On Wednesday, April 10, Ste. Genevieve High School celebrated its students’ academic honors for the 2023-2024 school year at the 34th annual Dan Clark Honors Banquet at the Ste. Genevieve Elks Lodge.
At this year’s event, junior Ava Greer, a member of the Principal’s Advisory Group, gave the opening remarks. The guest performers for the evening were chorale students Clinton Beasley, Damian Dickerson, Aden Eisenbeis, Alexis Femmer, and Carter Hogenmiller, who performed “Vive L’amour” arranged by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw and “Poor Man Lazarus” arranged by Jester Hairston.
The guest speaker for the evening was Dr. Gwendolyn Scott (Dallas), a 2011 graduate of SGHS. During her time in high school, she was in the top 10 percent of her class all four years, she had a passion for volleyball, and she was involved in numerous organizations. She went on to the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL), graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. She then earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Dentistry in 2019. For her first four years, she worked at a public health office treating only children. Now she is an associate at Breeze Dental Care in Festus, where she lives with her husband, Tyler, and their three children.
Dr. Scott spoke to students about the importance of taking care of their mental health, as well as their physical and emotional health, and stressed to them that they should not hesitate to speak up and ask for support when they need it. She shared that just as seeking help for a broken ankle is considered necessary for physical health, it is equally important to seek assistance when other aspects of your body—including mental health—have an imbalance.
“Your journey is not just about achieving success, it’s about nurturing your wellbeing. Remember that fulfillment is not only from external accomplishments, but also aligning your actions with your wishes and your dreams,” she said. “I want you to follow your heart and embark on a path that resonates deeply with your joy, and in doing so, you will find personal satisfaction and foster a sense of profound mental health and happiness.”
Next was a presentation by Mr. Tyson Schaffner, with the Patched Overalls Experience, a project that offers one student each year the opportunity to fulfill a dream experience between their junior and senior year. This year, Mr. Schaffner introduced senior Penny Yang, who traveled to California to work in a private biotech company’s laboratory with a group of fellow students. Not only did the group of students gain the experience of working through real-world laboratory procedures and protocols, but they had the opportunity to pursue their own experiments to research and test. For this upcoming summer, junior Charles Corbett was chosen to participate in the Patched Overalls Experience, and he shared that he plans to attend a leadership engineer camp in Boston, Massachusetts, for three weeks this upcoming summer.
Dr. Rodney Pensel and Dr. Bill Bratburg—both from SEMO’s College of Education, Health and Human Studies—attended the banquet to make a special announcement. SGHS social studies teacher Theoren Viox was recognized among the 2023 Missouri Teacher Leaders of Tomorrow by the Missouri Milken Educators, and Dr. Pensel and Dr. Bratburg presented him with his certificate. Mr. Viox is a Southeast Missouri State University alumnus, having earned his degree in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in secondary education in social studies. He is native of Ste. Genevieve, and he graduated in the SGHS Class of 2018.
Each summer, many SGHS students are chosen to represent our district at leadership conferences throughout the state of Missouri. The following students were recognized at the banquet for being chosen to represent our school at the following conferences, and were sponsored by the following organizations and individuals:
Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership: sophomore Vivian Kiefer; the GFWC Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve
Missouri Boys State: juniors Shay Coleman and Jeremiah Kunz; the American Legion Post 150, Bloomsdale American Legion
Missouri Girls State: juniors Alyssa Cook and Sophia Fritsch; the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary
Missouri Leadership Seminar: sophomore Millie Huffman; the GFWC Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve
Missouri Scholars Academy: sophomore Gavin Gegg
Rotary Youth Leadership Award: sophomore Cecilia Mooney; the Ste. Genevieve Rotary
Sophomore Pilgrimage: sophomore Eli Bennett, the GFWC Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve
Each year at the banquet, the students in the top 10 percent of each class are recognized. Following the class honors, one student is awarded for his or her performance for each course offered at the high school. Congratulations to all of the students on their recognitions!
