Sierra Evans (left) and Sydney Owens are pictured with School Counselor Andy Palzkill at the Kiwanis luncheon.
The Mineral Point Kiwanis Club honored its January Students of the Month at its meeting Tuesday, January 16 at the Pointer Cafe.
The students, who are members of the senior class, are selected for this honor through a voting process by staff at the high school, and their biographies are written by themselves.
Sierra Evans
Sierra Evans would like to thank the Kiwanis Club for honoring her academic achievements.
Sierra is the daughter of Scott and Darcy Evans, and sister to Wyatt Evans.
Throughout high school she has been a member of Future Business Leaders of America, choir, and Key Club. She also participated in wrestling cheerleading, three musicals, volleyball, and Halftime Entertainment. She was a captain her junior year and a four year varsity member of wrestling cheerleading. This allowed her to expand her leadership skills.
She has been working at the Walker House since the summer before her freshman year of high school and this year volunteers as a teaching assistant at Mineral Point Elementary School. She works with Mrs. Denise Gorgen’s 2nd grade students for an hour and a half every day. This experience has helped her make the decision of going to college for elementary education. Sierra would like to thank Mrs. Gorgen for allowing her to be involved in her class. She looks up to her as a teacher and as a person, for she is exactly what Sierra aspires to be.
She has been accepted, and plans on attending, UW-Platteville next fall. This is a dream come true, considering she has known she wanted to be a teacher from a very young age.
She would like to congratulate Sydney Owens for her academic success as well, and again thank the Kiwanis for hosting this luncheon.
“Sierra Evans was always a happy and bright kindergartner! She could make someone smile and then respond with a shy little blush. Today, I see her confident and happy as she comes to the elementary school to do some tutoring! Wishing you much success in the future, Sierra!” ~ Jill McGuire, kindergarten teacher
“Sierra is a student that has definitely made me feel welcome at MPHS. She is a diligent student who cares about her success, so she frequently comes to me for clarification on assignments. I appreciate this quality about her, because she shares possible misconceptions that other students may be having as well. Additionally, she took on various roles this year in Shrek the Musical and executed each of them well. She was dedicated to the performance by consistently attending rehearsals and asking questions to help improve her performance for the benefit of the show.” ~ Brittany Roscovius, High School English Teacher
“Sierra is a hard-working young lady involved in everything it seems! What amazes me is that she excels in everything she does, too. She has a strong work ethic that does not quit. She challenges herself and puts in the effort required to succeed. For this school year, Sierra rearranged her class schedule in order to be part of the school to work program. In this program, students seek paid employment and learn valuable skills in the workforce. For her school to work plan, Sierra volunteers every day for two class periods at the elementary school with Denise Gorgen’s second-grade class. Sierra could be enjoying a much lighter schedule during her senior year, but because of her strong desire to work with kids in her future career, she has pushed herself to do more. I know she wouldn’t trade it and she loves working with the kids and Mrs. Gorgen, and I’m told they love having her there! Best wishes to you, Sierra!” ~ Kip Bakken, Business Teacher
“Sierra has been a cheerleader for four years and I have had the privilege to have been the advisor for three. Sierra is a team player and has great leadership qualities. She is very caring and wears her heart on her sleeve. Her creativity and caring ways will help make her an awesome teacher. I wish her well in all that lies ahead for her.” ~ Judy Pelton, Wrestling Cheerleading Coach
“In the short time that I’ve been getting to know Sierra, she has shown so much dedication to her school work, friends, and family. She has been such a joy to have in art class this past semester. Her leadership and eagerness to try new things have been very inspirational for other students. I believe she surprised herself with the amount of artistic talent she has. Sierra takes pride in her work and continues to keep her bubbly personality, which is quite contagious. I can’t wait to see what her future holds and where her hard work will take her.” ~ Lesley Macaulay, Art Teacher
Sydney Owens
Sydney was born in Mineral Point and has grown up here her whole life. She has a younger sister, Sadie, who is a freshman at Mineral Point High School.
