2021 World-Herald Scholars

2021 World-Herald Scholars SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021

Andrew Li, Omaha Westside; Charles Campbell, Omaha Concordia; Grace Henderson, Millard North; Kolton O’Neal, Gretna; Noah Shackelford, Fairfield Sandy Creek; Emma Cada, Blair; Joshua Lee, Lincoln East; Samuel Dekleva, North Platte St. Patrick; and Bethany Wiebold, North Bend Central.

READY TO LAUNCH These nine outstanding scholars are members of The World-Herald’s 2021 All State Academic Team.

Their passion for learning is matched by their involvement in a variety of activities, including music, sports, theater, speech and debate. Turn to Page 6 to meet them and learn about their aspirations.

Also inside:

n

The All Metro, Eastern and West-Central Nebraska Teams

n

Honorable mention students from Nebraska

2

| SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

2021 All Metro Academic Team FIRST TEAM

Charles Campbell

Sophia Dervin

Grace Henderson

Drew Hinton

All State

Parents: Tom and Liz Dervin

All State

Parents: Bradley Hinton, Christine Hinton

Parents: Charles and Janet Campbell

Class rank: no rank out of 84

Parents: Amy and John Henderson

Class rank: no rank out of 574

Class rank: no rank out of 67

Test score: 36 ACT, Nat. Merit

Class rank: no rank out of 556

Test score: 36 ACT, Nat. Merit

Test score: 36 ACT

College: University of Denver; emergent digital practices

Test score: 36 ACT, Nat. Merit

College: Colby College; engineering

College: Georgia Institute of Technology; chemical engineering with minor in biomedical engineering

Accomplishments: AP Scholar with Distinction; marching band; wind ensemble; jazz band; tennis; University of Chicago summer neuroscience course

Omaha Concordia

Omaha Duchesne

College: Iowa State University; aerospace engineering

Millard North

Accomplishments: Student ambassador; National Honor Society; volunteer at All Saints Elementary School; software developer intern at Gallup; Body Kindness club

Accomplishments: Soccer, team captain; jazz band leader and UNO youth jazz orchestra; NMEA threetime All State Jazz Band; NMEA All State Choir; Presidential Scholar candidate; Academic All State for soccer; Eagle Scout

Katie Liske

Andrew Li

Accomplishments: Band leadership member; Mu Alpha Theta secretary; All-State musician; Class AA marching band state champions; founder of nonprofit BRAVE; Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy; first place in TechnaPWN VEX Robotics competition

Millard West

Omaha Marian

Omaha Westside

Omaha Creighton Prep

Benjamin Lyons

Kolton O’Neal

Parents: Tiffany and Matt Liske

All State

Parents: William and Kathleen Lyons

All State

Class rank: no rank out of 169

Parents: David Li and Jinping Liu

Class rank: no rank out of 229

Parents: Lee and Lisa O’Neal

Test score: 36 ACT, Nat. Merit

Class rank: 3 out of 432

Test scores: 36 ACT, 1590 SAT, Nat. Merit

Class rank: no rank out of 353

College: University of Washington; geology or astronomy

Scores: 36 ACT, 1570 SAT, Nat. Merit

College: Rose Hulman Institute of Technology; mathematics

Test scores: 36 ACT, 1560 SAT, Nat. Merit

College: MIT; math and computer science

Accomplishments: National Honor Society president; math club president; American Chemical Society Award for Outstanding Achievement in High School Chemistry; Mu Alpha Theta ; National Science Honor Society; Rho Kappa ; U.S. Presidential Scholars program

Accomplishments: Section leader for marching, concert and jazz bands; teaching assistant at UNO; created and maintained WHS Scheduler app; National Young Arts merit winner; published a pure mathematics paper in a journal as the sole author; Breakthrough Junior Challenge finalist; NAQT High School National Championship qualifier

Accomplishments: Concert choir bass section leader; National Honor Society executive board; Better Business Bureau Student Integrity Award; 1st place Metropolitan High School Chess League; Spanish National Honor Society; reviewer for MathSciNet; five math papers published with a professor

Gretna

College: University of Nebraska-Lincoln; mathematics Accomplishments: Marching band, baritone section leader; jazz band, trombone section leader; American Invitational Mathematics Examination qualifier; multiple gold medals in academic decathlon; third place on the Probe II Team at UNL Math Day; quiz bowl; teaching assistant for the GHS calculus and physics dual credit teacher

Matthew Salfity

Trishna Srikumar Omaha Brownell Talbot

Omaha Brownell Talbot

Daniel Stein

Kenny Zhu

Parents: Marwan Salfity and Sonia Salfity

Parents: Nadarajah Srikumar and Suganthi Srikumar

Parents: Dasha and Jeffrey Stein

Parents: Likang Zhu and Yanling Ma

Class rank: no rank out of 28

Class rank: no rank out of 556

Omaha Westside

Class rank: 1 out of 432

Class rank: no rank out of 28

Test score: 36 ACT

Test scores: 36 ACT, 1580, SAT Nat. Merit

College: Duke; biomedical engineering Accomplishments: Principal cellist in orchestra; lead pianist in jazz band; All State orchestra; National AP Scholar; U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate

College: University of Nebraska-Lincoln; mechanical engineering Accomplishments: Class treasurer; school newspaper co-editor-in-chief and copy editor; excellence award, Northeast Wisconsin Signature Event Robotics competition; Nebraska Regional High School Science Bowl winner; seven excellence awards and four design awards at regional robotics competitions; 2nd place finish in the AreteLabs/AMC Math Madness National Championship; UNO State Math Competition, 3rd place in multiple choice

Millard North

Test score: 1540 SAT, Nat. Merit

Test score: 36 ACT, Nat. Merit

College: University of Pennsylvania; neuroscience

College: University of Pennsylvania; political science and history

Accomplishments: Worked in a research lab and co-authored a scientific paper; tennis; Scholastic Art & Writing awards silver key for critical essay; second place in Chidon Ha’Tanach International Bible Competition, USA division; five gold medals on the National Latin exam

Accomplishments: Debate team president; National Honor Society president; National Speech and Debate Association, All American ranked 10th, extemporaneous speaking top 30 at nationals; national Spanish exam silver medal; National/International AP Scholar; National Economics Challenge semi-finalist

SECOND TEAM Drew Christo

Emily Engel

Elise Gilroy

Ramya Iyer

Parents: Jill and Monte Christo

Parents: John and Barbara Engel

Parents: Todd and Denise Gilroy

Class rank: 1 out of 329

Class rank: 1 out of 625

Class rank: no rank out of 574

Parents: Jeyalakshmi Govindarajan and Ramakrishna Prasad

Test score: 35 ACT

Test scores: 34 ACT, 1470 SAT, Nat. Merit

Test scores: 35 ACT, 1570 SAT

Jackson Long

Colin Mahoney

Hannah McArthur

Parents: Jeremy and Amanda Long

Parents: Dr. Jeff Mahoney and Mrs. Catherine Mahoney

Elkhorn

Omaha North

Class rank: 1 out of 431 Test score: 35 ACT, Nat. Merit

Chad Preble

Elkhorn South

Parents: Clark and Maureen Preble Class rank: 1 out of 315 Test score: 35 ACT, Nat. Merit

Omaha Central

Omaha Creighton Prep

Class rank: no rank out of 229 Test score: 1590 SAT, Nat. Merit

Jack Henry Sorensen

Elkhorn Mount Michael Parents: Christopher and Chloe Sorensen Class rank: no rank out of 58 Test score: 35 ACT

Millard West

Bellevue East Parents: Kevin and Trisha McArthur Class rank: 1 out of 296 Test score: 34 ACT

Samuel Vu

Omaha Westside

Class rank: 2 out of 432 Test score: 34 ACT

Ben Morrow Elkhorn South

Parents: John and Kathleen Morrow Class rank: 2 out of 315 Test score: 35 ACT, Nat. Merit

Joseph S. Zhong

Papillion-La Vista

Millard North

Parents: Xuan-Ngau Tran and Dien Vu

Parents: Ping Yang and Haizhen (Andy) Zhong

Class rank: no rank out of 413 Test scores: 36 ACT, 1570 SAT

Class rank: no rank out of 556 Test scores: 34 ACT, 1530 SAT, Nat. Merit

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021 |

U N I V E R S I TY OF N E B R AS KA–L I N CO L N

S T A R G N CO

!

S D A R G H

l o o h c S h g i

Class of 2021: Graduating from high school is no easy feat, especially when the world keeps rapidly shifting.

On behalf of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, we commend you for working hard and finishing strong.

We want to celebrate with you and remind you that the future is still yours to create.

As big as this moment is, you have so much more to look forward to.

In the next few years, you’ll make lifelong memories—like having goofy late-night study sessions

with new friends, eating too much pizza or experiencing the rush of trying something completely new.

You’ll make breakthroughs in your craft, broaden your horizons and

use your creativity to take you to places you’ve never been.

We’re excited to see what you’ll discover, what you’ll create, and who you’ll become.

Congratulations again on all you’ve accomplished!

-The Faculty, Staff, and Students at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln

We’re here for you—connect with us.

ADM ISSION S.UN L.E DU

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4 | Sunday, May 16, 2021

Omaha World-Herald

2021 All Eastern Academic Team FIRST TEAM

Jack Amen‌

John Boesen‌

Emma Cada‌

Elizabeth Gokie‌

Parents: Travis and Julane Amen Class rank: no rank out of 658

Parents: Monte and Jacqueline Boesen

All State

Parents: Kate and Richard Gokie

Class rank: 1 out of 54

Parents: Kevin and Erika Cada

Class rank: no rank out of 120

Test scores: 36 ACT, 1570 SAT, Nat. Merit

Test score: 36 ACT, Nat. Merit

Class rank: 1 out of 129

Test score: 34 ACT, Nat. Merit

College: Princeton University; aerospace engineering

College: Harvard; mechanical engineering

Test score: 36 ACT

College: University of Alabama; biology for pre-med

Accomplishments: Class president; National Honor Society president; two-time National Individual Events Tournament of Champions qualifier in persuasive; state qualifier in extemporaneous speaking; Class B All-State Band; two-time cross country state qualifier; state track medalist

College: University of Pittsburgh; political science on a pre-law track

Accomplishments: Freshman class vice-president; Junior Jay Bluejay mentor for grade school students; Academic Decathlon; cross country, four-year letter winner, All Conference, won team state championship; Seward Youth Rotarian of the Month; AP Scholar Award; U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate; academic decathlon.

