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Aurora High School seniors Caden Carlson (left), Elena Kuehner and Preston Ramaekers have recently been named National Merit Scholar Finalists. They await the final round of selection later this year. -
Paul Johnson and Mallory Johnson are part of a committee of local parents working to revamp the interior of the Hamilton County Youth Center and re-open its doors, ending a two-year shut-down. -
Giltner’s Jacob Smith takes flight in defense as Hampton’s Tyson Wolinksi looks for a bucket in the paint during the Hornets’ 45-44 win over the Hawks in the D2-3 subdistrict tournament played at Lawrence-Nelson Feb. 22. -
Giltner High School’s Hornet football team celebrated its senior night, as did Pablo Gregori, with help from host and extended family members and friends including Ben Hinrichs, Aleece Fiala, Sierra Eastman, Josh Hinrichs, Brooke Williams and youngsters Maddox and Riggins Eastman.
Trio sets sights on National Merit Scholar program
The Aurora High School senior trio of Caden Carlson, Elena Kuehner and Preston Ramaekers have excelled in a number of things over their high school careers -- though becoming National Merit Scholar Finalists is up at the top.
According to the program’s website, “the National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955.”
Somewhere near 1.5 million high school students enter the program every year, attending schools all over the United States, and the list is slowly paired down until only the scholarship winners remain.
These Huskies are almost there.
Youth Center coming back to life
When Paul Johnson was a young boy growing up in Aurora he remembers how much it meant for him to have someplace to go, offering something to do, at no cost. That someplace was the Youth Center, a once vibrant teen hang-out that’s been closed for nearly two years.
That’s about to change, thanks in part to Johnson’s fond memories, as well as his decision to engage other like-minded parents who want to bring the 12th Street facility back to life.
“I left for work one day and my son was sitting on the couch and when I came home from work he was still sitting on the couch,” Johnson shared. “He said there was nothing to do. I know all kids kind of have that feeling, but that wasn’t my recollection of being from Aurora.”
Though he moved around a great deal during his younger years, Johnson said he was fortunate to have landed in Aurora in 2003, where he met a man who would inspire him, then and now.
Hornets outlast Hawks in another instant classic
Hampton honorary coach Carson Klute described it perfectly after the game.
“This is how Hampton and Giltner basketball games are supposed to be,” he said.
For the second time in less than two weeks, the Hawks and Hornets played 32 minutes and the contest came down to the final shot.
This time, though, it was Hampton with a shot to win. However, the ball still bounced Giltner’s direction as the Hornets held on to defeat the Hawks 45-44 in the D2-3 subdistrict final played Feb. 22 at Lawrence-Nelson.
“Hampton isn’t supposed to beat Giltner by a lot and Giltner isn’t supposed to beat Hampton by a lot,” Klute said. “These are what this rivalry is made of. It dated back decades and you want to see good games between these two. I wish we were on the other end of them, but that’s the fun of it.”
Exchange student shares journey from Madrid to Giltner
Madrid, Spain is a bustling city in the heart of the country and home to Pablo Gregori, who has found himself far from home in the community of Giltner.
This 17-year-old student has joined the home of Joel and Terra Hinrichs seeking new experiences and culture as an exchange student.
He explained that he wanted to join the program to experience something that he couldn’t get at home and after signing up, he had no idea where he would end up staying.
“It’s quite different because I come from a big city,” he said. “All of the different things are very easy to adapt to because everything is easy here, like school and home.”
Helping Gregori immerse himself in the local culture has been his participation in athletics. He has joined the football and basketball team, with plans to compete on the track team this spring.
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