Falcon High School
- Valedictorian: Joshua LeonardJoshua Leonard said he will be attending the United States Air Force Academy in the fall, and his ultimate goal is to become a fighter pilot in the Air Force. He said his experience attending Falcon was good. ìI made a lot of friends,î he said. ìWe actually just moved here right before my freshman year so I didnít know anyone, but the students at Falcon are very nice and welcoming.î Outside of school, Leonard said he participated in activities such as the Reserve Officersí Training Corps, soccer and the National Honor Society. ìThose activities definitely made it a lot of fun,î he said.
- Salutatorian: Zachary ChaseZachary Chase will attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, for one year before he serves on a mission trip for his church. He said the trip will last two years and then he will return to BYU to finish his degree. ìI would like to go to France or someplace like that,î Chase said of his mission trip. ìBut theyíll tell me where to go, and Iím good with that.î He said his experience attending Falcon was fun. ìI did a lot of different things like soccer, NHS, and I really enjoyed hanging out with my friends,î Chase said.
- Valedictorian: Brock MrofczaBrock Mrofcza will attend Colorado State University in Ft. Collins in the fall. ìI want to get involved in the theater program there,î he said. ìIím not sure what career path I want to take just yet.î Mrofcza said his time attending Vista Ridge was good because it gave him a chance to try a lot of different activities. ìI was in mock trial, the first robotics team, the marching band, the Key Club International, NHS and theater,î he said. ìTheatrical arts is probably my biggest passion that Iíve found.î He said the fantastic teachers made his time at Vista Ridge exceptionally enjoyable. He credited them for getting him to this point.
- Salutatorian: Silas HendrichSilas Hendrich said he will also attend CSU this fall, where he plans to study physics. He said his long term goal is to attend graduate school for astrophysics. Hendrich talked about his experience at Vista Ridge. ìA lot of people there helped me get ready for college,î he said. Outside of the classroom, Hendrich said he played on the Vista Ridge soccer team. ìI also played club soccer, was part of the NHS and coached for a Pride (soccer club) Under 7 girls’ soccer team,î he said.
- Valedictorian: Brian OsterholzerBrian Osterholzer is headed to CSU to likely major in biology. He said his favorite part of attending Sand Creek was the extracurricular activities in which he participated. ìBeing on the soccer team, I really developed a sense of camaraderie,î Osterholzer said. ìI ran track and field as a sprinter and was in the NHS.î Outside of the classroom and school sports, he said his main hobby is hunting. ìThatís what I really like to do in my spare time,î Osterholzer said. ìI mostly hunt elk and moose.î
- Salutatorian: Evan BrunnerEvan Brunner will attend college at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and heís looking at a career in writing. ìAs I completed my writing assignments in school, my teachers liked them and asked if I would be interested in pursuing a career there,î he said. ìIíve thought about writing for a magazine on all sorts of interesting things like breakthroughs in science.î Brunner said his experience at Sand Creek was good, and he was glad he signed up for higher level classes. ìIt was one of the best decisions I made,î Brunner said. ìIt will make the transition to college more manageable, and I got a nicer work atmosphere.î
- Valedictorian: Kayleen FurrerKayleen Furrer will also attend UCCS in the fall and plans to major in math and secondary education. ìIíve always loved math, and itís always been one of my strong suits,î she said. ìI recently discovered a passion for teaching so I want to be a math teacher.î Furrer said her time in the diploma program at Sand Creek was a great journey. ì(The diploma program) helped me and my friends bond together, and it was just a great experience overall.î
- Salutatorian: David HorneDavid Horne is going to UCCS as well, majoring in chemistry for a career as a high school teacher. He said he enjoyed his time in the diploma program at Sand Creek because it challenged him. ìIn the diploma program, I had to try different classes and things,î Horne said. ìI did cross country, which was the first sport Iíve ever done, as a junior and senior. I never really took an art course, so I took a visual arts course, which was a lot of fun.î He said the other students in the diploma program became like family to him. He said he doesnít know what he wouldíve done without the help of his parents and his girlfriend, Madison Eckley.
