

Autumn Brecht

Jordon Bush

Tiia Chambers

Annalise Christiansen

Andrea Coggins

Kourtney Collins

Monica Compton

Cypress CondonStruble

Jason Crater

I

really don’t know where to begin because we really didn’t have a proper ending. Typically, this week would have been full of celebratory events bringing to conclusion your senior year. You would have experienced your last day of school, practice for commencement, your senior walk, capped off by your graduation day.

With that being said, I don’t want to spend these few moments thinking about what didn’t happen. I want to write to you about what did happen with the class of 2020 and I want to do it with a story: In April of 1866, crates of nitroglycerin were shipped to California to aid in blasting through a mountain to create the Summit Tunnel. In route, one of the crates exploded at the Wells Fargo station in San Francisco, killing 15 people. Nitroglycerin is an effective explosive, but highly unstable. However, in another form it’s an effective treatment for heart disease and one of the oldest drugs used in the prevention of heart attacks. What awesome power is unleashed when two elements – nitric acid and glycerin — come together.

For the last 4 years, the class of 2020 has displayed the character elements of service and spirit. Just like with nitric acid and glycerin, when you combine a servant’s heart with a contagious spirit, the results can be explosive. As the members of this class began to permeate our hallways with service and school spirit, we all witnessed a powerful explosion in our hallways and our school culture was altered in a positive direction forever.

School spirit has exploded in our schools and is pervasive in our community. Our students take pride in each other and have a want for their classmates to find success in all of their endeavors. Just as nitroglycerin can be used to heal the heart, this combination of selflessness and healthy pride has, in many ways, brought the heartbeat back to CMHS. I am so privileged to be able to say that I am your principal. You have made my job such a joy and having watched many of you grow up, I know I can represent the CM community and say, “I am so very proud of you and I love you!” We will forever be connected by the uncharted ending to this school year and, more important, we will forever be connected as the mighty Green Hornets!

Mr. J, CM High School Principal

Jarod DeHaan

Teague Donazzolo

Aubrey Doolittle

Hunter Doolittle

Not Pictured:

Josiah Hayne, Jeffrey Holbrook, Kyle Rohn, Blake Scott

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall” — Confucius

Congratulations

Class of 2020

We are proud of you!

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271886

Saturday, May 16, 2020 | Page 11

Central Montcalm Dear Class of 2020,

W

e the Seniors of 2020, were born into a dark time after 9/11, and it’s crazy to think that our senior year would end in a pandemic. Walking the halls, we had no idea that things would end so dramatically.

If we’d have known that that Friday, March 13th, would (ironically) be our last day, then we would have hugged each other a little harder, a little longer. We would have said goodbye to our friends and teachers.

Even amidst all this uncertainty, we have so much good to look at from our years together. Just think, we were known as the middle schoolers: the middle schoolers that the high school was reluctant to teach. In the end, however, the teachers came around (and maybe we matured) and they learned to like us! During high school, we accomplished countless great things with our talents: baseball won districts, softball went to regionals and won conference every year, volleyball won districts, boys’

basketball won conference, girls’ basketball won districts, the band got all 1s, and the theater had amazing performances. We also have some funny memories too: the lower parking lot struggle, MACC kids leaving early for lunch, our class never getting the spirit flag, and so much more.

Throughout high school, we went through the steps to get to the one day we all longed for, graduation day. These four years were filled with anticipation of graduating together, reminiscing about times gone by, and spending a magical day with friends and family. If we could go back, we would probably do things differently and we would try to appreciate every moment instead of only living for the end result. Yes, it is sad that our final year ended too soon, yet we are a resilient class. We have overcome adversity together from a teacher battling cancer to losing a teacher that was dearly loved, to being there for students who lost family, and countless more. We have gone

through difficult times, and in the end, COVID-19 will make our class closer and stronger.

There are positives to this tragedy. You have time to work on yourselves mentally and physically. As students, we can sleep in and do our homework after we feel refreshed from a good night’s sleep. We have time to connect with family, to learn how to do new things, and to reflect more on our plans for the future. We can adjust; we are resilient.

In the end, in times like these, we need to be there for each other. Most of us have grown up with the same classmates since elementary school. We have seen each other more than our own parents and siblings.

We, Class of 2020, are family. We will get our chance to see each other again in our caps and gowns, but for now, let’s all be thankful and grateful for what we were able to experience and for the new memories we get to make.

Francine Kalnins

Aubrey Doolittle

Lourdes Fike

Kyah Fisher

Treston Fitzgerald

Hunter Fuhrman

Collin Galbraith

Tyrah Gallagher

Carson Goodell

Elizabeth Greenway

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Kaitlin Hart

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Page 12 | Saturday, May 16, 2020

Central Montcalm

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Saturday, May 16, 2020 | Page 13

Central Montcalm

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Caitlin Miller

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Page 14 | Saturday, May 16, 2020

Central Montcalm

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Saturday, May 16, 2020 | Page 15

CC-C senior reflects on high school experience, personal struggles

K

ali Hollinshead started her freshman year at Carson CityCrystal High School not knowing where her life was headed or what the future had in store for her.