Sydney is involved in many activities that keep her busy all of the time. Sydney partakes in Key Club, Future Farmers of America, Future Business Leaders of America, Math Team, Spanish Club, has been an active member in band since 5th grade, and has been an active National Honor Society member for the last two years. Sydney was also part of the group of students that traveled to Cornwall, England last spring with the Mineral Point-Redruth Twinning Program, which is an experience she will never forget and is grateful for the opportunity to travel to Cornwall and be able to represent Mineral Point High School.
Outside of school, Sydney enjoys traveling to northern Wisconsin to spend time with her family and friends at her family’s cabin. While there, she enjoys water skiing, as well as many other activities on the lake.
During the summer of 2017, Sydney obtained her Certified Nursing Assistant certification and is currently employed at Upland Hills Health, working in their Nursing and Rehab Center as a CNA. Throughout this job, Sydney has enjoyed the opportunity of helping others and has given her the opportunity to explore part of the healthcare field, which is an area she has great interest in.
For Sydney’s future plans, she is undecided of where she would like to attend, but hopes to attend either UW-La Crosse or UW-Madison where she is planning to pursue a degree in biology on a pre-medical track.
Sydney would like to thank Mr. Matt Austin and Mrs. Cindi Nothem for having a substantial influence on her education. Mr. Austin and Mrs. Nothem have always pushed Sydney to work above and beyond in all of her coursework. Some of Sydney’s most challenging courses have been taken with these teachers and she would like to thank them for always being available when she has had questions, as well as helping her to reach her highest potential in both of their classrooms.
Sydney would like to thank the Kiwanis Club, as well as the high school staff, for selecting her for Student of the Month and would like to congratulate Sierra Evans on being selected as well.
“Sydney is in both Band and my Music and Culture class. If you didn’t know, the Music and Culture class is a sophomore college level class that is offered to our 11th and 12th grade students. The class is very difficult and requires a lot of study and preparation that students don’t get in most high school courses. Sydney has risen to the challenge. She has developed a very useful way to help organize her notes and study, which has been paying off in the scores she gets on assignments and tests. Sydney has been a pleasure to have in this class and has proved to be an integral part of the high school band over and over again.” ~ Matt Nevers, band teacher.
“Sydney Owens was an awesome kindergarten student! She was precocious and mature. She learned very quickly but was always happy to be able to play and learn. She could read and understand easily at a young age. Watching Sydney become the bright, happy young woman she is today has been a pleasure and I wish her much success in the future. Good luck, Sydney!” ~ Jill McGuire, kindergarten teacher
“Sydney is a dedicated student who is a quiet leader in the classroom. Her peers respect her opinions, because they know how thoughtfully considered those opinions are. She has been an asset to classroom discussion for this reason. Moreover, Sydney takes feedback extremely well. She cares about producing her best work and purposefully incorporates suggestions from both myself and her classmates throughout the work process.” ~ Brittany Roscovius, High School English Teacher
“Sydney is a very mature, intelligent, and motivated young woman. She has truly been an amazing asset to many clubs and organizations during her high school career. I believe that her involvement in such a multitude of co-curricular activities really speaks to Sydney’s desire to receive a well-rounded education and preparation for her future. Sydney has also demonstrated her desire to serve her school and community by participating in multiple service activities through National Honor Society as well as being a member of the Key Club. Whenever I have asked for volunteers for NHS service activities, she is always one of the first to respond! I believe that Mineral Point High School is a better place thanks to Sydney and that her future will shine very bright! Best of luck in all of your future endeavors!” ~ Cindi Nothem, High School Math Teacher
“The first opportunity I had to teach Sydney was as an eighth-grader in Careers. The next came during her junior year in Personal Finance. Sydney has been an active member of FBLA for the past two years as well. One of the best parts of teaching grades 6-12 is watching students grow and mature. Sydney seemed, in my mind, even in 8th grade mature and ready with a plan for her future. She is a sweet and kind young lady determined to do her best work at everything she does. She has goals and great plans in place for her future. I wish her the best!” ~ Kip Bakken, Business Teacher