Lincoln High

Malcolm

Accomplishments: Theatre Board secretary/house manager; National Honor Society secretary; Presidential Scholar nominee; outstanding performance recognition at State One-Act 2020; three academic and music letters, theater letter; four-year All-State choir participant; leading roles in school musicals: “Newsies” and “Godspell”

Joshua Lee‌

Blair

Accomplishments: class president; National Honor Society president; FBLA vice-president; Youth Leadership Consortium recipient; FBLA national qualifier; FBLA All-State Quality Member Award; Craig Kuhr Freshman of the Year; Academic All-State in volleyball

Seward

Carson E. Miller‌

Clare Oldenburg‌ Lincoln Pius X

Lincoln North Star

All State

Parents: Eric and Tara Miller

Parents: Monica and Dan Oldenburg

Parents: Trieu Huynh and Nhung Phan

Parents: Heejeong Kim and Jaekwon Lee

Class rank: no rank out of 20

Class rank: no rank out of 304

Class rank: no rank out of 625

Lincoln East

Pender

Tan Phan‌

Class rank: no rank out of 581

Test score: 34 ACT

Test score: 36 ACT

Test score: 34 ACT

Test scores: 36 ACT, 1550 SAT, Nat. Merit

College: University of Mississippi; biomedical engineering

College: Hillsdale College; physics and chemistry

College: University of Nebraska-Lincoln; computer science and business management

College: MIT; computer science, data science and economics

Accomplishments: Student council; FFA officer; U.S. Naval Academy summer seminar; NSAA Student Advisory Committee; Cornhusker Girls State; President’s Award for Academic Excellence; Academic All State for one-act and softball

Accomplishments: Math club president; Forum Debate team co-captain; three-time NSDA national tournament qualifier, placed 10th in forum; twotime USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad qualifier; two-time Gold Forum Tournament of Champions qualifier; two-time NMEA All-State Orchestra participant; UNL Math Day first place

Jennifer Quach‌

Accomplishments: Academic Decathlon honors team; first Nebraskan to earn state top individual score twice in Academic Decathlon; swim team, letter winner; Sotto Voce-top auditioned, acapella choir; violinist in Lincoln Homeschool Orchestra, soloist; U.S. Presidential Scholars nominee; volunteer with Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach; church volunteer

Accomplishments: Tennis; girls tennis manager; named to “Top 100 Visionaries in Education” by the Global Forum for Education and Learning; cofounded two nonprofit organizations: Lumiere Foundation and Aston Tutors; LaunchX Summer Entrepreneurship program

Bethany Wiebold‌

Lincoln Southeast

Lincoln Southwest

Ava Spinar‌

Kolbe Villa‌

Parents: Truyen Quach and Hanh Nguyen

Parents: Anne Perlman and David Spinar

Parents: Mike and Emily Villa

All State

Class rank: no rank out of 495

Class rank: no rank out of 536

Class rank: no rank out of 304

Parents: Gerald and Leta Wiebold Class rank: 1 out of 61

Lincoln Pius X

Test score: 35 ACT

Test scores: 35 ACT, 1310 SAT

Test scores: 35 ACT, 1470 SAT, Nat. Merit

College: Stanford; East Asian studies/ international relations

College: United States Military Academy at West Point; chemistry

College: U.S. Air Force Academy; aeronautical engineering

Accomplishments: Newspaper editor-in-chief; covice director of Project Make a Statement; band low reeds section leader; science club co-founder and co-president; NSDA National Debate Tournament quarterfinalist; HOSA state champion in biomedical debate and runner-up in researched persuasive writing and speaking; founded ConnectUS

Accomplishments: National Honor Society secretary; team captain of club soccer team and varsity soccer team; soccer letter winner; Academic All-State in soccer; Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy-gold level in Spanish; academic letter and pin; three Congressional nominations to United States service academies

Accomplishments: Cross country team captain; track; Pius Chamber Orchestra first chair; three nominations to the Air Force Academy; four-time State Academic Decathlon qualifier, 16 state medals, National Art Silver Medalist; AP Scholar with Honor; Cadet Master Sergeant, Civil Air Patrol; 10time letter winner in cross country, track and academic decathlon

North Bend Central

Test score: 36 ACT College: Harvard; government or human evolutionary biology Accomplishments: Student council; chorus soprano section leader; clarinet section leader in band; U.S. Presidential Scholars candidate; Class C All-State Band qualifier; Nebraska Attorney General conference delegate; Best Actress in conference One-Act, leading actress with “Outstanding Actress” award in two state qualifying productions; finalist for Phyliss J. McCarthy writing scholarship

SECOND TEAM Malea Bussard‌

Norfolk

Lincoln High

Emma Goeden‌

Lincoln East Parents: Bill, Jodi Allen

Parents: Patty Brasch

Parents: Kathleen Bussard and Stephen Bussard

Parents: Christopher and Carmen Goeden

Joseph Allen‌

Class rank: no rank out of 581

Amanda Brasch‌

Class rank: 3 out of 334 Test score: 34 ACT

Test score: 35 ACT

Test score: 34 ACT

Kolby Johnson‌

Grace Nelson‌

Parents: Herman and Anita Johnson

Parents: Jennifer and Dann Nelson

Class rank: 2 out of 48

Class rank: no rank out of 495

Test score: 34 ACT

Test score: 34 ACT

Madison

Class rank: no rank out of 658

Lincoln Southeast

Lucas Niewohner‌

Tekamah-Herman

Lincoln Southwest

Class rank: no rank out of 536

Test scores: 35 ACT, 1400 SAT, Nat. Merit

Test score: 35 ACT

Jonathan M. Xing‌

Parents: Darren and Julie Waddell

Parents: Duane and Hope Weninger

Parents: Mike and Kelly Works

Class rank: no rank out of 581

Class rank: 1 out of 25

Class rank: no rank out of 536

Test score: 34 ACT

Lars Pedersen‌

Class rank: 1 out of 30

Grady Works‌

Test score: 35 ACT

Test score: 35 ACT

Parents: Troy Pedersen and Heather Pedersen

Olivia Weninger‌

Nebraska City Lourdes

Class rank: no rank out of 304

Parents: Scott and Michelle Niewohner

Kai Waddell‌ Lincoln East

Lincoln Pius X

Lincoln Southwest

Test score: 34 ACT

Lincoln Christian Parents: Kuiyi Xing and Xing Meng Class rank: 1 out of 43 Test score: 36 ACT, Nat. Merit

Omaha World-Herald

Sunday, May 16, 2021 | 5

2021 All West-Central Academic Team FIRST TEAM

Brooke Bode‌

Matthew Dahlke‌

Samuel Dekleva‌

Alexander Endorf‌

Parents: Jason and Kelly Bode

Parents: Todd and Teresa Dahlke

All State

Parents: Rick and Tracy Endorf

Class rank: 2 out of 35

Class rank: 1 out of 355

Parents: Edward and Deborah Dekleva

Class rank: 1 out of 12

Hershey

Kearney

North Platte St. Patrick

Nebraska EV Lutheran

Test score: 35 ACT

Test score: 36 ACT, Nat. Merit

Class rank: 1 out of 13

Test scores: 34 ACT, 1440 SAT, Nat. Merit

College: University of Nebraska-Lincoln; mechanical engineering

College: University of Nebraska-Lincoln; music education

Test scores: 36 ACT, 1540 SAT, Nat. Merit

College: University of Alabama; business with pre-law focus

Accomplishments: Student government; FBLA chapter president; class vice-president; Nebraska State FBLA: eighth place cyber security, seventh place introduction to business; North Platte Community College Inter-High Day first place business communications; Academic All State for speech and play production

Accomplishments: #BeKind leadership team; Quiz Bowl team captain; Eagle Scout; Vigil Honor Award; nine-time varsity letter in cross country (3), track (4) and swimming (2); NMEA All-State front row violist four times; National Honors Orchestra violist; Quiz Bowl, district championship and state finalist; Quiz Bowl team captain

Accomplishments: Student council representative; cross country team captain; sophomore and senior class president; All-State Choir; Quiz Bowl; cross country state qualifier; piano performance champion; state speech qualifier

Adarsha Ganesan‌

Hannah Godwin‌ Kearney

Academies of Grand Island

Raymond Hanson‌

Sophia He‌

Parents: Anitha Ganesan and Ganesan Kanagarajan

Parents: Jason and Shannon Godwin

Parents: Mark and Aname Hanson

Parents: Leslie Carazos and Like He

Class rank: 1 out of 90

Class rank: 1 out of 355

Class rank: no rank out of 503

Class rank: 3 out of 199

Test score: 35 ACT

Test score: 34 ACT

Test score: 35 ACT, Nat. Merit

Test scores: 34 ACT, 1470 SAT, Nat. Merit

College: University of Nebraska-Lincoln; computer science

College: University of Nebraska-Lincoln; biological sciences

College: Northwestern University; computer engineering

College: undecided; undecided

Accomplishments: Director of Unified Raiders; science club president; National Honor Society secretary; created an after-school and ACES tutoring program for high school and middle school students; Rural and Small Town Recognition Program; elementary youth mentor; co-arranged autism awareness basketball game

Accomplishments: Class officer; Key Club officer/ treasurer; National Merit Commended Scholar; Rural and Small Town Recognition Program; cross country and track: Academic All-State and All-Conference, Class A state medaling finishes, eight-time letter winner; cross country team captain, threetime Super-State and All-State in Class A state championship

Accomplishments: FBLA president; information technology internship; two top 5 finishes at District Quiz Bowl; jazz orchestra

Abigail Meier‌

Jaden Nienhueser‌

Ashley Nierman‌

Noah Shackelford‌

Parents: John and Michelle Meier

Parents: Joan and Noel Nienhueser

Parents: Mike and Janel Nierman

All State

Sidney

Adams Central

Pierce

College: Notre Dame; statistics

Harvard

Accomplishments: Class representative; student body secretary; service committee chair; dorm resident assistant; class treasurer; Quiz Bowl, two-time state qualifier, co-captain; four-time All-Conference choir medalist; One Act, two-time District Outstanding Actor award; football, 2nd Team All-District and co-captain; Rural and Small Town Recognition Program

Scottsbluff

Accomplishments: Student newspaper advertising manager; Rural and Small Town Recognition Program; Academic All-State for journalism; National Federation of Music Clubs Festival Junior Cup, Class: Very Difficult II (Piano); second place at Midwest Chinese Bridge High School Speech Contest, Level Three; four place at State Journalism in both editorial writing and advertising

Fairfield Sandy Creek

Class rank: 1 out of 53

Class rank: 2 out of 75

Class rank: 1 out of 26

Parents: Steven and Nanette Shackelford

Test score: 34 ACT, Nat. Merit

Test score: 34 ACT

Test score: 35 ACT, Nat. Merit

Class rank: 1 out of 25

College: University of Nebraska at Omaha; biomechanics

College: University of Nebraska at Omaha; molecular and biomedical sciences and biology

College: University of Nebraska-Lincoln; business management

Accomplishments: Student council president; fouryear class officer; volleyball and basketball captain; representative on District 3 Nebraska Youth Advisory for Congressman Adrian Smith; National Honor Society

Accomplishments: Student council officer; woodwind section leader/band council; four-time NMEA All-State Band; Presidential Award for science research at JSHS science fair ; Hixson-Lied Nebraska Young Artist Award for Music Composition; Nebraska State Academic Decathlon, second place essay; Quiz Bowl, ESU 9 champion and state qualifier

Accomplishments: FBLA president; class treasurer; Academic All-State for journalism, track & field, music, volleyball, girls basketball and play production; State Journalism, four individual top 4 finishes; Academic Excellence Medals; school volleyball passing record in a season and for career; Superintendent’s Honor Roll

Test score: 35 ACT, Nat. Merit College: University of Nebraska at Kearney; biology Accomplishments: HOSA president; class president; district speech champion in extemporaneous speaking; ACTIONS Day, first place trigonometry; FBLA national qualifier; FFA three-year meats evaluation champion

