Oconto Falls Graduation
Sunday May 28
2:00pm – Oconto Falls Field House
Meet Alexa Barribeau – 1st In Class
Alexa Barribeau heads the Oconto Falls 2017 graduating class, earning first in class honors throughout her high school career.
Looking back, Alex says she immediately got involved with various clubs, such as Future Business Leaders of America, where she served as president during this previous year. Next fall, Alex will be attending UW-Madison, as she hopes to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.
“I’ve always had an interest [in mechanical engineering],” Barribeau explained. “I didn’t know exactly what major I wanted to pick until this [past] fall, so that was nice to pick up. My whole life I’ve been around machines. I like the design aspect. I really enjoy math classes, but probably the most rewarding one was principles of engineering because it did push me the direction I want to go more, so it was cool to see how math applies to the real world.”
Alexa challenged herself academically throughout high school, making sure to balance her involvement with difficult AP courses while maintaining her high grade point average. That’s something she’s taken pride in since middle school, she says, but she hopes it will also lay a foundation for when she begins college courses.
“I’ve taken AP Physics, Principles of Engineering is a college credit class, and AP Calculus,” she said of the difficult classes she took in school. “I like to think I’ve always had a strong work ethic, but college definitely played a part in [challenging myself], just to see if I could keep up with pace and the curriculum.”
Alexa has demonstrated what it takes to be successful in high school, as she leads the 2017 Oconto Falls High School graduating class. Her advice to underclassmen? Get involved. She notes it may sound cliché because that’s what students hear from teachers and administrators as they begin their high school careers, but in her experience, it will be worth it.
Meet Allison Luebke – 2nd In Class
How does it feel to be second in class?
It feels really good because I put in a lot of effort into my schoolwork and to be able to be second is a really good feeling.
Looking back, what was the best part about high school?
I think it would be all of the teachers and people I met on the way. They were all so supportive of everything I do.
What activities or other clubs were you involved with?
I was involved with band, we did the musical, the pit, in jazz band, and also in forensics, student council, and a few other clubs. [I didn’t get involved] so much as a Freshman, but sophomore year I really started to get involved with the clubs because I thought it would be a fun way to meet new people.
What’s next after graduation?
This summer, I’ll be working here in the district with the IT department and then I’m going to go to UW-Stevens Point and I’ll be studying biology with a zoology emphasis.
What was the most rewarding class you took in high school?
Probably band because it helped me boost my confidence. To be able to not only play, but speak confidently in front of a large group of people and things like that.
What all went into you achieving second in class?
I had to do a lot of studying. I had to work hard to make sure that I was not only completing all my work, but make sure I was doing it right, so I didn’t have to go back and fix anything if it was wrong. It was pretty tough trying to balance everything, but I was able to get it done.
What project or assignment challenged you most as a student?
Every year we do S.T.E.M. Symposium and there’s a lot of work that goes into that, all the research and presenting to the community. I think that was the most challenging.
What class has prepared you most for what’s ahead?
Science because I’m going into that field and it’s just something I’ve always been passionate about.
Describe your senior year in one word.
Extraordinary.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I’d like to be doing a career that I really enjoy, possibly working with exotic animals because I really like to work with animals and I like to teach people about them. I’d like to do something like that and maybe even start a family and things like that.
What advice would you offer to underclassmen?
Work hard and do what you love because that’s all that really matters.