Senior  

   Senior  

    Her favorite part about school is her music class because she is very interested in music. Though, she would have to say her favorite class is English. 

    "It is easier to read or write something than to say it out loud," said Latshaw.

    Latshaw participates in the school musicals and belongs to the youth group at her church, Washington Ave. Bible Church. Out of everyone she knows, the person she admires most is her mom.

    “She is encouraging and reminds me that I can't change people, only myself,” said Latshaw.

    After she graduates, Latshaw plans on attending Millersville for elementary education. The grade level she will be training to teach are kindergarten through fourth grade. She has always loved children, so she sees this as the perfect career for herself.

    "When I was little, I used to play school with my friends all the time," said Latshaw.

    If she could change anything about the world, Latshaw would make everyone more selfless and less greedy

    "I've done my best to make it this far."

   Senior  

    Thaddeus Hatt: Multi-faceted, persevering, and an all-around good guy.  These words certainly describe this Ephrata High School senior.

    As a member of NHS, Spanish NHS, and the school rugby team, he certainly has a diverse portfolio.  He got into rugby because he wanted to try something different; he states that it is “pretty beast”, meaning that it is a lot of fun.  He also enjoys video games and playing guitar, which he has been playing for three or four years.  As well as his involvement in extra-curricular activities, he works at a local grocery store, Martin’s Country Market, all while maintaining a weighted 4.25 GPA. 

    Hatt’s favorite class is physics because of its involvement with math, logic, and problem solving.  He also enjoys the class’s more laid-back learning environment.  After high school, he plans on attending college, majoring in electrical or computer engineering, economics, or perhaps both.  He is currently looking at MIT, University of Michigan, or Virginia Tech to attend next year.

    After college Hatt plans on attending graduate school but is unsure of what career he is pursuing.

    “With my major(s), I can go into a wide variety of careers,” he says.

    When asked whom he admires, he stated that his Calculus teacher, Mr. Michael Mylin, has always been a good role model in the sense that he supports individualism and being adamant in one’s ideals.  It is quite obvious that Thad is quite the individual, and it is safe to assume that we can expect good things out of him in the future.

   Senior   

    Keeping active is not difficult for Ephrata High School senior Kayla Stauffer. Sometimes it may be hard to balance time with work and extra curricular activities, but for this student it is more of a pleasure and love for what she is involved in. 

    As co-editor of the yearbook, Stauffer finds much of her day spent working on her pages of the yearbook—People, Sports, and Ads. Currently she is dedicating over six hours a week on the yearbook, and that amount will be increasing to nine plus hours over the next few weeks. Stauffer is also in the National Honor Society at EHS.

    Another important aspect of Stauffer’s life can be found at her church, Cornerstone Mennonite Fellowship. She is treasurer of their Youth Committee which meets every weekend and is also the founder of GAB (Girls Accountability “Bunch”), a bible study group. She not only participates within the church but also outside of the church. Every Thursday she meets at “The Bridge” for middle school night to help local adolescents.

    This summer, Stauffer will be taking part in a six week mission trip to Asia. She will be leaving on June 21 for this backpacking experience to visit a variety of places including the base in Thailand, China, and Southeast Asia.

    She loves being able to interact with many different people in high school and is anxious to graduate, knowing she is about to step out into the real world as an adult.

    “I’m finally comfortable with myself and now I’m out of my shell,” says Stauffer.

    As for the present time, Stauffer is preparing for college.  She is undecided as to what school is in her future, but she plans to major in elementary and special education. 

    Stauffer is extremely thankful toward her family and friends and “loves all of them.” As she leaves high school and matures into a young woman, she leaves us with her motto:

    “Know God, no regrets,” said Stauffer.

    From participating in numerous amounts of extra-curricular activities to playing a variety of music, senior Chelsey Browell exceeds the average school expectations.

    Browell, who will be graduating in June with the 2010 class, plans on attending college in the fall.  While she is undecided on a major, she is interested in music and medical fields. 

    She belongs to an unusually large amount of extra-curricular groups including National Honor Society, Spanish NHS, Yearbook, Tri-M, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Percussion, and Marching Band.

    “What I like most about school is being able to be with my friends and learn new things,” said Browell.

    In her spare time, Chelsey enjoys being able to sit back and relax. She also likes to play the piano and collect sheet music.

    “I just enjoy playing anything I can get my hands on,” said Browell.

    Senior Browell is a member of the Ephrata First United Methodist Church. She is a part of her church's praise team and plays various instruments for the group.

    When asked what she would change in the world, Browell said she would like to see everyone’s outlook on life become more optimistic. She believes all of us are here for a reason and that we should find purpose in life.

    “My Grandmother is my biggest inspiration because she helped get me started in playing the piano and she helps me pursue my Christian faith,” said Browell.