SECOND TEAM Alliah Bourne‌

Matthew Dailey‌

Seth Daup‌

Sandhills

Gothenburg

Joseph Hinrichs‌

Gordon-Rushville

Parents: Lynn and Jodi Bourne

Parents: Lemoyne and Rhonda Dailey

Parents: Alan and Jenny Daup

Parents: Jess and Megan Hinrichs

Class rank: 1 out of 37

Class rank: 1 out of 10

Class rank: 1 out of 65

Class rank: 3 out of 25

Test score: 32 ACT

Miah G.T. Hoppens‌ Ogallala

Parents: Brad and Jane Hoppens Class rank: 1 out of 72

Test score: 34 ACT

Benjamin Janssen‌

Calyn Laible‌

McCook

Callaway

Parents: Doug and Janelle Janssen

Parents: Nate and Sarah Schneider

Parents: Thomas and Gina Laible

Class rank: 2 out of 298

Class rank: 1 out of 123

Class rank: 2 out of 9

Test score: 32 ACT

Test score: 34 ACT

Jake Nichols‌

Camille Pelan‌

Parents: Jim and Tina Nichols

Parents: Jay and Tina Pelan

Class rank: 1 out of 41

Class rank: 1 out of 54

Test score: 35 ACT

Test score: 33 ACT

Emily Kjendal‌

Columbus

Test score: 33 ACT

Fillmore Central

Test score: 34 ACT

Sutton

Columbus Scotus

Test score: 32 ACT

Test score: 32 ACT

Wynema Stracener‌

Grant Winkelbauer‌

Parents: Jessica Geis and Brad Stracener

Parents: Matthew and Erika Winkelbauer

Class rank: no rank out of 101

Class rank: no rank out of 11

Test score: 34 ACT

Test score: 34 ACT

York

O’Neill St. Mary’s

6

| SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021 |

7

Samuel H. Dekleva

Omaha World-Herald All State Academic Team: (l-r) Bethany Wiebold, North Bend Central; Kolton O’Neal, Gretna; Noah Shackelford, Sandy Creek; Emma Cada, Blair; Samuel Dekleva, North Platte St. Patrick; Andrew Li, Omaha Westside; Joshua Lee, Lincoln East; Grace Henderson, Millard North; Charles Campbell, Omaha Concordia.

DREAMS TAKING

FLIGHT

North Platte St. Patrick: 1st of 13; 36 ACT, 1540 SAT, National Merit Finalist Parents: Edward and Deborah Dekleva College/planned degree: Notre Dame; statistics Scholarships: National Merit Finalist, Rural and Small Town Scholar Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: I am a leading member of our band, chorus and jazz band and made it to All-State choir two years.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: Diane Ostermeyer (or Mrs. O), my American History teacher. She pushes our class to its limits and cares about every student.

Something surprising about you: I can recite the entirety of “Hamilton: An American Musical”.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: I love playing golf and playing chess online. I’m not outstanding at either of

them, but I enjoy them both immensely.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: I visited the University of Notre Dame last March, and since then, I have just wanted to go back!

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: People aren’t as scary as I thought they were. I was socially awkward until I went out for speech, and then my fear of social interaction disappeared.

What will you remember most about high school: Dressing up as Abraham Lincoln for a “press conference” for American History with Mrs. O. Most embarrassing moment: In junior high, I got so mad at my friend that I threw his phone as high in the air as I could. It hit the ground and broke. I felt horrible about it afterward!

Where you see yourself in 20 years: Using advanced statistics to solve challenging problems in the real world.

Emma Cada Blair: 1st out of 129; 36 ACT Parents: Kevin and Erika Cada College/planned degree: University of Pittsburgh, political science (on a pre-law track) Scholarships: P.E.O. STAR Scholarship, P.E.O. Local Chapter Scholarship; Panther Pride Award, Panther Pride Merit Award, University Scholarship Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: I was a three-year member and a 1-year captain of my school’s varsity show choir. In my time with the group, we scored our highest placement at a competition since at least 2006. We worked hard to compete with the larger surrounding schools and I am proud of the competitive yet passionate environment we fostered. Even if we didn’t win, we proudly wore the badge of the kindest school that attended each event.

Teacher with the biggest impact on you: Kirk Schjodt Something surprising about you: I do not know how to snap properly!

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: Honestly, I most enjoy working at Subway on Sunday mornings with my best friends. There’s just something about slicing onions while listening to your favorite songs at 9 a.m. that brightens my week.

If you could travel anywhere, where would

you go: I would travel to Norway because I dream of living in Scandinavia at some point. I want to see the fjords and experience Norway’s natural beauty, both in nature and in the cities and culture.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: Don’t take yourself so seriously! I’m extremely proud of who I’ve become in high school, but I missed out on a lot of fun opportunities and typical “high school experiences” as I was busy worrying about my grades and reputation. If I could go back, I would agree to hang out with my friends on a weeknight once in a while. Also, the school’s nachos aren’t as good as you think. At some point, they WILL make you sick. Beware.

What will you remember most about high school: I will remember the fine arts programs.

Blair is a smaller school, but we have always been competitive in choir, drama, and band.

The teachers and directors in the department are phenomenal; they were the educators who endlessly comforted me in my lowest moments, celebrated my highest moments, continually stood up for me, and taught me to be the person I am today.

Most embarrassing moment: Have you ever broken a public toilet as a 12-year-old at a baseball game with thirty women waiting outside to use your stall? Because I have. Not my brightest moment.

How has the pandemic changed you: I learned to focus more on my family and the important people in life.

Grace Henderson

idential Scholarship; University of Minnesota National Scholarship; SAME Omaha Post Scholarship; Travis B. Lewis Scholarship Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: The opportunities to grow as a musician and serve our community by volunteering at the Red Cross and with a veteran’s support organization called BRAVE have been very fulfilling.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: I have been extremely fortunate to have been taught by many amazing teachers at Millard North High School, especially Aaron Harding, Weylon White and Adam Fjell.

Something surprising about you: I am really into horticulture and plant propagation, and I am currently trying to breed Caridina and Neocaridina shrimp as well.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school and why: Even though most of my studies are science and math focused, I enjoy painting and doing art projects outside of school.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: I would return to Oahu, Hawaii, because I lived there when I was young and I miss the culture and eating Matsumoto’s Shave Ice. What you wish you’d known as a freshman: Although unrealistic, I would have liked to know about the global pandemic, so I could have started visiting colleges earlier as we did not have that opportunity in our junior and senior years.

What will you remember most about high

school: I always loved marching band competitions, and it was something that I really missed this year.

Most embarrassing moment: Probably when I fainted on the football field during one of our marching band performances this past fall.

Where you see yourself in 20 years: I hope to conduct research in sustainable solutions and perhaps in the development of synthetic tissues to improve medical procedures.

Factors in choosing your college: High quality, comprehensive engineering program with opportunities to conduct meaningful research, apply for relevant internships and study abroad. Also, it was important for me to attend a university that has an inclusive admissions process, as opposed to those who pride themselves on the high numbers of students they exclude.

How has the pandemic changed you: I think the pandemic has changed us all in some ways, and in my case it has really helped distinguish things that were superficial in my life and those of importance.

tion with my friends while working out always makes it so much more enjoyable.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: I’d really like to visit my extended family in South Korea. The last time I visited was over 10 years ago, so it’d be nice to go back and catch up with everyone again.

Plus, Korean food is amazing.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: Don’t tie your happiness to your accomplishments. This is something I still struggle with, but sometimes, it’s okay to take a few days off and enjoy life for what it is. You only have four years of high school, and any time spent dwelling on what could have happened is time that could be spent on more exciting things.

Everyone experiences burnout at some point, so it’s best to just embrace it and treat it as a well-deserved break.

What will you remember most about high school: Debate tournaments. As someone with little free time, debate tournaments were always the perfect middle ground between my academics and social life. I’ll never forget the conversations with my teammates on every bus ride and the late-night dinners at McDonald’s and Taco Bell.

Most embarrassing moment: I once gave

my crush a jar of cookie butter in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bag for Valentine’s Day. Also, my card was written in crayon.

Where you see yourself in 20 years: Conducting economic policy research as part of a think tank.

Factors in choosing your college: I chose MIT because of its strength in the applied sciences, as well as the competitive, yet collaborative culture surrounding the school. Also, I love the location — Cambridge is just a few minutes away from Boston, which is one of my

favorite cities.

How has the pandemic changed you: Overall, the pandemic has given me a lot more free time, so I’ve started to engage a lot more with my hobbies, namely reading and running. I’ve also learned to appreciate the little things a lot more. Staying at home has given me the chance to have conversations with my parents and play with my dog Milo a lot more often, so it’s really taught me to cherish the memories that may seem small in the moment.

INTERVIEWS BY MARJIE DUCEY | PHOTOS BY KILEY CRUSE

The pandemic has changed everyone, but high school seniors are still leaving for college with big dreams. The nine members of The World-Herald’s 2021 All State Academic Team all want to change the world and some have out-of-this-world aspirations, such as visiting Mars or any of the other planets in the galaxy. Discover more about these talented students, how they picked the perfect college for them and where they hope to be in 20 years.

Factors in choosing your college: I wanted a faith-based education and high-quality academics in a smaller, tight-knit community. Notre Dame exceeded all of my expectations.

Millard North: No rank out of 556; 36 ACT, National Merit Finalist Parents: Amy and John Henderson College/planned degree: Georgia Institute of Technology; chemical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering Scholarships: National Merit; UNO Regents Scholarship; UNL Regents Scholarship; South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Pres-

Joshua Lee

Where you see yourself in 20 years: I want to be working as an attorney, hopefully for a professional sports team. Otherwise, I could picture myself in public office, on the track to join Congress.

Factors in choosing your college: Unfortunately, I’ve never actually seen Pittsburgh, but I know it’s the school and city for me. The large student body is perfect for my extroverted personality and the staff in the virtual meetings I attended were the most welcoming I’ve met.

Additionally, the mix of internship opportunities, academia and passionate school pride is

the perfect ratio for me. Hail to Pitt!

How has the pandemic changed you: I have matured immensely and become more aware of the world. Moving a million miles an hour in order to accomplish everything in high school certainly distracted me from my surroundings.

When the pandemic forced me to slow down and take a look around, I truly learned that my little Nebraskan town is not always an adequate representation of the nation’s and the world’s problems. Since then, I’ve become more active in speaking out and/or supporting various issues and raising awareness to better our world.

Lincoln East: No rank out of 581; 36 ACT, 1550 SAT, National Merit Finalist Parents: Jaekwon Lee and Heejeong Kim College/planned degree: MIT; computer science, data science and economics Scholarships: UNL Regents, Raikes; MIT; National Speech and Debate Association Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: One of the activities I’ve enjoyed the most throughout high school is teaching mathematics to younger kids. There’s something extraordinarily satisfying about building connections to help less experienced students learn more about a subject I love, and I’m proud that I’ve been able to have a meaningful influence on many of their lives.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: My orchestra teacher, Mr. Whitman. He’s been my teacher since 7th grade, and his unwavering dedication to music inspires me to have a similar passion for everything else I’m involved with.

Something surprising about you: I like to collect socks with cool patterns on them.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: I love to exercise with my friends.

Whether it’s biking for hours across Lincoln or lifting weights at the YMCA, having a conversa-

Andrew Li

Charles Campbell Omaha Concordia: No rank out of 67; 36 ACT Parents: Charles and Janet Campbell College/planned degree: Iowa State University; aerospace engineering Scholarships: Adventure Award, Expedition Award Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: I’m most proud of making it into an all-state music ensemble all 4 years of high school because I enjoy music and I was the first to do so from my school.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: Peter Klemp, my band teacher.

Something surprising about you: I am an Eagle Scout.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: Hanging out with friends on the weekend because it helps me relax after a busy school week.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: Alaska, because I enjoy the mountains

and hiking.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: I wish I had known that most of your plans won’t work out how you think they will. I also wish I had known that groups of friends can change a lot in a short period of time.

