Class of 2001 shares experiences with Class of 2011

by Hope Kriegel &

             Alexa Wheaton

Do you remember being a high school senior? Can you imagine the excitement, fear and dreams of graduating? Think back. Where did you see yourself 10 years after receiving your high school diploma and walking across the stage as an official high school graduate?

After all you have learned in life, what advice would you give to the young adults about to venture out on their own? We thought we would take the time to see just where the Class of 2001 is today compared to where they thought they would be, how their lives have changed and the advice they would give to the seniors this year. 

Dana Bolen

Dana said, "When I was a senior I thought in 10 years I would be an elementary teacher, coaching high school basketball and softball and would be starting a family of my own. However, I am now living in Omaha, Neb."

Now, she works in the hospitality industry and is currently the Banquet Manager at the Embassy Suites Downtown/Old Market. Her life has changed in the past 10 years from growing-up, learning who she is and the things she needs to accomplish to continue to be successful. Her advice to the seniors of 2011 is: Work hard then play hard. Whatever you choose to do in life, be honest, be passionate and have pride in your work.

Brandon Schmidt

Brandon did not have a clue to where he would be in 10 years. All he was after was a weekly paycheck to get him by. Now that 10 years have gone by Brandon is working as a supervisor in a polyester manufacturing plant and has a family of his own. Over the years the biggest life changing event for Brandon was getting married and having children. The advice Brandon has for seniors today is, “Keep your heads in the books.” In this day and age you need to further your education to get ahead in life. 

Randi (Schmidt) Sincox

Randi said in high school she wanted to either be a nurse or own a restaurant. Ten years later Randi has just become the owner of the Dairy King and is getting ready to begin the first season on March 18.

Randi says, “Life hasn’t changed a whole lot for me because I couldn’t wait to be out in the real world building a life. It has changed for me as in being married, owning a home and having more children, but that is all stuff I knew I was going to make happen.” Her advice for the seniors of 2011 is, life is what YOU make it!

Nikki (Crosby) Poe

Nikki saw herself married with a baby or two and a meaningful career in the business world. Ten years later, she has everything she wanted; a wonderful husband, a beautiful baby girl and a great career in massage therapy.

Nikki says her life has changed because she felt in high school the world revolved around her but she has grown as a person and now her world revolves around her family.

Nikki’s advice to seniors today is, “Today is the day to set the bar high for yourself, try different things and do what you want to do, not what others think you should do because you will be happier in the end!”

Brigitte (Lowry) Shamy

Brigitte hoped to be a fashion designer within 10 years out of high school. She wanted to move to New York to work in the fashion industry, get married and have children. Now that it has been 10 years Brigitte says, “I am in Utah where I have been for seven years now. I have my own clothing line called Brigitte Brianna. I own Sexy Modest Boutique and I am in the process of expanding and opening another location.

I am married with three girls.” Brigitte says her life has been such a journey over the last 10 years. "I have become a wife and a mother and because of that, I have changed so much. I have learned to become selfless and put my family first. Life is a journey and you really have to learn the balance of it all and how to enjoy it."

Her advice for the seniors of 2011 is, “Life is not a guarantee. We may not get tomorrow. Things people say or do don’t matter in the big picture of life.  It’s important to love everyone, work for what you want and most important to learn who YOU really are.”

Amy (Iverson) Oliver

Amy envisioned herself living and working in downtown Chicago possibly for the Chicago Board of Trade.

Currently, she lives on an acreage southeast of Indianola with her husband and she is Assistant Vice President of Community Bank.

Amy says her life did not take the direction she expected as far as living arrangements and a career, but she wouldn’t change anything. Amy says her life is about to drastically change as she and her husband expect the arrival of their little one in June. Her advice to the seniors would be to never limit yourself. Always be open to new possibilities and opportunities. You will never regret the options you did not try. You will only regret those you do not take. 

To be continued...

Are you smarter than your high schooler?

by Rachel Ranfeld

This spring, Montezuma teachers organized a new plan for parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday, March 22. Similar to previous years, all other teachers will be in their classrooms from 3:30-7:30 p.m. for meetings with parents. 

However, a few teachers (see chart on right) decided to show their students’ projects during 20-minute intervals with a 10-minute break to switch rooms and/or grab a snack. MAP tests will be available for parents to take and see how well they score before comparing to their children.

Time	Project 1	Project 2	Project 3	Project 4
5:00	Orr: senior government projects	Wilson:  journalism	Pargeon: 7/8 grade math projects	MAP testing for parents
5:30	Stockman: sophomore Spanish projects	Weber: senior physics bridge weight tests	Pargeon: 7/8 grade math projects	MAP testing for parents
6:00	Wilson: sophomore research projects	Orr: soph/junior U.S. history projects	Pargeon: 7/8 grade math projects	MAP testing for parents
6:30	Stockman: freshmen Spanish projects	Weber: junior/senior anatomy projects	Pargeon: 7/8 grade math projects	MAP testing for parents
7:00	Stockman Spain/Costa Rica trip meeting	Bates: junior/senior play vignettes	Pargeon: 7/8 math projects	MAP testing for parents

Students get a first-hand look at government

Government students listen to Representative Guy Vander Linden as he explains how the House discusses and votes on bills. (Bryan Stanford photo)

by Niamh Lyons 

The Government class attended a “Visit the Hill” conference held by the Iowa Association for College Admissions Counseling and the Iowa School Counselors Association on Feb. 23 at the Quality Inn & Suites Event Center. Students were able to listen to speakers talk about forms of Government financial aid available for college and university. The amount of money that is funded for schools and grants changes every year and has been decreasing because of budget cuts. Another topic discussed was rural access which highlighted the problem some rural schools have with getting up-to-date technology. 

A speaker said budget cuts also affect the number of counselors in schools. Counselors help students get their schedules done, aim for classes that will prepare them for college and make sure they have what classes they need to graduate. When graduation gets closer, they also help students find and apply for scholarships and colleges. Some conference speakers stated that with the decrease of counselors, they might be overworked and unable to work hard for all the students. 

The last session before lunch and before going to the Iowa Capitol building was to discuss the how-to’s of lobbying. Students were taught to persistently contact the representative or senator to lobby their ideas and push to get a bill passed or vetoed. Speakers demonstrated how to and how not to lobby. Students were encouraged to get their thoughts across politely in about a minute because legislators can be very busy. 

After lunch, students traveled to the Capitol building to meet with their legislators. Representative Guy Vander Linden discussed what he does on a daily basis, where he works, when he will visit areas in our county and briefly explained bills currently in the House. Senator Tom Rielly was unavailable while the students were in the Capitol, but another worker showed them the Senate and led them to the top of the building. The trip ended with a tour of the Capitol’s five-story library. 

Krista Engelbarts attended the “Visit the Hill” day and said, “My favorite part of the trip was getting to meet Guy Vander Linden and seeing how the Senate chambers are run.” Vinny Buchanan also attended and said, “I enjoyed being in the Capitol building and seeing where our representatives work.” 

Beth Orr, the history teacher who planned and led the trip, said she brought the students because they got to “experience lobbyist groups. Throughout the day, students participated in a variety of experiences within our government. The day was hosted by IACAC, an interest group that lobbies for legislation that pertains to and supports colleges, school counselors and college students’ financial aid. After four morning sessions, the students learned about a variety of topics and got to go to the Capitol to visit their legislators.”