Winter might be the coldest and darkest season of the year, but at St. Louis High School, it’s one of the busiest times of the year! From constant activities and school spirit, to countless winter athletic events, to multitudes of club activities, SLHS is absolutely teeming with energy during the winter season! With the days starting to get a bit warmer and longer each day, it’s time to say goodbye to winter and all the activities that took place during the season.
The varsity and junior varsity girls basketball team had an astounding season, where they made impressive moves on the court. The ladies won the Tri-Valley Conference title for the first time in 10 years! Additionally, they ended with a record of 19-5, and fell one game short of the district title. Also, the JV team had a winning record and gained great amounts of experience during the season. Both teams managed to find success, and there were hours of hard work put in to do so.
Also on the court, the St. Louis varsity boys basketball team had a solid season. The team ended their season with a final record of 4-19. They played their hearts out everytime they stepped on the court, but the team struggled with the thinnest roster the program has ever seen. Throughout the season, the younger team became more confident with their playstyle that eventually allowed them to flourish towards the end of the season.
Additionally, the St. Louis varsity pompon team had a great season. The team was filled with multiple routines from the halftime performances at basketball games to the High Kick Competition. Coach Komperda stated, “It has been a blessing being the new coach of the St. Louis varsity pompon team! I have always wanted to coach my hometown’s pom team, so I couldn’t be happier.” The team and coaches’ hard work and dedication allowed them to take a trip to the state championship, where they placed fourth.
The St. Louis cheer team also had an exciting season with sideline and competitive cheer. Not only was it exciting, but it was also historic. This was the first year that guys were added to the team, but because of this, they were not able to compete in the competition cheer season. The team advocated for the change of allowing boys to compete, and they will be back next year in hopes of being able to compete as a cohesive unit.
The varsity and junior varsity bowling teams had a successful season! After seeing lots of improvement throughout the season, the teams are already looking forward to next season. On the individual side, senior Madyson Hartman qualified for individual state after blowing away her competition and placing first by over 100 pins at regionals! Additionally, four bowlers committed to bowl at the collegiate level at various colleges. Lilly Massaway will be bowling for MID Michigan College, Hartman will be bowling for Montcalm Community College, and both Noah and Brighton Buchanan will be bowling for Cornerstone University.
Wrestling also made history as both a team and individuals. This year, the Sharks varsity wrestling team had an outstanding season by all merits. The roster had increased to an unprecedented count of 38 wrestlers this year, which is the largest wrestling team St.Louis has seen in the past 18 years. The team’s final record for the season was 26-3. Although, that’s not the only notable record from the Sharks this season. For the first time in 29 years, they earned the runner up spot for the Division 4 team state wrestling championship in Kalamazoo. The Sharks also had a school record, seeing 13 wrestlers travel to Ford Field in Detroit for the individual wrestling state championship. Only Alex Rodriguez (113) was able to come out on top with a championship win and now is looking to become the first multi-timer state champ for the Sharks. Eight of the 13 individuals earned All-State honors, those wrestlers being: Owen Fogel (106) who took 3rd, Colin Kuhn (126) finished 4th, Drew Challender (157) took 7th, Udter Tweh (190) made the podium at 8th, Roman Anguiano (215) ended in 6th, Olesya Mullins (100) took runner up, and Tekoha Henry (190) finished 7th. The team also earned All-State academic honors for the season.
As a historic highlight of the season, St. Louis wrestler Alex Rodriguez made history as an individual state champion. Rodriguez pinned his way through districts, regionals, and state. He gives thanks to his dad, and gives thanks to all the Shark wrestling staff. Rodriguez also hit his 100th career win as a sophomore, and his 85th pin. He’s well on his way to breaking the school record for pins, which is currently 119.
Speaking of achievements, senior Ben March took the court during halftime of the basketball state finals to receive his Michigan High School Athletic Association Scholar Athlete Award. Only being the fifth student to receive this scholarship in SLHS history, it is clear March has many accolades to back up this accomplishment. He stated, “I’m thankful for all the people who have supported me to get me where I am now.”