What will you remember most about high school: I will remember all of my friends and teachers and the positive impact they’ve made on my life.

Most embarrassing moment: My most embarrassing moment was costume malfunction in a musical performance.

Where you see yourself in 20 years: I see myself with a good engineering job at a company like Boeing or SpaceX, probably with a family as well.

Factors in choosing your college: Iowa State has an excellent engineering program and it’s nearby.

How has the pandemic changed you: It has made me more of a realist.

Omaha Westside: 3rd of 432; 36 ACT, 1570 SAT, National Merit Finalist Parents: David Li and Jinping Liu College/planned degree: MIT; math and computer science Scholarships: National Merit Scholar, Case Western Reserve University Scholarship Besides your grades, what high school

contribution makes you most proud: I created an app freshman year to help students navigate Westside’s modular scheduling system. It was my chance to turn the code I loved writing into real impact, to come out of my shell and meet new people.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: My band teacher Tommy Krueger. He’s the funniest

and most caring teacher I’ve ever had, someone I could really be myself around. He’s also an amazing musician and director, always pushing his student to not only play but make music.

Something surprising about you: I do 100 push-ups a day.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: My friends have this game night where we always play Catan, among other games. It’s always a night filled with alliances, betrayals and countless new inside jokes.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: Mars, and being one of the first humans to step foot on another planet.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: The best way to grow is putting yourself out there, as scary as it seems.

What will you remember most about high school: My friends. I found my people at Westside, people who get my jokes and make me laugh for hours.

Most embarrassing moment: I used to play soccer (badly) for Omaha FC back in elementary school. The one time I got the ball I was ecstatic

and ran all the way across the field, celebrating as I scored my first point. I thought it was weird the goalie didn’t stop me. Then I realized I was cheering with the other team. Not my finest moment.

Where you see yourself in 20 years: I see myself having created a startup in tech since I love creating things for others. I’m also a lifelong learner and teacher, so I hope to go back to school and pursue a career as a professor as well.

Factors in choosing your college: I’ve always been a STEM guy, and I think surrounding yourself with people who are much smarter than you is an amazing way to learn a lot. The Boston area also has a great jazz scene I look forward to jamming with.

How has the pandemic changed you: It’s put into perspective just how fortunate I am.

It’s also taught me that even through adversity there are many opportunities to take advantage of, but that you should do the things you want to while you still can.

6

| SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021 |

7

Samuel H. Dekleva

Omaha World-Herald All State Academic Team: (l-r) Bethany Wiebold, North Bend Central; Kolton O’Neal, Gretna; Noah Shackelford, Sandy Creek; Emma Cada, Blair; Samuel Dekleva, North Platte St. Patrick; Andrew Li, Omaha Westside; Joshua Lee, Lincoln East; Grace Henderson, Millard North; Charles Campbell, Omaha Concordia.

DREAMS TAKING

FLIGHT

North Platte St. Patrick: 1st of 13; 36 ACT, 1540 SAT, National Merit Finalist Parents: Edward and Deborah Dekleva College/planned degree: Notre Dame; statistics Scholarships: National Merit Finalist, Rural and Small Town Scholar Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: I am a leading member of our band, chorus and jazz band and made it to All-State choir two years.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: Diane Ostermeyer (or Mrs. O), my American History teacher. She pushes our class to its limits and cares about every student.

Something surprising about you: I can recite the entirety of “Hamilton: An American Musical”.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: I love playing golf and playing chess online. I’m not outstanding at either of

them, but I enjoy them both immensely.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: I visited the University of Notre Dame last March, and since then, I have just wanted to go back!

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: People aren’t as scary as I thought they were. I was socially awkward until I went out for speech, and then my fear of social interaction disappeared.

What will you remember most about high school: Dressing up as Abraham Lincoln for a “press conference” for American History with Mrs. O. Most embarrassing moment: In junior high, I got so mad at my friend that I threw his phone as high in the air as I could. It hit the ground and broke. I felt horrible about it afterward!

Where you see yourself in 20 years: Using advanced statistics to solve challenging problems in the real world.

Emma Cada Blair: 1st out of 129; 36 ACT Parents: Kevin and Erika Cada College/planned degree: University of Pittsburgh, political science (on a pre-law track) Scholarships: P.E.O. STAR Scholarship, P.E.O. Local Chapter Scholarship; Panther Pride Award, Panther Pride Merit Award, University Scholarship Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: I was a three-year member and a 1-year captain of my school’s varsity show choir. In my time with the group, we scored our highest placement at a competition since at least 2006. We worked hard to compete with the larger surrounding schools and I am proud of the competitive yet passionate environment we fostered. Even if we didn’t win, we proudly wore the badge of the kindest school that attended each event.

Teacher with the biggest impact on you: Kirk Schjodt Something surprising about you: I do not know how to snap properly!

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: Honestly, I most enjoy working at Subway on Sunday mornings with my best friends. There’s just something about slicing onions while listening to your favorite songs at 9 a.m. that brightens my week.

If you could travel anywhere, where would

you go: I would travel to Norway because I dream of living in Scandinavia at some point. I want to see the fjords and experience Norway’s natural beauty, both in nature and in the cities and culture.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: Don’t take yourself so seriously! I’m extremely proud of who I’ve become in high school, but I missed out on a lot of fun opportunities and typical “high school experiences” as I was busy worrying about my grades and reputation. If I could go back, I would agree to hang out with my friends on a weeknight once in a while. Also, the school’s nachos aren’t as good as you think. At some point, they WILL make you sick. Beware.

What will you remember most about high school: I will remember the fine arts programs.

Blair is a smaller school, but we have always been competitive in choir, drama, and band.

The teachers and directors in the department are phenomenal; they were the educators who endlessly comforted me in my lowest moments, celebrated my highest moments, continually stood up for me, and taught me to be the person I am today.

Most embarrassing moment: Have you ever broken a public toilet as a 12-year-old at a baseball game with thirty women waiting outside to use your stall? Because I have. Not my brightest moment.

How has the pandemic changed you: I learned to focus more on my family and the important people in life.

Grace Henderson

idential Scholarship; University of Minnesota National Scholarship; SAME Omaha Post Scholarship; Travis B. Lewis Scholarship Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: The opportunities to grow as a musician and serve our community by volunteering at the Red Cross and with a veteran’s support organization called BRAVE have been very fulfilling.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: I have been extremely fortunate to have been taught by many amazing teachers at Millard North High School, especially Aaron Harding, Weylon White and Adam Fjell.

Something surprising about you: I am really into horticulture and plant propagation, and I am currently trying to breed Caridina and Neocaridina shrimp as well.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school and why: Even though most of my studies are science and math focused, I enjoy painting and doing art projects outside of school.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: I would return to Oahu, Hawaii, because I lived there when I was young and I miss the culture and eating Matsumoto’s Shave Ice. What you wish you’d known as a freshman: Although unrealistic, I would have liked to know about the global pandemic, so I could have started visiting colleges earlier as we did not have that opportunity in our junior and senior years.

What will you remember most about high

school: I always loved marching band competitions, and it was something that I really missed this year.

Most embarrassing moment: Probably when I fainted on the football field during one of our marching band performances this past fall.

Where you see yourself in 20 years: I hope to conduct research in sustainable solutions and perhaps in the development of synthetic tissues to improve medical procedures.

Factors in choosing your college: High quality, comprehensive engineering program with opportunities to conduct meaningful research, apply for relevant internships and study abroad. Also, it was important for me to attend a university that has an inclusive admissions process, as opposed to those who pride themselves on the high numbers of students they exclude.

How has the pandemic changed you: I think the pandemic has changed us all in some ways, and in my case it has really helped distinguish things that were superficial in my life and those of importance.

tion with my friends while working out always makes it so much more enjoyable.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: I’d really like to visit my extended family in South Korea. The last time I visited was over 10 years ago, so it’d be nice to go back and catch up with everyone again.

Plus, Korean food is amazing.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: Don’t tie your happiness to your accomplishments. This is something I still struggle with, but sometimes, it’s okay to take a few days off and enjoy life for what it is. You only have four years of high school, and any time spent dwelling on what could have happened is time that could be spent on more exciting things.

Everyone experiences burnout at some point, so it’s best to just embrace it and treat it as a well-deserved break.

What will you remember most about high school: Debate tournaments. As someone with little free time, debate tournaments were always the perfect middle ground between my academics and social life. I’ll never forget the conversations with my teammates on every bus ride and the late-night dinners at McDonald’s and Taco Bell.

Most embarrassing moment: I once gave

my crush a jar of cookie butter in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bag for Valentine’s Day. Also, my card was written in crayon.

Where you see yourself in 20 years: Conducting economic policy research as part of a think tank.

Factors in choosing your college: I chose MIT because of its strength in the applied sciences, as well as the competitive, yet collaborative culture surrounding the school. Also, I love the location — Cambridge is just a few minutes away from Boston, which is one of my

favorite cities.

How has the pandemic changed you: Overall, the pandemic has given me a lot more free time, so I’ve started to engage a lot more with my hobbies, namely reading and running. I’ve also learned to appreciate the little things a lot more. Staying at home has given me the chance to have conversations with my parents and play with my dog Milo a lot more often, so it’s really taught me to cherish the memories that may seem small in the moment.

INTERVIEWS BY MARJIE DUCEY | PHOTOS BY KILEY CRUSE

The pandemic has changed everyone, but high school seniors are still leaving for college with big dreams. The nine members of The World-Herald’s 2021 All State Academic Team all want to change the world and some have out-of-this-world aspirations, such as visiting Mars or any of the other planets in the galaxy. Discover more about these talented students, how they picked the perfect college for them and where they hope to be in 20 years.

Factors in choosing your college: I wanted a faith-based education and high-quality academics in a smaller, tight-knit community. Notre Dame exceeded all of my expectations.

Millard North: No rank out of 556; 36 ACT, National Merit Finalist Parents: Amy and John Henderson College/planned degree: Georgia Institute of Technology; chemical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering Scholarships: National Merit; UNO Regents Scholarship; UNL Regents Scholarship; South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Pres-

Joshua Lee

Where you see yourself in 20 years: I want to be working as an attorney, hopefully for a professional sports team. Otherwise, I could picture myself in public office, on the track to join Congress.

Factors in choosing your college: Unfortunately, I’ve never actually seen Pittsburgh, but I know it’s the school and city for me. The large student body is perfect for my extroverted personality and the staff in the virtual meetings I attended were the most welcoming I’ve met.

Additionally, the mix of internship opportunities, academia and passionate school pride is

the perfect ratio for me. Hail to Pitt!

How has the pandemic changed you: I have matured immensely and become more aware of the world. Moving a million miles an hour in order to accomplish everything in high school certainly distracted me from my surroundings.

When the pandemic forced me to slow down and take a look around, I truly learned that my little Nebraskan town is not always an adequate representation of the nation’s and the world’s problems. Since then, I’ve become more active in speaking out and/or supporting various issues and raising awareness to better our world.

Lincoln East: No rank out of 581; 36 ACT, 1550 SAT, National Merit Finalist Parents: Jaekwon Lee and Heejeong Kim College/planned degree: MIT; computer science, data science and economics Scholarships: UNL Regents, Raikes; MIT; National Speech and Debate Association Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: One of the activities I’ve enjoyed the most throughout high school is teaching mathematics to younger kids. There’s something extraordinarily satisfying about building connections to help less experienced students learn more about a subject I love, and I’m proud that I’ve been able to have a meaningful influence on many of their lives.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: My orchestra teacher, Mr. Whitman. He’s been my teacher since 7th grade, and his unwavering dedication to music inspires me to have a similar passion for everything else I’m involved with.

