Centralia School

Senior Spotlight: Reese Tanking In February 2006, Josh and Deanne Tanking welcomed home Reese Charles Tanking. His older brother, Marshall, was no longer an only child. Several years later, his only sister, Myah, joined the family. Reese exhibits the typical characteristics of a middle child: he is easygoing, adaptable, flexible, has strong social skills, and is a peacemaker. Reese made the most of his time at Centralia High School. He was involved in many extracurricular activities, including STUCO, KAY, National Honor Society, FFA, class officer 2 years, and the FBLA president in its inaugural year. In addition, he was an outstanding athlete. Reese was a 4-year participant in basketball, football, track, and golf. Although he excelled in all sports, basketball was his favorite: “I have played it since I was a young kid and fell in love with the game. I also pride myself in how I perform in basketball and hold myself to a very high standard.” All who know Reese know that he sets goals for himself and does his best to accomplish them. Reese most admires his parents. He revealed, “I admire my mom and dad because they have always been extremely supportive of me in sports and school work. They have always pushed me to be better, and I love them for that.” When asked about his favorite subject, Reese said, “Weights because the second half of the year, we played hockey.” His favorite sports memory “is making it to state in three sports [during his] junior year: basketball, track and field, and golf. They created memories for me that I will never forget.” Reese’s favorite memory of his senior year was made last weekend. Reese shared, “My favorite part of senior year was going to Florida with my classmates. We all had an amazing trip filled with many memories.” According to Mrs. Lora Whetzal, a class sponsor, Reese was instrumental in planning the trip: “Reese researched activities in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He then created a thorough presentation that included the costs of airplane tickets, hotels, multiple activities, renting vehicles, and meals. It was impressive and obviously won over his classmates.” Having had many valuable opportunities over the past four years, Reese stated, “I have grown as a person because I have reached out and talked to more people than I normally would. I would normally sit back and be scared to talk to others.” Hoping to inspire others to step out of their comfort zone, Reese advises incoming freshmen to make some new friends from other classes because some of his best friends are from other classes. His advice to next year’s seniors is to “not be scared. Be yourself and enjoy the year as it goes fast.” After high school, Reese plans to attend Washburn University and major in accounting. Although he will miss playing sports in high school, it is anticipated that Reese will continue his love of sports by playing intramural athletics as an Ichabod, as well as, helping shape young athletes as he continues being a referee like his dad and brother.

Senior Spotlight: Paxton Bowers By Landon Heller and Tyler Jones Paxton Addison Bowers, a.k.a. Pac-Man, son of Nicole and Josh Bowers, has been a student at Centralia High School since Pre-K and will graduate Saturday morning as a member of the class of 2024. Paxton, born in August 2005, is the youngest of four. He has two older brothers, Peyton and Presly, and an older sister, Parker. Paxton has been involved in many extracurriculars over his four-year span at Centralia High. He was a member of the football team for three years. In his senior year, however, he moved his focus to basketball and golf, both of which he did for four years. He was also in KAY for four years. Of all the exciting moments over the past four years, Paxton shared that his favorite extracurricular is basketball because of all the memories he made while playing. He stated, “My favorite high school memory is [of junior year] when the fans stormed the court when we beat Burlingame on a last-second shot to win sub-state.” Reflecting on his time with Paxton, Coach Evans stated, “Paxton Bowers is one of the best players I have had the opportunity to coach. The growth I got to see and be a part of from his 8th-grade year until now is the joy coaches really get in doing this job. We will miss Paxton tremendously, and I know he will continue to be invested in what we are doing here. I love Paxton, as I do all the seniors leaving our program. I wish them all nothing but the best, and in any way I can be of help to them, I will do it in a heartbeat.” Not afraid to work, Paxton considers his most important trait to be his positive work ethic. He works hard when needed, but he is also able to relax. He has proven his work ethic in and out of school, milking cows for Dale and Geri Steinlage for the past four years. Paxton is also a well-rounded role model. As teammates of his, Paxton pushes us and drives us to be better teammates and players. He is one of the best leaders we could ask for. Having lived it on his own, Paxton advised next year’s seniors to apply to colleges and for scholarships as soon as possible. He warned next year’s freshmen: “Don’t get on teachers’ bad sides because you will be there for the rest of high school.” He and his classmates also left their mark on Centralia High with them all wanting to be remembered as “small but mighty, meaning [they] were small in number, but [they] were all smart and good at sports.” Being with his best friends all day, every day, is what Paxton will most miss about high school. Pondering what he wants for his life, Paxton revealed, “My perfect future involves multiple events happening for it to become reality. First, I will earn an Automotive Tech certification from Manhattan Tech. Second, I will get a traveling job for Evergy. I hope to get married in my mid-20s and work for a local dealership or mechanic/body shop. Then, when I have adequate savings, I will reopen Grandpa Rethman’s body shop to finish what he started.” Having shared his hopes for his future, it is no surprise that Paxton most admires his grandpa, James Rethman: “I admire him because he lived his life how he wanted to and didn’t take anything from anyone. He played slow-pitch softball and stayed active until he couldn’t bear it at the age of 80. Grandpa owned a bar and a body shop, and I wish to do the same someday.” With this in mind, if Paxton were granted one wish, it would be that his grandpa was there to watch him graduate. To reach his goals, Paxton will attend Manhattan Area Technical College this fall to become certified as an automotive technician. Photo credit - Nikki Wells

More JH pics from Worlds of Fun today.

