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SoNew T h e O f f i c i a l S O u t h m o r e l a n d N E W s l e t t e r J u n e 2 0 1 9 / V o l u m e T h r e e The Class of 2019 V aledictorian: Megan King Salutatorian: Jenna Conty "In life, we might also be presented with the risk that "Members of the Class of 2019, I hope that you never accompanies opportunity, where we must decide whether forget who you are, where you come from, and the road to settle or accept the challenge. From this school, we have you took to get there. When you forget, you start taking learned how to solve equations, how to manage time, how things for granted, you start forgetting who you are, and to communicate, and how to be compassionate toward where you were, and how much you progressed to where others. you are now. Nothing will ever truly be handed to you, and not everything is easy. Choices are made to distinguish us; We have all of the tools necessary to succeed. But now it is Choices are made to separate us; Choices are made for our responsibility to both implement them and develop ourselves. And choices will continue to be made for our the courage and confidence to make decisions regarding future that we now have to think about because it is time. our futures and fully commit to them. Class of 2019, may We must look further ahead in the tunnel that we have you always choose paths that lead to contentment or unknowingly created, we must follow all the way to the personal growth and live your lives to the fullest extent. I end of the tunnel until we see that light, the light of can’t wait to see what you all will illumination and achievement. Then we must reach out for accomplish. Congratulations!" it and seize it. And we must do that for ourselves." SENIOR PROFILES From the Classroom to Beyond JULIANNA OHR “There are times where you will feel so overwhelmed, and it can be very overbearing. It’s so essential to never lose sight of your future. It’s also critical to remember that junior year truly is so, so important in terms of post-education. Never slack off no matter how tough it gets. It’ll pay off in the end.” Ohr says that the she feels as though the Southmoreland faculty is “truly remarkable” when it comes to helping students. “Any time I ever needed help or advice, I know there’s someone I can turn to- no matter what,” she said. “I think that’s my favorite thing about this school district, and I’ll carry that with me for the rest of my life.” Finally, Ohr believes that it is important to remember to look at colleges whenever you get the chance. By Abby Fullem, Junior “Always be browsing colleges, even if it’s just for 5- Applying to and choosing a college can be very 10 minutes during lunch or before you go to bed,” stressful, but Julianna Ohr already has that figured out. she said. “It’s so, very essential to be constantly This fall, senior Julianna Ohr will be attending aware of different opportunities there are in terms Washington and Jefferson College and majoring in of college. Waiting until the beginning of senior chemistry. She has received the Presidential year is not ideal at all, and will add so much stress Scholarship (Scholars Award). to your life. “I was informed right around Christmas time that I did “Also, remember to never take a moment for receive it,” Ohr said, “My parents opened the letter granted while you’re in high school,” she continued. before me because they were so anxious. It was such an “I never realized how true it is that these four years awesome feeling.” really do fly by in a flash. I feel like I was just here for freshman orientation. Now, I’m close to This scholarship covers almost half of the total cost of graduating after all the work I’ve done these last 12 her tuition. She also received two other smaller years. It’s insane.” scholarships for an overall total of about $120,000. Ohr said that, for her, “The answer to, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ has never changed.” She said she has always wanted to be a doctor. “The answer to, According to Ohr, her grandfather had serious medical issues, so when she visited with her “Meemaw,” the ‘What do you nurses and doctors let her play “‘pretend’ doctor.” “They even gave me a real stethoscope from the want to be when hospital,” Ohr said, “I still have it in my room.” you grow up?’ has Additionally, taking intro to chemistry and AP chemistry helped Ohr decide to be a doctor, ad she said that chemistry “ is something I really love and enjoy.” never changed.” Cassie Steele By Erin Polakovsky, Senior Southmoreland senior Cassie Steele has big plans. Cassie Steele hopes to show that “a small town girl can become something so much bigger,” and to make her family, community, and self proud. As editor of the yearbook and a member of many clubs, Steele is a fixture at many community events, camera in hand. She hopes to earn a degree that will allow her to be “fully creative” and “have a fun time in life.” What makes Cassie special is her acknowledgment that life, specifically from the ages of 14-18, is a “hard and challenging time.” Noting that students at this age are finding "...thankful for all the themselves and what is best for them, Cassie believes that “if someone is having an ‘off’ week, 'lessons, memories, laughs, or even an ‘off’ day,” that checking on them is beneficial, especially from teachers. and tears' she has Cassie encourages current and future students to experienced in the halls of focus on themselves, “study hard and enjoy every single moment and appreciate every teacher” in Southmoreland High their days at Southmoreland, and says that she is thankful for all the “lessons, memories, laughs, School." and tears” she has experienced in the halls of Southmoreland High School. Alexis Klatt By Abby Fullem, Junior Who knew that a hobby that a girl begins when she is 4 could lead to a college scholarship? Alexis Klatt committed to Alderson Broaddus University in Philippi, WV, her junior year to play softball and major in biology. “I’ve always had a dream of playing college softball,” Klatt said. “I’ve also always wanted to major in biology and become an endocrinologist. When I was a child I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and I’ve wanted to learn more about the disease.” Klatt is a finalist for a major scholarship called the Elk’s Most Valuable Student Scholarship. She made it past both the district and state rounds for this scholarship. As mentioned earlier, Klatt received an athletic and academic scholarship; therefore, she will be paying less than $10,000 to go to college. After getting her degree, Klatt would like to be a successful endocrinologist or pharmaceutical sales representative. ERIN POLAKOVSKY B Y C A I L E I G H J O H N S T O N As members of the 2019 graduating class prepares for She added that her participation in Reading Buddies and their futures, a moment must be taken to admire those Lunch Bunch “make me want to help people too.” who have had a positive impact here at Southmoreland High School. Erin is determined to make a name for herself in the CalU community and has already begun. She was awarded the One of those is Erin Polakovsky, who serves as a beaming Vulcan Merit Scholarship through CalU which is $1,800 a ray of sunshine who is often found smiling down the semester, renewable for four years. She also was awarded hallways, often carrying three or four cups of coffee in her the Phil Schaltenbrand Westerwald Pottery scholarship. hands because she knows just how important the little things (like coffee) are to people. Erin believes some of the hard work of applying for college should include applying for scholarships. For Erin Polakovsky, kindness is in her blood, and that’s why she is planning on continuing to help people after her “I have also applied for more than 10 other scholarships,” graduation from Southmoreland. she said. “Some are CalU specific and others are local.” “I’ll be attending California University of Pennsylvania With determination and goodwill in her heart, Polakovsky working on a degree in psychology.” has set impressive goals for herself. In 15 years she plans on, “doing well in my own psychology practice, having Because of her own personal experiences, Erin is an expert achieved a psychology degree.” at taking the good out of every situation and letting it lead her in the right direction. As her time here at Southmoreland is coming to an end, she has some words for current and future students and “The loss of my father pointed me in the direction of students. psychology as a profession,” she said. “Receiving counseling after his passing inspired me to help others.” “Students are people too,” she said. “They have lives, struggle, face hardships and adversity, just like everyone. Erin learned the importance of helping others from not Just because they’re kids doesn’t diminish that. The more only her personal life, but also her experience here at that adults not only acknowledge this but also actively Southmoreland.

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