Something surprising about you: I like to collect socks with cool patterns on them.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: I love to exercise with my friends.

Whether it’s biking for hours across Lincoln or lifting weights at the YMCA, having a conversa-

Andrew Li

Charles Campbell Omaha Concordia: No rank out of 67; 36 ACT Parents: Charles and Janet Campbell College/planned degree: Iowa State University; aerospace engineering Scholarships: Adventure Award, Expedition Award Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: I’m most proud of making it into an all-state music ensemble all 4 years of high school because I enjoy music and I was the first to do so from my school.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: Peter Klemp, my band teacher.

Something surprising about you: I am an Eagle Scout.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: Hanging out with friends on the weekend because it helps me relax after a busy school week.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: Alaska, because I enjoy the mountains

and hiking.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: I wish I had known that most of your plans won’t work out how you think they will. I also wish I had known that groups of friends can change a lot in a short period of time.

What will you remember most about high school: I will remember all of my friends and teachers and the positive impact they’ve made on my life.

Most embarrassing moment: My most embarrassing moment was costume malfunction in a musical performance.

Where you see yourself in 20 years: I see myself with a good engineering job at a company like Boeing or SpaceX, probably with a family as well.

Factors in choosing your college: Iowa State has an excellent engineering program and it’s nearby.

How has the pandemic changed you: It has made me more of a realist.

Omaha Westside: 3rd of 432; 36 ACT, 1570 SAT, National Merit Finalist Parents: David Li and Jinping Liu College/planned degree: MIT; math and computer science Scholarships: National Merit Scholar, Case Western Reserve University Scholarship Besides your grades, what high school

contribution makes you most proud: I created an app freshman year to help students navigate Westside’s modular scheduling system. It was my chance to turn the code I loved writing into real impact, to come out of my shell and meet new people.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: My band teacher Tommy Krueger. He’s the funniest

and most caring teacher I’ve ever had, someone I could really be myself around. He’s also an amazing musician and director, always pushing his student to not only play but make music.

Something surprising about you: I do 100 push-ups a day.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: My friends have this game night where we always play Catan, among other games. It’s always a night filled with alliances, betrayals and countless new inside jokes.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: Mars, and being one of the first humans to step foot on another planet.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: The best way to grow is putting yourself out there, as scary as it seems.

What will you remember most about high school: My friends. I found my people at Westside, people who get my jokes and make me laugh for hours.

Most embarrassing moment: I used to play soccer (badly) for Omaha FC back in elementary school. The one time I got the ball I was ecstatic

and ran all the way across the field, celebrating as I scored my first point. I thought it was weird the goalie didn’t stop me. Then I realized I was cheering with the other team. Not my finest moment.

Where you see yourself in 20 years: I see myself having created a startup in tech since I love creating things for others. I’m also a lifelong learner and teacher, so I hope to go back to school and pursue a career as a professor as well.

Factors in choosing your college: I’ve always been a STEM guy, and I think surrounding yourself with people who are much smarter than you is an amazing way to learn a lot. The Boston area also has a great jazz scene I look forward to jamming with.

How has the pandemic changed you: It’s put into perspective just how fortunate I am.

It’s also taught me that even through adversity there are many opportunities to take advantage of, but that you should do the things you want to while you still can.

8

| SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

Kolton O’Neal Gretna: No rank out of 353; 36 ACT, 1560 SAT, National Merit Finalist Parents: Lee and Lisa O’Neal College/planned degree: University of Nebraska-Lincoln; mathematics Scholarships: Chancellor’s Scholarship to UNL, National Merit Scholarship, Eastman Scholarship, Academic Decathlon scholarships Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: I am proud of being part of the high school band for four years and the two-time state grand champion marching band. As a section leader, I passed on the lessons I’ve learned to the underclassmen. It was very hard but rewarding work.

I am also proud of being a TA in my calculus and physics teacher’s class and helping others learn difficult concepts. Most of them will go into technical fields where calculus and physics will be extremely important. I am proud that I helped them achieve their goals.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: My calculus and physics teacher, Mr. Johnson has had the biggest impact on me because he has taught me about life as well as math and science.

Something surprising about you: I built my own gaming computer.

What is your favorite thing to do away

from school: One of my favorite things to do away from school is to study math because I enjoy the beauty of mathematics. It’s also just fun puzzle solving.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: I would travel to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, because I have fond memories of going there with my family during the summer.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: I wish I had known a pandemic would change my last two years of high school. I would have savored the “normal” years more.

What will you remember most about high school: I will remember the amazing friends I made. I will also remember the thrill of winning a state title in marching band after all the hard work we put into the show.

Most embarrassing moment: I once forgot to wear my concert attire for a band concert.

Where you see yourself in 20 years: Teaching mathematics at a university.

Factors in choosing your college: math program, economics, proximity.

How has the pandemic changed you: I became more extroverted because the social isolation took a toll on me. It also made me care more about politics because so much has happened in the world during this pandemic.

Noah Shackelford Fairfield Sandy Creek: 1st of 25; 35 ACT, National Merit Finalist Parents: Steven Shackelford and Nanette Shackelford College/planned degree: University of Nebraska-Kearney; biology Scholarships: Kearney Health Opportunities Program (KHOP) Tuition Scholarship, a 2-Year UNK Honors Program Room Scholarship, UNK Honors Program annual cash scholarship.

Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: I am most proud of my work to get my school’s student-run business, 74 Creative, up and running. I find this accomplishment to be particularly gratifying because this business has the potential to help other students make the most out of their high school experience long after I have graduated.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: My physical science teacher and quiz bowl coach, Mr. Pernicek.

Something surprising about you: Something surprising about me is that I have a 33-plus hours-long classic rock playlist.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school and why: My favorite thing to do away from school is to watch a good movie or TV show. These are favorites of mine because they

are a fun way to spend time and they sometimes include really interesting subjects.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why: If I could travel anywhere, I would want to go to Antarctica because it is in many ways unlike anywhere else in the world and the other people who have been there would put me in very interesting company.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: I wish I would’ve known how useful a good graphing calculator can be.

What will you remember most about high school: I think that I will remember the friends I had from high school the most.

Most embarrassing moment: I don’t think that I have a single most embarrassing moment but seeing all of my baby pictures definitely feels close.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years: I see myself practicing medicine in a community similar to the one I grew up in.

Factors in choosing your college: I chose my college based on its location, the costs of attending, and the quality of its biology program.

How has the pandemic changed you: The pandemic has made me more adaptable to sudden changes and increasingly conscientious in my actions.

mattered was just doing whatever was right for me, whether that was a little more than others or a little less.

What will you remember most about high school: I think that I will remember all of those classmates and teachers who were always truly there for me. I will never forget the teachers who gave me bone-crushing hugs when they found out that I had gotten a 36 on the ACT or the ones who cried when I told them that I had gotten into Harvard.

Most embarrassing moment: I’m pretty clumsy, so embarrassing moments happen pretty often. Recently, I was so excited to see the results of a prank which I had pulled on my friend that I ran over to his house in wedges and fell on the pavement. Both of my knees and my hand were all badly scraped for a couple of weeks.

Where you see yourself in 20 years: I could see myself as a lawyer but also as Dr. Bethany Wiebold, a Ph.D. holder who spends her days in the lab doing research.

Factors in choosing your college: I decided to go to Harvard because I wanted to attend

a college with a strong liberal arts program. I am naturally curious and have a lot of different interests, so I needed to pick a college that would really let me explore all kinds of different subjects without having to get a degree in the majority of them. There really is no weak program at Harvard. I also wanted to go somewhere with a positive, friendly atmosphere.

Believe it or not, everyone with whom I talked said that Harvard was much more collaborative than competitive, so that also tipped the scales in Harvard’s favor.

How has the pandemic changed you: The time that I had to spend away from so many people in my family in order to keep them safe really made me realize how much I love them and how much I will miss being around them and getting to do things with them next year. It also allowed me to spend more time studying the things in which I was interested, so I read quite a bit about philosophy, economics, psychology, chemistry, biology, physics and other such subjects. I definitely became way more interested in science during the pandemic as well.

Bethany Wiebold North Bend Central: 1st out of 61, 36 ACT Parents: Leta Wiebold and Gerald Wiebold College/planned degree: Harvard; government or human evolutionary biology Scholarships: KTIC Russ Herman Memorial Scholarship; Kate Emanuel Memorial Scholarship; North Bend Chamber of Commerce Scholarship; NBC Music Boosters Competitive Scholarship, NBC Music Boosters Senior Participants Scholarship; Fremont Business & Professional Women’s Scholarship; North Bend Central Foundation Scholarship; American Red Cross Scholarship Besides your grades, what high school contribution makes you most proud: I am most proud of the time that I have spent volunteering in my community, particularly the work that I have done as the music teacher at St. Peter’s Kids for Christ and Vacation Bible School programs. There is nothing more fulfilling than having the kids whom I’ve taught run up to me outside of class because they are so excited to see me or having parents tell me that their children genuinely enjoy my class and engage with it in a way that those kids do not engage with many of their other classes. Being able to connect with these children and (hopefully) teach them some valuable lessons has been incredibly enjoyable and definitely one of the most worthwhile experiences of my life so far.

Teacher with biggest impact on you: There are quite a few, so this question is a bit hard to answer, but there are a handful of teachers that stick out in my mind. Ms. Morgan has been such an incredibly important person in my life.

She’s always shown that she cares about my life and how I am feeling on any given day. She also proofread my Harvard application essays over the summer, so she gets some of the credit for my success in that regard. I also have to mention Mrs. Beltrand because she has proven that I am not just another student to her either. She and Ms. Morgan celebrate all of my successes.

She also helped me to discover my passion for Spanish, so much so that I am now seeking to

get a language citation in Spanish at college. I would also be remiss not to thank Mrs. Schluter for showing me that science can be interesting and exciting instead of stressful and intimidating as well as Mrs. Miller and Mr. Manka for doing the same for me in regard to math. Mrs. Miller has also continued to show that she truly cares about me and my experiences and celebrates my successes even during the years in which I have not been in one of her classes, for which I am extremely grateful. Finally, I have to thank Mr. Wright for always pushing me to do better and showing me that history can be about asking big questions regarding how human nature and the world work rather than just memorizing dates and names (although that memorization sure helps for Quiz Bowl!)

I know that I can always count on him for an engaging conversation.

Something surprising about you: I love Taylor Swift. She’s one of the only artists in pop music that I consistently follow and whose new music I always enjoy.

What is your favorite thing to do away from school: In my free time, I like to sing, play the clarinet, practice my Spanish skills, and read books (mostly nonfiction books nowadays unless some work of fiction really catches my eye). I’m not sure why, but I have been very interested in music, language, and literature from a young age, so that passion has simply never stopped. Perhaps it is because I like to be intellectually engaged in all that I do, even outside of school.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go: I would go somewhere in South America like Peru, Ecuador, Argentina or Chile in order to see all of the beautiful natural sites that those countries have to offer and to test out my conversational Spanish.

What you wish you’d known as a freshman: I wish that I had known that I did not have to check every single box on my transcript and resume or ace every single test to get to where I wanted to be in the future. What really

Congratulations 2021 Graduates!

