Senior High School Valedictorian & Platinum Students Madison Duneman PARENTS: Connie and Kelly Duneman MIDDLE SCHOOL: Lewis and Clark Middle
School
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Big Sky Elementary FUTURE PLANS: After high school. I plan to attend college. I will be majoring in Global Studies and Spanish.
MOST CHALLENGING OR REWARDING CLASS:
My most rewarding high school class has been four years of Spanish. These classes have allowed me to engage in our global community while learning a second language. I have also had the opportunity to travel to both Spain and Costa Rica through this class. Because of the great Spanish department at Senior High, I found my future
career path.
high school, I wanted to push myself to be challenged everyday. The Platinum Program allowed me to do this. The challenging classes and demanding work load have taught me how to manage my time and prioritize what is important to me. Furthermore, my high school education has had so much meaning and depth because of this challenging program. MAGNUM OPUS: For my Magnum Opus project, I created a kids camp based on the historical American Girl Dolls. I developed the curriculum and taught the camp the summer of 2017 at the Moss Mansion. The
intention of the camp was to empower the next generation of young women. My Platinum Project allowed me to build real-life skills applicable to my future. TEACHER: The teacher who has had the greatest impact on my education was my first and third grade teacher, Mrs. Preble. I not only got the chance to enjoy her one year but two, and she helped me become the intelligent, confident young woman I am today. Going into her classroom was exciting and joyful, and we learned something new everyday. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Student Council, Spanish Club, STEM Society, BSH Orchestra, CDS Dance, Track and Field
teachers at Senior that have made even the most difficult concepts easy to comprehend! MOTIVATION FOR PLATINUM PROGRAM: I was planning on taking all the honors/AP classes available because I try to challenge myself academically. The platinum program was a way to push myself even further by doing a research paper and magnum opus project. I am so glad that I decided to do the platinum program because I would have never done my project without the extra motivation. MAGNUM OPUS: My project was about the benefits of learning languages in elementary school. I taught Spanish to a fifth grade class at Highland Elementary three days a week. We sang songs, played games, and had lots of fun! After teaching for twelve weeks, I presented my findings to the School
Board. An article about my project was published in the Gazette. TEACHER: My 5th and 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Porisch, was the first person who showed me that learning can be fun and doesn’t have to stop when you leave the classroom. I also aspire to be like Mrs. Nord, my AP World History teacher and Model UN adviser. She is intelligent, kind and understanding to every student, and makes me want to be a better person. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Cross country, Teen Council, Billings Youth Orchestra, Billings Symphony Orchestra, Magic City Strings, Art’s Without Boundaries, Senior High Quartet, Model United Nations, National Honor Society, Senior Advocates, Interlochen Arts Camp, Marrowstone Music Festival.
classes.
Bertleson made the greatest impact on my education because she taught me how to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. It is true enough to say that without her, I would not be the person I am today. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Billings Senior High Key Club, Spanish Club, STEM Club, Tennis, Senior Advocates, National Honors Society, Billings Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership
MOTIVATION FOR PLATINUM PROGRAM: In
Michele Feeley
Ana Strong Garcia PARENTS: Amaya Garcia and David Strong MIDDLE SCHOOL: Lewis and Clark Middle
School
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Easterly Parkway, McKinley and Poly Drive Elementary FUTURE PLANS: I am excited to continue my education next year either at Columbia University or Williams College, where I will study political science and music. After college I want to attend law school and work in government. MOST CHALLENGING OR REWARDING CLASS:
Yardley Diagneau
My most challenging and rewarding classes in high school have been the STEM classes that I have taken. Math and science are not my best subjects and I have had to work hard to succeed in those classes. It doesn’t hurt that I have had some awesome math
MaKenzy Gilsdorf PARENTS: Julie and Wade Gilsdorf MIDDLE SCHOOL: Lewis and Clark Middle
MOTIVATION FOR PLATINUM PROGRAM: I
School
believe I was motivated to participate in the
and furthering my education.
advocate on of partaking in the program. MAGNUM OPUS: The topic of my Magnum Opus is organized youth sport and the benefits it has on children. I also focused on how the benefits affected children living with financial hardships. I conducted and ran a free tennis camp for kids at the North Park Center. I got to see the firsthand effects of tennis on the children. TEACHER: My third grade teacher Mrs.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Broadwater Elementary Platinum Project because I wanted to chalFUTURE PLANS: I plan on attending college lenge myself. Also, my mom was a pretty big MOST CHALLENGING OR REWARDING CLASS:
My most challenging class was Honors Earth Science my freshman year. It was a difficult class because the work load and course expectation was different from the less challenging classes of eighth grade. I was not ready for the transition, so the class challenged me. However, it did prepare me for the next three years of Honors and AP
Clark Marten Photography
SALUTE TO VALEDICTORIANS 2018 | April 2018
11