Top 10% of Class:
Freshmen:
Nate Basler
Clementine Birkenstock
Kennedy Bowen
Lillian Crossland
Anna Fischer
Simon Fritsch
Alexander O’Brien
Jake Parker
Jersey Quinn
Kierstyn Reeves
Elcie Schweigert
Hazel Schwent
Trenton Weber
Hailey Wells
Sophomores:
Jacey Bauman
Kennedi Fischer
Sophie Garcia
Emma Gegg
Gavin Gegg
Tylin Hager
Lucille Hunsley
Vivian Kiefer
Eleanor McKlin
Cecilia Mooney
Paul Taylor
Linley Wehner
Madden Wolk
Juniors:
Kennedy Buatte
Shay Coleman
Savannah DeRousse
Sophia Fritsch
Ava Greer
Kailynn Harmon
Sophia Huck
Joleigh Parker
Jayden Rickman
Mason Ruch
Lucy Sears
Lexi Warren
Autumn Werner
Seniors:
Sophia DeRousse
Charles Drost IV
Alissa Grass
Caitlin Gray
Tessa Hager
Hawthorne Jokerst
Dalton McBride
Kate Mesplay
Cole Nickelson
Elaina Schemel
Bryant Schwent
Penny Yang
Each of the following students (listed alphabetically by surname) earned a medal for outstanding academic achievement in his or her individual class:
Allie Abt — Spanish II
Hannah Ahrens — Chemistry, German I
Zoey Ahrens — Algebra 1.5
Kayden Allgire — Automotive Service Technology II
Gavin Amlong — Basic Home Repair
Taylor Armbruster — Economics
Nate Basler — CP English I
Adriana Bennett — Entrepreneurship, Spanish IV
Clementine Birkenstock — French I
Kennedy Bowen — Spanish I
Kaelyn Boyer — English IV, Yearbook
Kennedy Buatte — ACT Prep, CP English III, Forensic Analysis, Trigonometry
Sofia Cellitti — Journalism
Chloe Choate — Media Literacy
Alyssa Cook — American History
Raelyn Cooper — Foods, General
Trinity Davenport — Women's Choir
Savannah DeRousse — Advanced Chemistry
Damian Dickerson — Chorale
Avery Dippold — Automotive Service Technology I
Jeremy Donze — Algebra I, Photoshop
Charles Drost IV — Physics
Aden Eisenbeis — Jazz Band
Alexis Femmer — Family & Consumer Sciences I
Luke Ferranto — Broadcasting
Anna Fischer — Fundamentals of Art, Health
Seth Fischer — Fish & Wildlife Management
Simon Fritsch — CP Geometry, CP Integrated Science, World History
Sophia Fritsch — French IV, Fundamentals of Music, Landscaping
Sasha Gallup — Adaptive Physical Education
Sophie Garcia — Spanish III
Hunter Garrett — Boys Physical Education
Gavin Gegg — Engineering Graphics, Industrial Woods
Scarlette Gonz — Animal Science
Alissa Grass — College Algebra
Ava Greer — PreCalculus, Advanced Biology
Amelia Grein — Sculpture, Welding Tech II (PACTC)
Johnathan Hacker — Introduction to Industrial Technology
Tessa Hager — CP English IV, Media Production, Statistical Reasoning
Tylin Hager — Personal Finance
Kai Harris — Advanced Media Lab
Isaiah Hill — Music Production & Engineering
Rocksanna Hutson — English I
Hawthorne Jokerst — French V
Ayden Jowers — Contemporary Issues
Evan Kemper — Modern America
Vivian Kiefer — CP Biology
Olivia Klump — Child Development
Brayden Kuhns — Geometry, American Government
Ellie Lalumondiere — Ceramics
Jaylinn LaPlante — Integrated Science
Lily Largent — World Foods
Aidan Lewis — Accounting I, Speech
Cash Loughary — Physical SEL
Ethan Maloney — Agricultural Construction
Matthew Martin — Computer Science Principles
Charles McGuire — German IV
Eleanor McKlin — Algebra II, CP American Government, CP English II, Creative Writing, French II, Mythology, Video Production
Jonathan Merklin — Team Sports
Drew Merriman — German III
Kate Mesplay — Auto Collision (PACTC)
Cole Nickelson — Calculus
Lilah Oberreiter — English II
Taylor Peterson — Biology
Jayden Rickman — French III
Solange Roth — Band, Sociology
Josef Rottler — Introduction to Applications, Website Design
Mallory Rottler — Drawing
Mason Ruch — English III, Film Composition & Lit, Psychology
Hope Schmelzle — Painting
Brooke Schwartz — Cadet Teaching
Bryant Schwent — Drafting & Design
Hazel Schwent — Agricultural Science I
Justin Schwent — Auto Collision Repair Tech 2 (PACTC), Power Mechanics Technology, Highway Riders Auto Award Scholarship
Lucy Sears — CP American History, Organic Chemistry
Lillian Smith — Physiology & Anatomy
Miranda Snyder — Nutrition and Wellness
Jacob Sulser — Agricultural Science II
Hayden Vanamburg — Body Conditioning
Bennett Walls — Dramatic & Argumentative Arts
Kailyn Warren — Girls Physical Education
Lexi Warren — College Algebra with Applications
Isabella Watkins — Introduction to Business
Trenton Weber — German II, Guitar I
Autumn Werner — Earth Science
Damien Wheeler — Accounting II
London White-Hume — Show Choir
Ezra Wolk — Play Production
Grant Wolk — Guitar II
Hannah Woodruff — Studio Art
Penny Yang — Business Technology, Western Civilization
Dr. Boyd shared a special thank you to the following for their role in the event:
the sponsors of the 34th Annual Dan Clark Honors Banquet: presentation partner Mississippi Lime and Julie Griffith; sponsor Lhoist North America; and sponsor Bloomsdale Excavating, Inc.
the Ste. Genevieve Elks Lodge for their readiness to host;
Eleven Eleven Catering and Mimi's for the wonderful meal;
National Junior Honor Society members who served during the event;
Shelly Dallas, Lori Dunn, Brandy Henderson, and Stephanie Brumfield for their hard work and dedication they provide to the students and staff;
program assistants Rori Hughes, Abbey Stomberg, Cierra Voelker, Aubree Worley, Emma Mittermeyer, Kahsu Mittermeyer and Noah Mittermeyer;
and the SGHS faculty who do an exceptional job in making the banquet possible.
Dr. Boyd also took the time to recognize Mrs. Shelly Dallas, who will be retiring on June 30, 2024. “Mrs. Dallas takes on so much planning and preparation for this event, and it will be the last that she coordinates for SGHS. She has attended the banquet as a parent, an administrative assistant, and tonight as a parent supporting our guest speaker. We all want to wish her the very best and appreciate everything that she has done for the Ste. Genevieve R-II Community. Mrs. Dallas, from all of us, thank you!”