    She says her greatest accomplishment is becoming a drum major and having the opportunity to lead a group in something she loves. She’s also thankful for the opportunity to inspire those people.

    “There’s always someone out there who has it worse than you, so you should be thankful for what you have,” said Browell.

    Actively involved in Student Council, National Honor Society, and Rifle, Ephrata High School senior Jes Crills works her way to success.

    Student council and NHS keep Crills busy with blood and food drives, pick on a senior day, and mini-thon. Mini-thon is like a small carnival where students pledge money to attend. Pro-ceeds go to the Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center to alleviate the financial burdens of cancer patients.

    “One of the most challenging activities that council does is mini-thon. It’s so big and really hard to plan. Mostly because we have to try to get everyone from Garden Spot and Cocalico together in order to plan everything. Then you spend six hours on your feet organizing things like the food and prize donations,” said Crills.

    While Crills is proud of her involvement in student council, she believes that her greatest accomplishment was becoming Champion of the Lancaster-Lebanon Rifle League in February. Crills received a gold medal.

    “My goal for this year, though, would be to graduate with a 3.8 grade point average or higher,” said Crills.

    Her competitive goal-oriented spirit is admired by her peers as well as her teachers.

    “Jes can achieve her goal. She can do anything she puts her mind to,” said math teacher Bret Marzock.

    When Crills isn’t busy with her extracurricular activities, she likes to read, follow the Philadelphia Phillies, and sing. She attends Hinkletown Mennonite Church where she has been appointed president of the youth group. Crills runs the business meetings and keeps order of the youth.

    After graduation Crills would like to attend Lancaster General’s School of Nursing and possibly become a missionary. She is also debating on going into the U.S. Air Force as a medic to help our troops. Bettering our world seems to be on her to do list.

   “If given the chance to do something to improve our world, I would want to invest more money into protecting our troops,” said Crills.

    This student is dancing to the beat as she moves along in her senior year. Emily Olson is a senior at Ephrata High School, and to spend a day in her shoes, one would have to learn to walk with the music.

    Olson’s favorite classes are Creative Writing and Algebra III. She likes creative writing because the class is small and more personal. Also, she can be very creative with her stories, which makes it no surprise that Olson is co-editor in chief for the school newspaper, The Mountaineer, Algebra III is another favorite because of her teacher, Bret Marzock.

    Olson is also involved in extracurricular activities. She has been part of Tri-M, a music honor society, since 10th grade. This clarinetist is also in chorus, band, orchestra, and wind ensemble.

    After high school, Olson wants to attend a state college. Currently, she is trying to decide between IUP and Bloomsburg University. Although she’s unsure of where to go, Olson knows that she will major in Journalism. After college, Olson wants to either write for a paper in New York or design pages for a magazine.

    Outside of school, Olson can mainly be found dancing. She has been dancing since she was four years old. She takes dance classes at Encore Dance Center for tap, ballet, jazz, pointe, lyrical, modern, stomp, and she used to take Irish step. The person she admires most is her dance teacher, Alvina.

    “She helped me develop not only as a dancer, but as a person,” Olson says of her dance teacher.

    Also, in her free time, Olson enjoys hanging out with her friends. She attends Holy Trinity Church and is involved with the youth group. When asked what she would change in the world, Olson said she would stop people from judging each other. 

    Emily Olson is a busy, fun-to-be-around teenager. She works hard in school, music, and dance. Surely one day we can find her name in the New York Times, either writing or designing.

    It’s  not every day you come across a student who meets twice a month with the town’s leaders to discuss events in the community. Elle Sawyer, a senior at Ephrata High School, has been a member of the Ephrata Borough Council since August of 2008.

    “I decided to be a part of Borough Council because the future is going to be our generation’s responsibility,” said Sawyer.

    Teenagers might think this duty sounds unappealing, but Sawyer has found being a part of Borough Council very beneficial and interesting.  She listens to discussions of a large variety, from plans for a new public pool, to electric bills and building ordinances. Sawyer is the only student member and feels giving her opinion is necessary, but she is not allowed to take part in voting.

    Other fractions of Sawyer’s time are spent serving her second year as a student council representative and working at Martin’s Country Market.  She has been an employee of Martin’s for over two years and mainly works in the office.

    This summer, Sawyer volunteered at the Hershey Medical Center.

    “I worked with kids who were really sick,” said Sawyer, “It made me realize that I want to help with kids someday.”

    She took a 32-hour program spending time in the pediatrics.

    All of these forms of leadership have given her lots of valuable experiences that will be used immensely after graduation this spring.

    Sawyer is currently undecided as where to attend college, but would like to stay in Pennsylvania.  Her current plans include a five-year program to become a physician’s assistant. 

    Through various councils, school, and lots of dedication, keeping busy isn’t hard for Sawyer.  In her free time, she loves to travel and spend time with family and friends.

    "No matter what you do, give it your all and put hard work into it," said Sawyer.