Harrison Press Student of the Month

Harrison High School proudly selects senior Zack Farris as one of this month’s Harrison Press Students of the Month. 

Zack is heavily involved in a variety of activities at Harrison High School such as football and DECA, as well as working at the local Wendy’s. Amy Poettker, Advanced Geometry and Advanced PreCalculus teacher says “He’s a very smart young man but even more importantly, thoughtful, kind, and nice to all of his peers. He is a great role model for our younger students. I’m very proud of him.” Being a tight-end and defensive line on the varsity football team, Zack shows his sportsmanship and hard work on the field each week. But Zack is not only a great student outside of the classroom, but in it as well. Jessica Peace, Physics teacher, furthers this statement saying, “Zack is one of the kindest and academically strongest students this year in physics. Zack made a great first impression and continues to live up to that impression. He is always willing to participate in class discussions, lead a laboratory investigation, and ask questions. This eagerness to learn helps Zack excel in all endeavors in and out of the classroom.” Conor Thomas, AP Human Geography teacher, continues this sentiment, saying, “He is a consistently hard worker. He is always focused and is a positive contributor to our group discussions.”

We are so proud of Zack and honored to have him as a Harrison Wildcat!

Harrison High School proudly selects junior Casey Bertsch as one of this month’s Harrison Press Students of the Month. Casey is involved in several extracurriculars at the school, including Ecology Club, Book Club, Student Council, Key Club, Journalism, Spanish Club, and Academic Team. 

Todd Sams, social studies teacher, says,”Solid awesome kid. Super caring. Helps other students to be successful. Not self-centered and he is appreciative of everything. Need more kids like Casey!!” Casey has helped Mr. Sams both last year and this year with the Veterans’ Day Assembly. Last year, he helped the veterans to their seats during breakfast. This year, he showed up to the Activity Center at 7:00 AM to set up. He and his mother also provided milk, creamer, and orange juice through her company, Dairy Farmers of America. Way to go above and beyond!

Shawn Sowders, social studies teacher, says that Casey is, “One of the most genuine, nice, dedicated, loyal, intelligent, and hardworking students I’ve ever had. If I had 30 Casey Bertsch’s in my class, I’d teach for as long as I lived!” In Mr. Sowders’ class, Casey showed his dedication through a class project about Forrest Gump. He chose to do a video with a song that relates to the movie. He used “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds, referencing the Bible back to the movie. Casey turned the project in early and received a perfect score despite being in the midst of a family crisis at the time. What an amazing student!

Journalism advisor Tricia Evanson said that Casey “has been instrumental in the creation of the school newspaper. He served as the News Editor last year, and has stepped up to serve as both the News and Managing Editor this year.” Evanson reported that Casey learned the website right away, and has really gone above and beyond to learn the technical side of running a website. “Casey has helped me so many times as I have navigated learning the website design. He doesn’t wait for me to bring a problem to him; he identifies a problem and comes to me with a solution already planned out.” 

Casey’s advice to other students is, “You forget a thousand things every day, so have fun and make good memories.” We’re so proud of Casey Bertsch and wish him the best for future endeavors!