Seniors, Parents Prepare for GHS Graduation, 2012-Style

It’s graduation week for Geneva High School. 

Yard signs declaring the home is the “Home of a GHS Graduate” are popping up all over town. (For those who’d like to purchase one, the blue and white signs are available in the main office for $5 each.) 

Seniors’ last day of school is Wednesday. 

The Jazz Concert and Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the cafeteria.

The big Senior Breakfast, complete with debut of the class DVD and “most likely to” awards (most likely to be president, to be on Broadway, to be a millionaire and others) is Friday morning in Aurora, with graduation rehearsal to follow. 

Baccalaureate, sponsored by the Geneva Ministerial Association, is Friday evening at First Baptist Church of Geneva (West Campus) on Keslinger Road. 

Then there’s a day off, so to speak, before the graduation ceremony itself, which begins at 2 p.m. Sunday. Doors open at 1. (Let’s hope the monsoons—also known as the severe thunderstorms—that plagued the 2011 ceremony stay away this year!)

Math teacher Paul Cheek, who’s retiring, is the faculty speaker. Leah Walker will give the opening remarks, Rohan Patel will give closing remarks, and Taylor Nelson will present the student speech. 

And when 4 p.m. or so rolls around, this year’s senior class will be the newest graduates of GHS. 

All in all, it’s a pretty big week for the seniors and those who love them. So it’s to be expected there’s a wide range of emotions felt by seniors, from elation over NOT having to take final exams, to excitement, to trepidation and nervousness, to sadness at leaving a big chunk of childhood behind. 

“Optimistic,” one newly minted graduate (she attended a private high school) said. 

“I am being swept up in a whirlwind of every emotion!” said another.

And from the parent of a senior, an emotion probably shared by every other parent who’s going through this this year, or has done it before: “wistful.”

Indeed. And proud, too. Happy future, graduates of the class of 2012.

(The list below includes the honors awarded last week at the annual Senior Awards Ceremony.)

AWARD

Student

American Legion Citizenship Awards

Adam Milano, Ellen Wildman, Marcus Warner, Kristine Shogren (honorable mention)

Sons of the American Revolution Award

Ben Rogers

Daughters of the American Revolution Award

Ellen Wildman

Air Force ROTC Scholarship

Cameron Petit

Geneva Academic Foundation Scholarship

Madeline Temple, Ellen Wildman

Howard Bakken Award - Music Boosters

Connor Colbert

Joseph Brayton Memorial Scholarship

Nora Burkhardt, Madeline Temple, Adam Milano, Henry Zupke

The Delnor Foundation

Rachael Condon, Rohan Patel

Geneva Lions Club Scholarship

Ellen Wildman, Michaela Simone, Rachael Condon

Monica Moore-Viant Memorial Scholarship

Michaela Simone

Emma Mebane Magnificent Machine Award

Ryan Wheatly

Barbara D Anderson Scholarship 

Courtney Kein, Aaron Volk

St. Peter Catholic Church Scholarship

Rachael Spitzig, Aaron Volk

Paul Ruby Foundation for Parkinsin's Research

Kevin Brouilette

Matthew Kenney Memorial Scholarship

Rachel Hinchman, Mark Becker

Johnathon McNeil Memorial Scholarship

Michaela Simone, Maureen Levy

Mother's Club of Geneva

Rachael Condon, Kaitlyn Kanarowski, Hannah Kilroy, Maureen Levy, Micole Missele, Kristine Rathunde, Taylor Schlegel, Madeline Temple, Allison Wright

Lucile Gustafson Scholarship

(Waubonsee Community College)

David DelGiudice, Andrew Guevara, Austin Herr, Sasha Rogers

Dustin Villarreal Memorial Scholarship

James Clark, Tyler Hickey, Ben Rogers

Douglas Hoeft Scholarship

Jessica Coxe

Dr. John Murphy Scholarship

Tom Conroy, Kristine Rathunde

William Ottilie Memorial Scholarship

Angelina Crowe, Erin Taylor

Houghton-Mifflin Co. Scholarship

Emily Ostgaard

Braley Family/James & Yvonne Wood 

Rohan Patel

Hansen-Furnas Foundation, INC

Kaitlyn Kanarowski

TWS Actuary Mathematics Award

James Bartusek, Chris Warren, Grace Smith, Courtney Kein

Outstanding Mathematics Student

Christopher Warren

Geneva High School Science Award

Courtney Kein

Fermilab Science Award

Ryan Wyllie, Christopher Warren

Geneva Laureate Award

Mia Schrilla

World Language Awards - Spanish 

Leah Walker, Rohan Patel

World Language Awards - French

Amanda Kramer, Bridget Brady, Christopher Warren

World Language Award - German 

Carly Schweppe

Joanne Schrader Culinary Arts Scholarship

Alexandra Puff, Ben Herrera, Ashley Dudman, Matt Abern

Outstanding Senior in Business

Jeff Konrad

Kiwanis Club of Geneva Scholarship

Kristine Rathunde

James R Justin Memorial Scholarship (Key Club)

Angelina Crowe

National Art Honor Society Achievement in Art Award

Kevin Brouillette, Claire Byrne, Chloe Callahan, Tarah Dunn, Lee Farkas, Anthony Hasapis, Sarah Parado, Ed Shaugnessy, Isabel Villanueva, Kelsey Jaffer, Daniel Herbst

Achievement in Art Award

Taylor Nelson, James Lovig, Bridget Hass, Blake Ochsner, Ashley Mistak, Erin Cameron, Alex VanBroeck

Ben Horonzy Memorial Scholarship

Kyle Hurley

GHS All Sports Boosters Scholarship

Megan Malone, Ryan Muzzarelli

Joseph Brayton Scholar-Athlete Award

Henry Zupke, Rachel Hinchman

Fran Baumgartner Scholarship

Madeline Temple, John Swiderski

Outstanding Female Athlete

Rachel Hinchman

Outstanding Male Athlete (Jeff Smith Award)

Matt Williams

Fabyan Foundation Scholarship

Alexandrea Augustine, Charles Barber V, Katherine Condon, Rachael Condon, Kyle Ferguson, Courtney Kein, Jake Powers, Grace Smith, Aaron Volk, Alexandra Hacker