Montello Class of 2022 graduates on Saturday

The Montello High School Class of 2022 will take part in their graduation ceremony this Saturday, May 28th, beginning at 2:00 pm in the high school gym.

The class is led by Valedictorian Courtney Gardner and Salutatorian Nathan Barganz. 

High Honor graduates include Nathan Barganz, Haylie Crandall and Courtney Gardner. Honor Graduates include Mercedes Chouinard, Brianna Czarnecki, Amaya Fluker, Ivan Goldsmith, Tiffany Klapper, Brandon Loring, Autumn Loveland, Mason Mitchell, Alex Royce, Cole Steege, and Johnathon Wagner.

Class Officers include President Courtney Gardner, Vice President Autumn Loveland, Student Council Representatives Haylie Crandall and Nathan Barganz.

This class has chosen the motto, “Remember the rewards of today, the promise of tomorrow, and never forget yesterday, the memories of our past.”

Class Colors are black and green; Class Flowers are Tiger Lily and Peony; Class Song is “I’ll Always Remember You” by Hannah Montana.

Scholarship and Academic Awards Night was held on May 18th, with a long list of scholarships awarded to members of the class, along with academic and extracurricular honors. See our special 2022 Area High School Graduation Guide section in this week’s Tribune for the complete list.

Courtney Gardner, daughter of Geffrey and Carmen Gardner, is Montello High School’s Class of 2022 Valedictorian. In addition to this huge academic achievement, she has had many other successes at MHS. She played on the basketball team her freshman and sophomore year, the volleyball team all four years of high school, and played a season of club volleyball at Just A Game in the Dells her sophomore year. Her senior year she was voted as team captain and MVP for the volleyball team. 

In addition to her contribution to the sports program, Courtney has been very involved in the music program. She has participated in two Madrigals and seven musicals/plays with leading roles in two productions senior year. She did five solo ensemble events this year and placed first in all of them with her duet qualifying for state. At state, her duet also scored a first. Her senior year she was also selected to attend Honors Choir and Dorian, which is a music festival in Iowa. In addition to her solo ensemble awards, Courtney was voted as the MVP of two choirs, accumulated over 600 points to receive her choir plaque, and finally earned the National School Choral Award. 

Courtney is involved in various clubs such as National Honor Society, Sources of Strength, Yearbook, Student Council, Forensics, and Academic Bowl. She was named president of the National Honor Society senior year and class president for three years. A few accomplishments in her clubs include Courtney hosting a blood drive for NHS at school and getting NHS involved with the annual pink out night for volleyball. She prepared the event this year and had NHS come to run concessions and the basket raffle. The event raised over $1,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. For forensics, this was the first year Courtney ever joined the team. She ended up earning a bronze medal at state. 

Courtney’s biggest accomplishment in high school was completing 21 college credits, three of those being her nursing assistant class, by the end of first semester senior year. She was placed on the dean’s list for two semesters. She also took her state testing to become a CNA. Courtney plans to continue her education in the fall at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse with a major in business management. She hopes to study abroad sometime during her college years. Finally, Courtney would like to thank her parents and MHS for everything they have done for her. She would also like to give a big shoutout to Mary Ott, who she selected as her significant educator. “Ms. Ott always pushed me to try new things because she believed in me. She always puts her students first and I truly wouldn’t be where I am without her undying support. I hope one day she gets that brand new auditorium she deserves.” said Courtney.

Salutatorian Nathan Barganz, son of Steve and Jenny Barganz, has been on the High Honor Roll throughout his high school career. Nathan has received his academic letter in recognition of his high grades. He has been a National Honor Society member since his junior year, in which he currently holds the title of Secretary.

Nathan has participated in the Westfield/Montello track team since his freshman year and has received his varsity letter in that sport. He has also been an annual member of Montello’s Academic Bowl Team and holds a position on the Student Council.

Congratulations to the Montello High School Class of 2022! See the graduates and their awards in our 2022 Area High School Graduation Guide, inserted into this week’s Tribune!