OPS Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Logan, the OPS Board of Education and the Board of Directors of the Omaha Public Schools Foundation are pleased to congratulate the Class of 2021.

We are proud of our Omaha Public Schools’ graduating seniors and wish them well as they pursue their dreams beyond high school.

Creating Possibilities – Nurturing Dreams

Benson High Magnet School Bryan High School Burke High School Central High School North High Magnet School Northwest High Magnet School South High Magnet School OPS Career Center

Congratulations to the 2021-2022 scholarship recipients

Board of Trustees’ Scholars Chadron State Samuel Aden Rylan Aguallo Aidan AndersonMcClintock Anna Berntson Madelyn Bird Marissa Borchard Amarha Bridger James Bruner Nathan Burch Megan Cawley Hallie Cochran Karly Codr Emma Cogdill Katelyn Diehl Jessica Dybdal Octavious Gonzalez Kassidy Hoerle

Matt Jeffers Christopher Jennings Samantha Johns David Johnson Jayden Kanno Riley Kaup Karina Kitt Hadley Markowski Carson Means Preston Pearson Aubree Quast Emma Reinhard Autumn Simons Jacky Terrazas Morgan Theis Kaci Wickersham

Peru State

Wayne State

Thayer Armbruster Emily Brodd Faith Burton Jordan Carfield Emily Dorau Easton Hall Drey Heller Marissa Hoover Carly Johnson Shannon Jones Virginia Kouba Emma Larson Maggie Richter Miranda Swanson Christine Vance Gabrielle Wattier Chaney Weiss Gracie Wenzel

Maria Albers Olivia Bartelson Elly Becker Braxton Brockhaus Owen Brodd Renee Brummels Terry Carlson Treyton Cockerill Samantha Crockett Ethan Cross Ashton Davis Alli Demuth Jonathan Duke Noel Eckert Mary Fennessy Emily Fischer Gavin Fisher Anjelina Frederic Rehgan Gardner Kaylea Geiser

Bianca Gonzalez Shea Gossett Veronica Guenther Rebecca Hart Riley Hartman Delanie Heil Megan Hodgson Jace Hoferer Sarah Hultquist Joshua Jansen Rhegan Jensen Kayden Jueden James Kinnison Juliana Koperski Avery Kreikemeier Kaylee Larson Kinsey Lindner Nathaly Loza Katelyn Matney Emma McCoy

Gabriel Melton Avery Michalski Lauren Morrow Natalie Munter AnnaBell Murphy Kailey North McKenzie Ostdiek Andrew Pick Cassandra Pieper Rachel Rath Isaac Richards Gage Schmidt Katlyn Schmidt Sydney Tagel Jayde Teutsch Myles Thoene Courtney Thompson Holly Wilcox Meredith Wiseman

www. nscs.edu

10

| SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, part of the Big Red Welcome is the formation of an N on the field in Memorial Stadium by the incoming freshmen.

UNL COMMUNICATIONS

First-team students heading to colleges near and far A variety of colleges will enroll the students named to the first teams in the eastern, west-central and metro regions in Nebraska.

Of the 35 first-team students who have chosen a college, 11 will attend school in Nebraska.

NEBRASKA

University of Nebraska-Lincoln (8) University of Nebraska at Omaha (2) University of Nebraska at Kearney

OTHER DESTINATIONS Harvard (2) MIT (2) University of Alabama (2) University of Pennsylvania (2)

Colby College Cornell University Duke Georgia Institute of Technology Hillsdale College Iowa State University Notre Dame Northwestern University Rose Hulman Institute of Technology Stanford University of Denver University of Mississippi University of Pittsburgh University of Washington U.S. Military Academy at West Point U.S. Air Force Academy

2021 World-Herald Scholars All Academic Program coordinators Kelly Forbes and Chris Christen Section editor Kiley Cruse

Class of 2021

Judging Facilitators Chris Christen, Nick Cavallero, Tam Webb

Special sections advertising coordinator Nick Cavallaro

Copy editors Betsie Freeman, Marjie Ducey

Cover photo and All State Team portraits Kiley Cruse

Ismael Ali

Matt Alli

Morgen Gardner

Jake Gibbs

Hanna Kober

Thalia Lawson-Betum

Paul Martinez

Andrew Massey

Janki Patel

Josie Petrulis

Adi Pillai

Tommy Pugsley

Bailey Rhoten

Kaitlyn Scott

Mia Shipley

Aishani Srikumar

Learn more at southeast.edu/academics

Congratulations, Raiders!

Crystal Huang

Grayson Shirey

Earn a Certificate, Diploma or Associate of Science degree in Biotechnology, or choose from one of 59 other programs!

Danny Stein

Cecilia Stuke

Lily Teunissen

Austin Vetter

In a year marked by uncertainty, your dedication, adaptability, and passion for excellence defined you as a class. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish next on your journey to positively impact the world!

Brownell Talbot is Omaha’s only age 3 - grade 12 private school challenging students to discover themselves and their distinct talents through a globally minded education, small class sizes, and personalized attention.

Help your child explore their unique ability to change the world - visit discover.brownell.edu today.

Olivia Vovk

Madison Whitmore

Vanessa Wu

Jason Yan

Ian Zhang

Erfei Zhou

Every student. Every mind. Every heart. Known. Inspired. Challenged.

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

2021 Nebraska Honorable Mention

SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021 |

11

The 602 Nebraska high school seniors listed below were nominated to The World-Herald All Academic Program and earned honorable mention recognition. The criteria for nomination will help you understand what makes these students so special.

Each school could nominate up to five students. Nominees had to rank No. 1 or No. 2 in their senior class, or they had to have scores of at least 32 on the ACT or at least 1450 on the SAT college entrance exams.

Academies of Grand Island Carly Eve Gartner Lilly Reed Jerome Silva Devereaux Stephenson Adams Central Elizabeth Anderson Mackinzi J. Hill Caitlyn Scott Tristan Weston Ainsworth CeeAnna Beel Madison Welch Allen Ashley Kraemer Alliance Courtney Cox Shaylee Messersmith Alma Karri Christensen Colton Dahlgren Amherst Riley Adelung Michael Klingelhoefer Anselmo-Merna Seth Chandler Kaitlyn Jacquot Ansley Tycen Bailey Jackson Henry Arapahoe Isaac Goshert Diana Hanzlick Arcadia Gavin Sell Reagan Williams Arlington Josh Iossi Josh Miller Arnold Jadeyn Bubak Landyn Cole Ashland-Greenwood Andrew Burman Aiden Lindley Camryn Ray Nick Starns Darby Walsh Auburn Kylie Allen Derek R. Mason Aurora Raina L. Cattau Alexander J. Johnson Talia E. Willburn Axtell Paige Lindau Abigail Snell Banner County Kathryn Blankenship Bartley Southwest Lanie Overton Elaine Roggenkamp Matthew Van Pelt Battle Creek Renee Brummels Megan Leigh Lutt Beatrice Logan Damme Avery Plessel Devin Smith Bellevue East Chloe Brockhaus Elias Ervin Jessica Sunclades Sara Vance Bellevue West David Berger Jason Bonner Bridget McGovern Shaun Vann Bryan Yumul Bennington Madelyn Elwood Nia Kaufmann Joiner Pfister Grant Volk Jack Volk Blair Nathan Hiykel Chase Jensen Connor Thomason Morgan Thompson Bloomfield Kate Bruns Ella McFarland Boone Central Gage Groeteke Boys Town Hailey Holm Temperance Kazakevicius Brady Kyler Horn Abigail Jurjens Bridgeport Chance Cooper Bayler Sterkel Broken Bow Isak Chancellor Abigail Flint Bruning-Davenport Jordan Bolte Dominic Philippi Burwell Tell Jensen Mason Plock Callaway Dalton Kunkee CAM Whitney Holaday Cambridge Shane Horwart Ian Tomlin Catholic Homeschool Association of Omaha Clare Elizabeth Safranek Centennial Madison Avery Logan Cast Kate Hirschfeld Central City Charles Jackson McGinnis Graci McGinnis Central City Christian Olivia Janssen Shelby Swanson Centura Lauryn Bernt Rhegan Jensen Sydney Perez Chadron Alexis Conboy

Chambers Alexis Butterfield Ryann Haburchak Clarkson Bailey Lemburg Bethany Rupprecht Cody-Kilgore Emmalea Olson Shaelyn Welch Columbus Addi Duranski Columbus Lakeview Abigail Lutjelusche Aubrey Stromberg Columbus Scotus Madelyn Blaser Keira Feehan Noah Korth Elizabeth Parker Conestoga Braden Ruffner Ben Welch Cozad Landry Geiger Gracie Schneider Creighton Braxton Brockhaus Jessica Stevens Crete Alejandra Vadillo Tori Vondra Crofton Connor Arens Rachel Rath Cross County Shea Corwin Ruby Johansen David City Payton Andel Maya Couch David City Aquinas Rylan Chromy Payton Davis Ben Shonka Deshler Kara Kniep Sena Petersen Diller-Odell Addison Heidemann Jadyn Schultis Korey Theye Dorchester Abigail Zoubek Jacee Zoubek Douglas County West Abaigeal Aydt Alexandra Poore Dundy County-Stratton Kaylin J. Brown Maggie S. Lutz East Butler Audrey Belew Madison Spatz Elgin Pope John Marissa Preister Allyson Selting Elkhorn Spencer Gordman Carly Nichols Torin O’Rourke Kayli Pham Elkhorn Mount Michael Lincoln George Badley Kaleb Carl Brink Parker R. Hottovy Huy Tuan Le Elkhorn South Marvin Larweh Elijah Lubberstedt Luke Meisgeier Elkhorn Valley Adam Miller Braedyn Ollendick Elmwood-Murdock Rylee Hogue Abigail Petersen Emerson-Hubbard Ryan Kinnaman Zachary Shanks Eustis-Farnam Karissa Hodge Zebulun Knackstedt Exeter-Milligan Clint Oldehoeft Jaiden Aleisha Papik Fairbury Brynn Novotny Joshua Robertson Falls City Laney Feek Riley Kobza Falls City Sacred Heart Del Casteel Jack Fiegener Fillmore Central Haley Korbelik Garrett Nichols Jacquelyn Schelkopf Jake Stoner Fort Calhoun Mackenzie Hansen Jayden Hunter John McKennan Franklin Taelyn Pritchard Madalynn Welsh Freeman Abigail Braden Isabella Haner Fremont Mara Rose Hemmer Emily Nau Holly Robinson Noah Robert Sorensen Jeffrey Owen Wagner Fremont Bergan Lauren Baker Jadin Ostrand Friend Cole Holman Megan Rumery Fullerton Kirby Smith Josie Sonderup Giltner Lydia Towns Sydni Watson Gordon-Rushville Abigail Bruns Ashton Davis Gothenburg William Anderson Reed Weyers Grand Island Central Catholic Haily Asche Grace Herbek

