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Most are centered on the people from her fledgling private school that’s 37 times smaller than Winona Senior High.
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The graduating class of Hope Lutheran High School, top from left: Josh Harrison, 18, Danielle Pearson, 18, Kalika Valentine, 17, Ashley Welter, 18, Sean O'Brien, 18. Front from left: Barb Meltz, 18, Kaila Butenhoff, 17, Jessica O'Laughlin, 18, and Kalene Volkmann, 17. The graduation ceremony is today at 7 p.m. at St. Martins Lutheran Church in Winona. (Photo by Paul Solberg/Winona Daily News) |
Butenhoff is one of nine students graduating today from Hope Lutheran High School. It is the school’s first-ever graduating class. The school will say goodbye to nearly a quarter of its 37 students, who have patiently gone through schedule, curriculum and staff experiments together.
“We’ve been the guinea pig class,” said the 17-year-old senior.
Not everyone wanted to go to the school at first. And not everyone will be doing the same thing when they leave. But they all learned one big lesson: how to get along with each other.
Jessica O’Laughlin was unhappy when her mom, a math teacher and part-time administrator at Hope, told her she would be going to the Lutheran high school.
“I was really mad,” she said. “Now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
She said she learned a lot the past four years — everything from relating classroom discussions to everyday life, to having a better relationship with Jesus Christ.
O’Laughlin had her shares of drama, too. During their sophomore year, she and Butenhoff had an argument so fierce they needed a mediator to settle it.
They’re much more civil to each other now, and even joke around about it.
Butenhoff said personality conflicts are challenging at such a small school. But students have to work out their problems — they can’t just join another clique or ignore each other.
O’Laughlin sees the bigger picture. What she learned about relationships at school will transfer to job settings, she said.
The students do almost everything together. Small as it may be, they have an active student council and six sports teams. They also put on their first-ever play — called “School of Nerds,” which is about “jocks and nerds,” said Tammy O’Laughlin, Jessica O’Laughlin’s mother — and had a first-ever prom.
They have also shared tragedies. The school today will honor Stephanie Herron, a Hope Lutheran School student who died of a brain tumor at age 16. She would have graduated with the others.
Teacher and administrator Tammy O’Laughlin has been with the students during all their ups and downs. They’ve all worked together to create what they have now n students even helped clean classrooms.
“We’re a family,” she said.
Graduates
Hope Lutheran High students will receive their diplomas tonight at 7 p.m. at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church.
Here’s the graduating class and what they plan to do after college.
Kaila Butenhoff, 17, is going to Crossroads College, a private non-denominational Christian college in Rochester. She wants to study mission work.
Josh Harrison, 18, plans to attend Winona State University.
Barb Meltz, 18, will attend Crossroads College in Rochester. She plans to major in Christian education and youth studies.
Sean O’Brien, 18, wants to run his dad’s cleaning business.
Jessica O’Laughlin, 18, is going to attend Concordia University in Nebraska to major in museum studies.
Danielle Pearson, 18, will go to Rochester Community and Technical College.
Kalika Valentine, 17, plans to go to Winona State.
Kalene Volkmann, 17, will attend Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, where she will major in business administration.
Ashley Welter, 18, is going to Winona State to become a physical therapist and coach.
Britt Johnsen can be reached at (507) 453-3519 or bjohnsen@winonadailynews.com.