Business Professionals of America, also known as BPA, had a busy year as well. They went to BPA regionals at Central Michigan University, with 16 different teams qualifying for state. Then, the members of BPA made their annual trip to Grand Rapids to compete in the state competition. With state being harder than it has ever been, a few people placed, which included sophomore Gracie Lombard and senior Lillie Thayer placing sixth in their individual events, and the presentation team, consisting Dominick Girard, Lucee Mikek, and Jaiden Dickman, took sixth as well. Finally, the team that took fourth place consisted of Natalee Hoyt, Ben March, and Ava Frost, with Broadcast News Production.
New to the school, the SLHS Rotary Interact has been busy throughout the winter! The club hosted a blanket-making activity at Schnepps’ during winter break, and before the break, some Rotary students helped out at Nikkari Elementary School. Moreover, the club hosted an essentials drive, which resulted in an assembly to pie teachers in the face following the end of the drive! The club also made a huge step for the school through the “Pitch-er This” fundraiser. Several Rotary members were able to start the process to plan a “Zen Den” at SLHS, and have gained over $9,000 worth of funding.
During the winter season, the band was quite active. Kicking off the season in November was Blues in the Night, hosted by the jazz and steel bands. The jazz band was active throughout the months as well, performing halftime concerts at home basketball games and even attending a jazz festival. With concert band, the band performed its annual Festival of Bands holiday concert in December, and in March, performed a new Senior Showcase concert! After a successful concert season, the state Solo and Ensemble was around the corner, featuring a total 11 students participating. At the conclusion of the performance, 10 students successfully gained a “one.”
St. Louis High School students tested their worldly knowledge by competing on the Model U.N. team Feb. 7, and March 19, at the Gratiot-Isabella RESD. The team consisted of seniors Rowan Harris, Mckenzie Smith, Claire Hubble, Curtis Brashaw, Joseph Rosenberger, Lucee Mikey, Lexi Thayer, and junior Anthony Hudson. Harris and Hudson were the USA, Smith and Thayer were North Korea, Brashaw and Rosenberger were Germany, and Mikek and Hubble were Nigeria. The competition consisted of several other schools, each also assigned their own countries, where the students would meet and discuss world issues and find solutions to them. The competitions were scored, but final results have yet to come out.
During the winter, FFA was busy! The club celebrated National FFA week by doing all sorts of things for the students and teachers! This included a fundraiser for Dalis to the Rescue. One member of the club, freshman Maggie Allen, went to the state convention for Greenhand Public Speaking, and she received the bronze award for this achievement!
The St. Louis High School Innovative Vehicle Design Club took a trip to Detroit Monday, March 4, to enter its vehicle in competition. This meet, which was the second IVD meet of the year, served as a follow-up to the first meet, in which the club designed a vehicle to be used.
The day went smoothly and started with the team of four leaving early in the morning to go to Larry’s Performances RC, in Rochester Hills. While there, IVD teams from different schools competed against each other using cars made at the previous meet, and the students wrapped up the day placing fifth out of 12 teams.
Additionally, SLHS had a recent boost in school spirit due to the recent Valentine’s Day activities put on by Mrs. Reeves and Mrs. Kaiser! These two dedicated teachers went above and beyond to plan these events for the student body, and they were a hit! Events such as daily Valentine Trivia, daily Valentine Bingo, and the Valentine Assembly were all competitive events among the grades that got the students involved and excited to participate. The overall winning class was the seniors, who recently celebrated their win with an ice cream party!
Speaking of spirit, before going on Christmas break, students had the chance to attend the Christmas Assembly hosted by the Student Council. That wasn’t where the fun ended, though. Across SLHS during February, Mrs. Kaiser and Mrs. Reeves made a brilliant idea of having a fun month which culminated with an assembly! There were numerous activities for the student body to participate in. One can thank these teachers for their tremendous efforts in supporting the student body since there hasn’t been that much spirit throughout the halls of St. Louis in a very long time.
With a lot of activities comes a lot of spirit, and St. Louis is good at brightening up the cold and dark winter months with this spirit. As the days get longer and students prepare for spring activities, though, it’s time to wish winter a goodbye and welcome spring with open arms.