“I was struggling with mental health issues, my grades were slipping more and more as the years continued and I also was just feeling really lost, personally and academically,” the 18-year-old recalled.

Fast forward four years and Hollinshead, after having spent her senior year as team captain on the cheer team and a section leader in band, is now getting ready to graduate from CC-C with nearly all A’s in her classes — something which, at one point in time, she would have never thought possible.

The change occurred during her sophomore year.

“I was really closed off to everyone at the beginning of high school. I didn’t have many friends because of this, and that just made things even harder. My behavior was really erratic and I was doing things that I knew were not healthy,” she said. “I decided to turn to some of the staff at CC-C because I needed someone to hear my truth. That was the best decision I have ever made.”

In opening up about her struggles to a support system that includes CC-C High School teachers Erin Verwys, Michael Porter and Chad Parmenter, Hollinshead says she was able to slowly turn things around. “(They) helped me realize how much potential I had to do something great with my life,” she said. “Through helping me academically to improve leaps and bounds from where I began to giving me advice that would further affect how I live the rest of my life, they really helped guide me down the right path.”

Verwys said watching and working with Hollinshead has been an experience unlike any other that she has personally witnessed during her time at CC-C. “Some of her support system and I have constantly talked about it,” Verwys said. “We believe that (Hollinshead) is one of the biggest success stories that we’ve all seen in our teaching careers.”

Verwys says she first met Hollinshead in class a couple of years ago when she

BRANDON SCHREUR bschreur@thedailynews.cc

Having spent her senior year as a team captain on Carson City-Crystal’s (CC-C) cheer team, Kali Hollinshead is graduating from CC-C this year and plans to attend Central Michigan University to study meteorology in the fall. — Submitted photo

noticed she was struggling with her academic work.

“She seemed to be going through a tough time,” Verwys recalled. “There were moments when I could tell she was really struggling personally, which had then begun to seep into her academics. She was in my classes so I saw a lot of that. I became one of the people who sought her out and made sure she’s doing OK. There was a lot of time outside of the classrooms, trying to get that personal stuff under control.”

The relationship continued throughout Hollinshead’s junior and senior years as Hollinshead continued to grow and improve on both an academic and personal level.

“That girl, she’s got a lot of fight in her,” Verwys said. “She’s been through a lot and has struggled a lot. There were times when she claimed she was giving up, but she never did. She’d come back stronger than before.”

During her senior year, Hollinshead became team captain on the cheer team — an accomplishment which she had been eyeing for some time.

“The cheer team was started during my freshman year. Deep down, I really wanted to join, but was hesitant to,” she said. “I ended up joining cheer the end of my sophomore year and, at this time, we just got a new cheer coach, Nicole Keyes.

I loved being part of the cheer team because of all of the fun times we had together. No matter what was happening in everyone’s outside lives, coming to practice was always an escape.”

A flute player since sixth grade, Hollinshead also became a section leader in band during her senior year.

“There was a lot of pressure, at times, to make sure that I was always doing my best at all times to show a good example, but I’m sure by now my section of flutes has learned that no one is perfect and it’s okay to mess up sometimes,” she said.

Although the past two months have been unorthodox due to school closings related to the coronavirus pandemic, Hollinshead is still excited about the idea of graduating.

“Although this really hurts, I know the staff at CC-C are trying to make our graduation ceremony as special as they

can. They know how hard this is on us and I know that they want to make us feel recognized in the way we deserve. The senior parade that was just recently put on in town was so special for all of the seniors that were involved,” she said. “I hope that graduation can continue on as planned. All I want is to walk out in front of all the people who have helped me get to where I am today and make them proud.”

Hollinshead plans to attend Central Michigan University this fall to major in meteorology and minor in performing arts. Her dream is to become a leading meteorologist while simultaneously following her passion for theater and acting. “(The career path) makes total sense for her, as those are the types of things she’s fascinated in,” Verwys said. “This year, we really started to hear that from her. During her sophomore and junior year, she was focused on small goals — not even making it to graduation, but just making it through the year. It was so nice when she started opening up to talk about those goals and what she was really interested in during her senior year.”

Looking back over her time at CC-C, Hollinshead hopes all current and future students know how valued and important they are to the staff and their classmates.

“If I had to give any advice to upcoming freshmen, it would be to know that every single one of you has the potential to do something great. Even though you may feel that life has thrown you nothing but obstacles, know that it’s possible to rise above any and all struggles and come out on top,” she said.

“Also, go easy on your teachers. I know homework is not fun, but just know that the staff members all really care about you and always want you to succeed. You can do anything you put your mind to so don’t give up and keep pushing through!”

Congratulations

TO THE CLASS OF 2020 Special Congratulations To:

CHRISTIAN AUGUSTYN Belding High School

DEVYN HUBBARD Greenville High School

ASHTON INGERSOLL Greenville High School

ZACHARIAH POWERS Belding High School

JOHN MALLORY Greenville High School

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