VOLUME 54, ISSUE 2 222 Memorial Drive Berlin, WI 54923
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2022
The
Red ‘n’ Green
A BERLIN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT OPEN FORUM SINCE 1924
Co-salutatorians to give joint graduation address
Camdyn Rohde
Reporter For the class of 2022’s graduation ceremony, Co-Salutatorians Cecilia Bruce-DeMuri and Maddy Rilling will be giving a speech together, and Valedictorian Mateja Clark will not be speaking. Clark declined the offer to give a speech at graduation, readily handing off the responsibility to the salutatorians. “Mr. Bednarek called me down to his office and told me I could opt out of the speech since there were two salutatorians. I told him that if Maddy and Cecilia were okay with me not giving my speech I would gladly give it to them,” Clark said. At a typical graduation ceremony, the salutatorian gives the first speech about the past of the graduating class and the valedictorian speaks afterward about the future. This order comes from the origin of the two titles, salve meaning hello in Latin and vale meaning goodbye. Due to the atypical circumstances, Rilling and Bruce-DeMuri will be incorporating both speech purposes
into one. “Mr. Bednarek called us down together to his office and explained to us that because we are co-salutatorians, and because the valedictorian has opted out of doing a speech, he thought it would be special if we could do a joint speech to honor that. I fully agree and I am excited to give the speech with Maddy. I have appreciated learning alongside her,” BruceDeMuri said. Although the situation of cosalutatorians has occurred before, it is still uncommon. Typically there are methods used to break the tie in the case that one arises. “Cecilia and Maddy were tied for number two based on our class rank formula. While we do have tie-breaking procedures for the academic excellence scholarship, I felt no need to break the tie for the title of salutatorian. Both are deserving,” Principal Bryant Bednarek said. In addition to being neck-inneck their entire academic careers, Bruce-DeMuri and Rilling are also close friends. “Cecilia and I have had very
Students earn highest honors The following seniors received honors at the Academic Breakfast Awards program on March 30. The awards were presented by the Student Council presidents.
Letter
Molly Gallert Chase Kurczek Alexis Laude Andrew Smith
1st Bar
Gavin Batley Riley Beulen Samuel Gerber Yahir Gomez Olivia Gustke
2nd Bar Delaney Erb Violet Lueck Allie Borland Allisa Smoody Karisa Tessaro Jadon Vergin
3rd Bar
Lauren Batley Hunter Boegh Jaron Clinch Keziah Fredenburg Kaden Fritz Lily Huber Alaina Kapp Marissa Kwidzinski Skylar Longsine Ella Resop Jazmin Rodencal Luke Schroeder Bryce Werch
4th Bar
Cecilia Bruce-DeMuri Mateja Clark Jeremy Disterhaft Alexa Fleegal Kara Fritz Tyler Johnson Erica Jones Kaylee Olson Luyen Pham Gabrielle Reiser Maddy Rilling Camdyn Rohde Sophie Ryf Regina Schimke Thomas Schroeder Grace Werch
Created by: K. Olson
similar schedules throughout high school and have really been a big help to each other. It has never felt like a competition between her and me, but more something that we have helped each other with and experienced together,” Rilling said. Graduating at the top of one’s class is recognized as not an easy task. While it is an honor, both Clark and Bruce-DeMuri acknowledge that class rank is not what ultimately defines their four years at Berlin High School. “I don’t think that being the top of your class is necessarily the most important thing, and putting immense pressure on yourself to always perform perfectly can be really hard. The advice I would give to students who want to be top of their class is to have forgiveness with yourself,” Bruce-DeMuri said. “It is important to try hard, but knowing your limits and honoring your mental and physical health is even more important. I also think it is important to approach school with a sense of curiosity. I have
Seniors Maddy Rilling (left) and Cecilia Bruce-DeMuri (right) were chosen as co-salutatorians for the class of ‘22. Rilling and BruceDeMuri are working on their joint graduation address together, as Valedictorian Mateja Clark opted out of giving a speech. “Cecilia and I plan to cover both parts of the speech together. We plan to each talk in separate paragraphs but overall combine the speech,” Rilling said. Photo: C. Rohde found that when I get actively involved in classes and want to understand the full concepts of the content, I usually find success in the course.”
The speech will include both the past and present of the class of ‘22, and it will be given on Friday, May 27 at the graduation ceremony.
Scholarships aid seniors attending college Anna McCarthy
Reporter
Scholarships are very important to seniors as they cushion the financial burden of college. Each year, the Scholarship Awards Program recognizes these scholarship recipients. This year, over $200,000 was given away. “Scholarships are awarded based on need, GPA, and quite often where students are attending school and what they are planning to major in,” Berlin Community Scholarship Committee member Angela Femali said. Seniors had to complete multiple tasks to apply for scholarships. “For the application we had to fill out a Google Form and answer basic questions about ourselves along with an essay on how these scholarships can help,” senior Riley Beulen said. This year’s Scholarship Awards Program was the first one held live in two years. “The presenters would come up to the stage and some would explain the scholarship they were giving out and then present the scholarship to the chosen student. All of the seniors who were getting scholarships sat up on the stage and once their name was called would go and receive
their scholarship,” senior Kara Fritz said. Fritz received the Connie Curran scholarship for $10,000. This scholarship is awarded to a girl that displays strong academic and leadership skills throughout high school. “I am very grateful to have received the scholarships that I did. They will definitely help me out financially in college. I am very appreciative to all the donors as well,” Fritz said. Senior Alexa Fleegal received the "Standing Tall" scholarship which is awarded to students that had to overcome obstacles. For Fleegal, that obstacle was the loss of her father. “It was an emotional experience for me because that scholarship was geared towards someone overcoming an obstacle. I wrote about the recent loss of my dad and I was humbled to have been chosen for the $500 scholarship,” Fleegal said. College is increasingly expensive, and scholarships help lower these costs and help students get through college with less debt. “Scholarships are important because they help students with their financial needs as they continue their education in college,” Beulen said.
Senior Alexa Fleegal receives the “Standing Tall” scholarship at the awards ceremony. The Scholarship Awards Program was held on Wednesday, May 18. “My scholarship money will go towards paying for my tuition at UW-La Crosse. It will also help me pay for room and board,” Fleegal said. Photo: E. Wegner
In this
Issue
- Where are they going map pg. 4 - Senior Confessions pg. 6 -College Athletes pg. 8