Jonathan Novinski Grand Island Northwest Damon Bennett Connor Blackburn Alex Brandt Melissa Chihuahua Lazalde Brody Sheeks Greeley Central Valley Cayton Elizabeth Butcher Audrey Michelle Wood Ashlyn Jade Elizabeth Wright Gretna Paul Cornett Liliana Kinnan Liam Pohlmann Blake Rose Hartington Cedar Catholic Sara Burbach Skyler Sudbeck Hartington-Newcastle Kayden Jueden Keanna Korth Harvard Benjamin Okraska Hastings Diana Brailita Andrew Le Anna Wibbels Hastings St. Cecilia Braden Lindauer Abigail Schaefer Hayes Center Julia Broker Addison Broz Heartland Ellyn Hall Lauren Quiring Hershey Anna Berntson High Plains Aubree Quast Brianna Wilshusen Hitchcock County Diont’e Perkins Evan Warren Holdrege Braden Anderson Avery Michalski H-T-R-S Natalie Novak Will Stalder Humphrey Emily Abbott Hailey Goering Krista Luedtke Humphrey St. Francis Sydney McKay Johnson County Central Jason Kettelhake Saylor Rother Johnson-Brock Taylor Buchmeier Kyria Spruth-Janssen Kearney Emily Hagemann Jillian Moomey Hayden Wulf Kearney Catholic Cale Conrad Alex Hewitt Sydney Owen Nate Volker Kenesaw Deric Goldenstein Kaylee Larson Keya Paha County Hunter Wiebelhaus Kimball Corey Gardner Raven Johnson Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Ethan Cross Erica Nicole Wolfgram Lawrence-Nelson Jessica Himmelberg McKenzie Ostdiek Leigh Emily Loseke Cassidy Hoffman Lexington Keith Allen Mackenzie West Leyton Dominick Russ Hannah Vath Lincoln Christian Olivia Farmen John Haase Gavin McGerr Benjamin Rickels Lincoln College View Caleb Bonilla Natalie Darrough Lincoln East Lucas Chen Aidan Hand Lincoln High Jasur Iskandarov Garrett Salisbury Leah Schartz Lincoln Lutheran Christa Grimpo Joshua Puelz Lauren Stull Lincoln North Star Justin Gruber Owen Jensen Jr. Shauna Moran Irving Salinas Lincoln Northeast Megan Haeffner Caleb Hombeck Kayleen Nguyen Ethan Riegsecker Jack Stewart Lincoln Parkview Duc Binh Nguyen Allison Wiles Lincoln Pius X Derek Kluck Matthew Naumann Lincoln Southeast Ben Crotteau Morgan Madsen McGinness Schneider Lincoln Southwest Kenji Nakagawa Drew Snyder

Logan View Riley Hoetfelker Ellie Smith Louisville Ashley Brock Jennifer Katz Loup City Delanie Heil Lindsi Loos Lyons-Decatur Northeast Zach Hegge Derek Petersen Madison Kendry Arrazcaeta Malcolm Madeline Day Gavan Dunse Grace Schleining Maywood Jaycee Widener McCook Lexi Hauxwell Mason Michaelis Richa Patel Elsa Jean Wilcox McCool Junction Sophia Hoffschneider Owen McDonald Mead Blaine Nicola Kelly Richards Medicine Valley Acelyn Klein Noah David Nicklas Jaden Wolfe Meridian Lane Barton Kezia Connealy Milford Makennen Havlat Abby Houk Katherine Pollock Millard North Anusha Deshpande Hannah Hailu Millard South Natalie Fedde Jessica Hua Carah Jones Zachary Mitera Kylie Seeger Millard West Thomas Bigler Joshua Feng Andrew Kenny Minden Sarah Hultquist Alaina Suchsland Mitchell Rylan Aguallo Ashtyn Martin Nebraska City Lilly Frields Jared Murdoch Christian Tietz Nebraska City Lourdes Brianna Fulton Paul Shawhan Nebraska EV Lutheran Christian Dressel Natalie Hueske Neligh-Oakdale Trey Svatos Claire Whitesel Newman Grove Bethany Borgheiinck Emma Montoya Niobrara Ashtyn Holz Emily Parks Norfolk Grace Day Mallory Easland Annika Harthoorn Benjamin Lundstrom Norfolk Catholic Emily Faltys Kalee Gilsdorf Benjamin Morland Norris Matthea Boon Josephine Ivy Sean Kile Madeline Starr Grace Van Cott North Bend Central Luther Gutekunst Samantha McDonald Carter Richardson North Platte Jonathan Brouillette Maya Lashley Annetta Von Kampen North Platte St. Patrick Genna Blakely Sophia Krondak Nathan Moats Oakland-Craig Gavin Enstrom Michael P. Maline Jaron Meyer Ogallala Elijah S. Harvoy Gage G. Stokey Blake A. Wyatt Omaha Benson Lorena Loza Cori Sillik Omaha Brownell Talbot Crystal Huang Adi Pillai Zhengxu Yan Omaha Bryan Manuel Rodriguez-Corral Mariam Zahid Omaha Burke Paige Davison Nicholas Hammans Laura Kirshenbaum Raeana Spech Natalia Trejo Omaha Central Daniel Denenberg Mac DePriest Anna Festersen Isa Weber Omaha Christian Jacelyn Burggraaf Omaha Concordia Hunter Burnham Madeline Hansen Carly Haver Gage Kanzmeier Omaha Creighton Prep Dominic Mendlik Jackson Morris

Kevin Prososki Omaha Duchesne Jacqueline Barnes Bailey Bodner Anna Kwong Madison Meduna Omaha Gross Amy Conner Andrew Jesus David J. Nicholson Alexis Nothelfer Bridget Nothelfer Omaha Marian Griselda Acevedo Amal Imran Gracie Kerr Eva Watson Omaha Mercy Baylin Davis Clare Euteneuer Carolyn Hire Omaha North Micah Gilbert Karen Hickey Isabel Kolb Alex Ventura Omaha Northwest Biak Za Mawi Annastasia Nelson Htoo Say Omaha Roncalli Elizabeth Mendick Abigail Schwarz Omaha Skutt Lauren Hubert Barret Liebentritt Dominic Melrose Sara Wallace Zachary Weis Omaha South Keilly Ponce-Merida Rebeka Sahagun Omaha Westside Virginia Jansen Gus Parsonage O’Neill Blair Gutshall Christopher Jennings O’Neill St. Mary’s William Otte Ord Abigail Jacobs Abbigail Stethem Osceola Corby Cannon Osmond Connor Gutz Connor von Rentzell Overton Rachel Ecklund Haley Fleischman Palmyra Daniel Frey Gwen Leuschen Isaac Thomas Papillion-La Vista Jacob Malotte Aaron Reisinger Abigail Shih Ian Sutton Papillion-La Vista South Ellenna M. Divingnzzo Chloe Karasek Gracie Sunde Pender Calie Rabbass Pierce Tanner Kuper Shawn Rinkel Mark Venteicher Platteview Dylan Conover Henry Nguyen Claire E. Snodgrass Sydney Tagel Ryan Tolliver Plattsmouth Elliot Block Emma Field Aleea Stanford Christian Sunderland Ponca Thomas Chase Jacob Statema Randolph Emmalee Harder Keely Pinkelman Raymond Central Jenna Krenke Connor Nichols Calleigh Osmera Red Cloud Berrick Hersh Bethany Stocker Riverside Michael Bernt Dalton Rankin Rock County AJ Benemerito Zach Dickau Sandhills Madison Marten Sandy Creek Breanna Brennfoerder Santee Antonio Hoffman Winona Ware Sargent Daniel Folkers Karina Kitt Schuyler Central Jose Guzman Easton Hall Scottsbluff Dakota Andrews Adam Polk Addison Wright Seth Yarnell Scribner-Snyder Machara Jusino Kristal Svehla S-E-M Reagan Govier Ellie Guthard Seward Emily Gokie Anna Hughes Jake Luebbe Claire Novak Shelby-Rising City Madelyn Hopwood Kira Pavlik Shelton Jose Montanez Jacob Snyder

Shickley Macy Kamler Aaron Mick Sidney Peyton Lewis Silver Lake Jenna Strampher Derek Zubrod Sioux County Kodie Rempp Julie Skavdah South Platte Brittany Hensley Mariah Koenen South Sioux City Darla Dumo Kyle Reagan Fitch Maritza Gutierrez Alan Ramirez Jorge Enrique Raudales Southern Kylee Combs Kaylee Klover Spalding Academy Rachel Bauer Brian Glaser St. Edward Gabrielle Muckey Emma Olson St. Paul Tayla Goettsche Samuel Thede Stanton Bridgett Jensen Elizabeth Locke Stapleton Trisha Rose Bernt Trinity L. Hansen Sterling Bianca Gonzalez Kaitlyn Wusk Stuart Alyssa King Wade Paxton Summerland-Clearwater Eli Thiele Superior Aric J. Leibel Jedd Whitmore Sutherland Paige Noelle VanSkiver Sutton Tyler Baldwin Melanie Minchow Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Madison Kreifels Ellie Wilkinson Tekamah-Herman Dylan Chatt Garrison Potadle Thayer Central Brennan Scott Harms Audrey Rose Landsmann Thedford Anthony Benscoter Rhiannon Painter Tri County Logan Larson Anna Schmidt Cole Siems Trinity Classical Academy Home School Grace Dougherty Twin River Alexis Cherry Conner Oberhauser Valentine Elliana Springer Calvin Stoeger Shyanne Urbin Verdigre Max Hollmann Allie Kotrous Wahoo Elle Lane Glock Kelsie Rae Sears Avery Eileen Spicka Wahoo Neumann Kolten Cada Alaina Furasek Kyra A. Scanlon Wakefield Sahrai Luna Blake Rapper Wallace Aidan Anderson-McClintock Juliana Rosentrater Wauneta-Palisade Lilith Miner Haylee Sandman Wausa Morgan Kleinschmit Waverly Evan Canoyer Benjamin Gerdes Joshua Gonser Maya Qualset Wayne Dylan Anderson Claire Lindsay Christopher Woerdemann Weeping Water Izzabelle Kerr Zack William Smith West Point-Beemer John Paul Sanchez Brooklyn Weddle Wheeler Central Rachel Dierks Morgan Ramsey Wilcox-Hildreth Brooke Quadhamer Magnolia Springer Winside Kylie J. Cautrell Kati S. Topp Wisner-Pilger Audrey Glaubius Rockney Peck Wood River Dylan Alvarado Sage Gideon Wynot Trystan Heimes York Sam Heitz Jacob Howe Jake Schmid

12

| SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

Judges say scholars handled whatever school or the pandemic threw at them achievement.

But each of the three All State judges had additional criteria that lifted their choices from the top five students from each of the 247 participating schools. None of the judges knew the name or school of the students. They were identified by numbers.

For Timm, it wasn’t just each student’s class ranking and grade-point average. He said he looked at the difficulty and diversity of their classes.

“They maintained a rigorous academic load that was both heavy in core academic areas but that also showed diversity, with some investment in the arts and college-level classes,” he said. “I was looking for students (in whom) I saw leadership skills being displayed. They were investing their talents academically and to their community and schools.”

Lee said it took some back-andforth among the three judges to make the best choices from the final 36 candidates for All State honors.

There were so many other things to consider than just academics, he said, because they were all at the top of their class. Judges also considered involvement in school activities, athletics, community service and class office.

“You really look at that heavily involved student,” he said. “When you

MARJIE DUCEY

World-Herald Staff Writer

It’s a given that everyone on The World-Herald’s academic teams is a superlative student.

Of the 674 submissions for the annual tribute to Nebraska’s outstanding high school scholars, 27 scored a perfect 36 on the ACT, 52 had a 35 and 77 a 34. Twenty totaled 1,500 or better on the SAT. Sixty-six were National Merit Scholarship finalists.

So just how did the judges choose the final nine students for the All State Team, the best of the best from the Eastern, West-Central and Metro regional teams?

“It was an extremely difficult task,” said science teacher Paul Timm of Lyons-Decatur Northeast, the 2021 Nebraska Teacher of the Year. “All those students were so worthy.”

