Sixty-two seniors will be graduating from Lennox High School on Saturday, May 15th. Commencement is set to begin at 10 a.m. in the high school gymnasium. The program is only open to the Senior class. Each graduate was given ten tickets to allow for family and close friends to attend the special event.
The top three students from the Class of 2021 will be the featured speakers — Kayleigh Thill, Jordan Christensen and Tyler Plank.
Valedictorian Kayleigh Thill is the daughter of Steve and Tresa Thill. Kayleigh was involved in band, volleyball, cheer, FFA, 4-H, one-act plays, choir, jazz band, colorguard, youth group, NHS and praise band. Child Development was her favorite class because she appreciated the real-life application. Kayleigh’s advice to others is to find something you are passionate about; school is important, but if you don’t take time for yourself to grow who you are as a person, then it isn’t worth it.
Kayleigh’s top priority was to get prepared for college while being proud of everything she did. A lesson Kayleigh learned is that things are not as bad as they seem and that there is always someone willing to help. Junior year was Kayleigh’s favorite because she was able to do a lot of traveling: band trip to California and the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. After graduation, Kayleigh plans on attending Augustana University to study Business Management.
There are two Salutatorians this year — Jordan Christensen and Tyler Plank.
Salutatorian Jordan Christensen is the daughter of Larry and Susan Christensen. Jordan was involved in cheerleading and NHS. Jordan’s favorite class was chemistry because she liked the work and always had fun in class. Jordan’s words of advice would be that focusing on yourself and your real friends will lead to a great four years.
Jordan’s top priority throughout high school was to get good grades.
One lesson Jordan learned is that things are not always going to go as expected; it is important to accept change and continue to move forward. Jordan looked forward to school dances and she always thought they were fun. Jordan’s favorite school lunch consisted of the old Italian dunkers and double chocolate chip cookies.
Jordan enjoyed her sophomore year because she was used to high school life and classes were still easy. Jordan’s most memorable moment in high school was going to state basketball and winning the Spirit of Six Award. Jordan plans to attend USD to major in Political Science with the intention of going to law school.
Salutatorian Tyler Plank is the son of Kevin and Kristen Plank. Tyler was involved in NHS, student council, Best Buddies, tennis, basketball, marching band, and First English youth group. His favorite class was calculus with Mr. Veitor because of the broad range of conversations they had during class. Tyler advises others to stop procrastinating. One important lesson Tyler learned is that you have a long time to figure out who you are, so don’t rush the process.
Tyler’s top priority was to get good grades while still making time for himself to have fun. Tyler looked forward to competing at state tennis. His freshman and sophomore years of tennis met his expectations, but his senior year is still in progress. Tyler enjoyed his senior year the most because everyone began to act as a class instead of individuals. Tyler plans to attend Augustana University to major in Biology and minor in Music.
Saturday’s graduation ceremony will also include performances by the high school band and special music from the high school choir members.
Senior Class President Mara Hinker and Student Council President Blake Gibney will also speak at the commencement program.
Inside this issue of The Lennox Independent you will find a special publication by the Lennox High School Pep-A-Graph Staff, the section features each graduating senior of LHS.