Joining him as judges were Omaha Northwest principal Thomas Lee and York High School guidance counselor Tami Wegener. They represented the nine educators who determined this year’s Nebraska regional squads.

The All Academic Program traces its roots to 1992 with selection of the first World-Herald All Metro Team.

The newspaper followed with an All State Team in 1994.

The World-Herald does not interfere with the process. It asks that the judges focus on academic

VALMONT WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE CLASS OF 2021.

can be that involved and still maintain that high GPA and course work, it just makes you stand out.”

Wegener said being one of the judges made her realize how many top-notch students there are in Nebraska.

All the finalists were so wellrounded, she said.

“They weren’t just academically talented,” she said. They were talented in other areas as well such as athletics, music, speech, one-act, clubs, and they were involved in their communities. That’s what made them the top of the top.”

Lee said he wishes that every student could be as involved as those on the All State Team. An involved student is an awesome student, he said.

Timm said although it was a difficult task to pick the teams, he loved the experience. He was blown away by the talent of the students included, especially considering the challenges each of them faced during the coronavirus pandemic.

“These individuals, they are the change-makers,” he said. “They are the kids who are highly competitive.

Whatever challenges get thrown at them, they are used to finding a way to be successful.” marjie.ducey@owh.com, 402-4441034, twitter.com/mduceyowh

Noelle Hinrickson, Elkhorn Mount Michael counselor Metro judge

Dr. Melanie Olson, Millard Public Schools coordinator of secondary programs Metro judge

Thomas Lee, Omaha Northwest principal Metro judge All-State judge

Paul Timm, 2021 Nebraska Teacher of the Year, LyonsDecatur Northeast Eastern judge All-State judge

Niki Barnes, Lincoln High counselor, IB program coordinator Eastern judge

Vicki Griffin, Blair counselor Eastern judge

Tami Wegener, York counselor West-Central judge All-State judge

Justin Shaddick, Scottsbluff principal West-Central judge

Denise Betts, Fillmore Central counselor West-Central judge

®

Olivia Wright & Carson Wright

Madison May

Daughter of Kevin & Laurie May Arlington Public High School

Daughter & son of Brad & Kim Wright Bellevue West High School

Hailey Roop

Daughter of Robert Roop & Jeanette Wade Bennington High School

Lauren Burris

Elizabeth Kastl

Daughter of Janice & Lonnie Burris Burke High School

Daughter of John & Joyce Kastl Bishop Neumann High School

We’re proud of all your accomplishments.

Isabel Ann Reutzel

Haley DeBuse

Anna Campbell

Daughter of Scott & Claudia Reutzel Omaha Central High School

Daughter of Lori & Kyle DeBuse Elkhorn High School

Daughter of Robert & Jennifer Campbell Elkhorn South High School

Michaela Kilpatrick

Wiktoria Borowik

Madison Mandachi

Daughter of Brian & Lauri Kilpatrick Elkhorn South High School

Daughter of Joanna & Sebastian Borowik Elkhorn South High School

Daughter of Irina & Dorin Mandachi Millard North High School

Isabella Sick

Clara Long

Daughter of Mitchell & Gabriela Sick Elkhorn South High School

Daughter of Troy & Millie Long Elkhorn South High School

Mary Ulrich

Daughter of Joe & Christy Ulrich Millard North High School

Varun Sivakumar

Son of Sivakumar Shanmugam & Uma Sivakumar Millard North High School

valmont.com Emma Schertz

Daughter of Angi Chamberlain Millard West High School

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Emily Fleener

Daughter of Cliff & Kris Fleener Papillion LaVista South High School

The OEA Foundation was formed in 1966 by the members of the Omaha Education Association.

BENSON HIGH SCHOOL

Amya Buhrow - Roberta Kiewit Mathematics Scholarship - $2,500 Eh Dah - Mary McNamara Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 Cortney Gardner - Mr. & Mrs. Henry Colson Memorial Scholarship - $5,000 Isabelle Kripps - Gunnar Horn Journalism Award - $500 Shee Ler - Mary McNamara Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 Shee Ler - Scotty Orcutt Memorial Baseball Scholarship - $2,500 Moo Say - Warren & Evelyn Hotz Memorial Scholarship - $4,000 Chris Schroeder - Mr. & Mrs. Henry Colson Memorial Scholarship - $5,000 McKenzie Stirtz - Warren & Evelyn Hotz Memorial Scholarship - $4,000 Kennedy Cheyene Touali - Allen Seline Memorial Scholarship - $1,250 Paw Thlay Wah - Mr. & Mrs. Henry Colson Memorial Scholarship - $5,000 Paw Thlay Wah - Charles Matthews Memorial Scholarship - $2,000 Sah Dah Win - Wendy Cooper Memorial Scholarship - $1,900

BRYAN HIGH SCHOOL

Keyana Burries - Gunnar Horn Journalism Award - $500 Madeline Gates - OEA Foundation Scholarship - $7,000 Elisha Mufungizi - Walter & Susie Dodd Memorial Scholarship - $1,500 Zachary Ostrander - Thresa Clark Honorary Scholarship - $6,000

BURKE HIGH SCHOOL

Kayla Cull - Gunnar Horn Journalism Award - $500 Benjamin Fiala - Warren & Evelyn Hotz Memorial Scholarship - $4,000 Rahn Johnson - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000 Abigail Logeman - Jennie Kriebs Memorial Scholarship - $1,400 Abigail Logeman - Sharon Engelhart Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 Raeana Spech - Dr. Hollie Bethel Scholarship - $4,000

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Madi Greisen

Daughter of Shawn & Angie Greisen Skutt High School

Hannah Green

Daughter of Jarrad & Erica Green Yutan High School

From $250 awarded in 1966 to 90 scholarships totaling $379,800 in 2021

Jordan Martin - Josephine Frisbie Scholarship - $5,000 Emma Miller - Frank C. Heinisch Memorial Scholarship - $15,000 Emma Miller - Josephine Frisbie Scholarship - $5,000 Naomi Nevels - Elsie Fisher Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 Asa Pospisil - OEA Foundation Scholarship - $7,000 Epiphany Ribeiro-Murray - Josephine Frisbie Scholarship - $5,000 Isaac Sarmiento-Herrera - J. Arthur Nelson Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 Alexandria Schmidt – Walt Sharp Memorial OEA Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000 Alexandria Schmidt - Dr. Odra Bradley Memorial Scholarship - $1,500 Morouj Zenbaara - J. Arthur Nelson Memorial Scholarship - $1,000

NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

Rachel Alexander - Gunnar Horn Journalism Award - $500 Johnnah Bailey - Mary Uhl Collins Memorial Business Education Scholarship - $1,250 Alfredo Bruguera-Sanchez - Mary Uhl Collins Memorial Business Education Scholarship - $1,250 John Dawes - Warren & Evelyn Hotz Memorial Scholarship - $4,000 Henry Emmer - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000 Karen Hickey - Thresa Clark Honorary Scholarship - $6,000 Jaeden Johnson - OEA Foundation Scholarship - $7,000 Hannah Kriegler - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000 Benjamin Rolles - Dr. Hollie Bethel Scholarship - $4,000 Richard Throckmorton - Cis Wilcox Memorial Scholarship - $1,000

NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL

Marissa Eyman - Raleigh & Esther Pilster Scholarship - $1,000 Sierra Klein - Gunnar Horn Journalism Award - $500 Biak Mawi - Mary Ann Fields Memorial Scholarship - $1,500 Tristan Rainey - Warren & Evelyn Hotz Memorial Scholarship - $4,000

SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL

CREIGHTON PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL

Brok Laney - Metro Transit/Transport Workers Union, Local No. 223 Scholarship - $2,000

ELKHORN HIGH SCHOOL

Jacob Carbee - OEA Foundation Scholarship - $7,000 Caden Rinn - Theta Phi Delta Scholarship - $1,600

LEWIS CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Jonathan Carlson - OEA Foundation Scholarship - $7,000

MARIAN HIGH SCHOOL

Lauren Harris - OEA Foundation Scholarship - $7,000

MERCY HIGH SCHOOL

Clare Euteneuer - Thresa Clark Honorary Scholarship - $6,000

MILLARD NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

Gretchen Braak - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000

MILLARD SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL

Madelyn Lichti - Bertha Neale Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 Madelyn Lichti - Frank Williams Memorial Scholarship - $1,000

MILLARD WEST HIGH SCHOOL

Austin Goetsche - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000 Jason Krokaugger - OEA Foundation Scholarship - $7,000

PAPILLION LAVISTA HIGH SCHOOL

Jason Au - Roland & Janet Hinrichs Vocal Music Scholarship - $1,250 Jessica Fuertes-De Arcos - Warren & Evelyn Hotz Memorial Scholarship - $4,000 Jessica Fuertes-De Arcos - Jean Christiansen Memorial Scholarship - $1,500 Mia Garcia-Amador - Warren & Evelyn Hotz Memorial Scholarship - $4,000 Nancy Gonzalez - Walter & Susie Dodd Memorial Scholarship - $1,500 Nancy Gonzalez - Bernard & Eunice Gyger Scholarship - $1,250 Phoenix Hernandez-Rodriguez - Warren & Evelyn Hotz Memorial Scholarship - $4,000 Alexander Kiihne - OEA Foundation Scholarship - $7,000 Isabella Maggio - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000 Keilly Ponce-Merida - James Eisenhardt Theatre & Film Scholarship - $1,250 Danilla Centeno Zamora - Gunnar Horn Journalism Award - $500

Samuel Pribyl - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000

ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL

Olivia Nielsen - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000 Cole Stanek - Thresa Clark Honorary Scholarship - $6,000

Milo Nordman - OEA Foundation Scholarship - $7,000

PLATTVIEW HIGH SCHOOL

Isabella Kiger-Tyler - Metro Transit/Transport Workers Union, Local No. 223 Scholarship - $2,000

SKUTT CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

Mia Clark - Thresa Clark Honorary Scholarship - $6,000 Abigail Mann - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000

WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

There is no pandemic strong enough to silence you or dent the passion of your generation. Keep your head up and keep fighting. Our country needs you because you provide hope for our future. This year may not be what you envisioned, but I’m eager to see what you do with it. After all, it is still very much your year.

Stay healthy, Chris Dier, a high school teacher

Donations to the OEA Foundation are accepted year-round. Contact Linda Richter at: oeafoundation@gmail.com

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Olivia Baker - Thresa Clark Honorary Scholarship - $6,000 Arryanna Bonacci-Johnson - Jesse J. & Angela Bavaresco Memorial Scholarship - $1,400 Arryanna Bonacci-Johnson - Dorothy Seward Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 Mackenzie Coughlin - Dr. Hollie Bethel Scholarship - $4,000 Carolyn Dillman - Elsie Fisher Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 Daisy Friedman - Josephine Frisbie Scholarship - $5,000 Daisy Friedman - Gunnar Horn Journalism Award - $500 Cade Herbert - Thresa Clark Honorary Scholarship - $6,000 Mila Herszbaum-Harding - Warren & Evelyn Hotz Memorial Scholarship - $4,000 Mila Herszbaum-Harding - Dorothy Seward Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 Evelyn Hill - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000 Evelyn Hill - Elsie Fisher Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 Cole Kreber - OEA Foundation Scholarship - $7,000 Connor Mahoney - OEA Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship - $10,000

Daniel Osborn

Son of Steve & Laura Osborn Skutt Catholic High School