Senior Spotlight: Brett Heideman By Melissa Kramer In September of 2005, Kelly and Dean Heideman welcomed their oldest child, Brett Anthony Heideman, into their lives. Brett has two younger siblings, Henry and Kendra. Brett is a member of Centralia High School’s graduating class of 2024. Throughout Brett’s high school career, he was involved in football, basketball, track, and StuCo. As a senior, Brett served as the StuCo president. He was an active member of several activities, but his favorite was football. Brett stated, "I enjoyed being around so many friends working out in the weight room and on the practice field every day. There was never a dull moment with my teammates." It just so happens that Brett’s most embarrassing moment happened during one of his first-ever football practices. Brett confessed, “I wore only a girdle to football practice because I didn’t know how to put on the pants.” Brett has had a lot of great memories during high school, but his favorite is also sports related. It was “going to state basketball and playing cards.” Known for his positive work ethic, Brett has had a few jobs: “I worked for Global Grain for one summer. Then, the next two summers, I worked for J-Six.” His work ethic goes hand in hand with what Brett shares is his most important trait. He explained, “Determination is my most important trait. It is important to me because I never gave up and kept working hard, so I would get to play on varsity on our sports teams.” Perhaps he learned this trait from his father who he admires ”because he always works hard.” Brett’s work ethic is also noted by Coach Roger Holthaus: “Brett is one of the hardest-working kids I have ever been around. He will be a very successful person in whatever he does.” Jessica Stallbaumer, StuCo sponsor, also shared a similar opinion of Brett: “Brett has been a quiet but effective leader of StuCo. He has a quiet confidence but his actions speak louder than any words. He has been a treasured member of StuCo these four years.” Brett’s time at Centralia High has been filled with great memories and good friendships, but as he stated, “I will miss seeing my friends every day.” When asked what advice he would give to next year's seniors, Brett mentioned, “Have fun and enjoy all the fun moments.” We also asked him about the advice he would give to next year's freshmen. He told them to “do [their] best and [they] will feel good about where [it takes them].” Brett wants his class to be remembered for “being troublemakers but still hardworking and smart.” When the school day became boring, Brett and his classmates would “get the teachers off-topic in the class to see how long it took before they got back on topic.” There were also numerous good-natured pranks the seniors would pull on others. One such instance was when several seniors “parked their trucks sideways to take up the whole parking lot.” During Brett’s time at Centralia, he had a lot of fun and interesting classes, but Brett said his favorite was Culinary. He explained, “We would get to cook and eat a lot of different new foods.” After having reminisced over the past four years, Brett wished “[he] hadn’t cared so much about small things. For example, when in 8th grade, [he] had to paraphrase a chapter, and [he] wrote five whole pages front and back on it.” He noted, “I think I wrote more than the chapter had written in it.” Brett also realizes how much he changed throughout his senior year. In his words, he learned to “let loose and have fun.” Brett plans to attend Manhattan Area Technical College to study HVAC.

Senior Spotlight: Derek Koch By Scotty Long and Uriah Fairchild Born in April 2006 to Steven and Denise Koch, Derek Thomas Koch is the youngest of six children. His siblings are Lukas, Levi, Maegan, Sarah Koch, and Malori Henry. Derek adores his niece Clara and six nephews: Glendon, Kasen, Emmett, Charlie, Kohen, and Kyler. As a member of the class of 2024, Derek will graduate from Centralia High School and receive a Precision Ag Certificate from Highland Community College Western Center. Derek participated in FFA, FBLA, and KAY. His favorite organization was FBLA, which was formed this year by Mrs. Misty Poe, CHS business teacher. Derek enjoyed FBLA: “We learned about business in general, and we got to take field trips and learn about how people run their businesses.” Having many to choose from, Derek shared that “Mrs. Gleason was [his] favorite teacher because even though [they] worked quite a bit, [they] still had fun.” Derek said that he believes his class will be remembered for being “a fun group.” He continued, “We tried to have fun at all times, so we will be known for being the ‘small class’ that the teachers always claimed felt like the ‘biggest class.’” Being at Highland each morning was “one part of [Derek’s] school day that was entertaining.” He said, “We were always finding new ways to have fun and to annoy Thomas Eisenbarth, our teacher.” Derek feels that his experiences have helped him gain confidence in himself and his abilities. Because of this, he believes his most important trait is that he “doesn't care what other people think of him.” Wisely he noted, “It's not good to change who you are; find the people you can be yourself around.” It is for this very reason that Derek admires his classmate, Trey Morrison. He said, “I admire Trey Morrison because he does not care what people think of him.” Believing strongly that being genuine is better than not, Derek advised next year’s seniors to “Be [themselves] and to have fun.” He warned the incoming freshmen: “Be yourselves; don't change who you are to fit in.” In addition to Trey, Derek also admires two of the most important men in his life. He stated, “I also admire my dad and my grandpa because they are hard workers and do a lot for our family. I love that Grandpa, in spite of his age, is still out helping do whatever needs to be done.” Derek loves that he grew up on a hard-working farm with great role models, which impacted his career choice of also becoming a farmer. He hopes to one day buy a farm and equipment of his own. He added, “I want to be a farmer because I thoroughly enjoy running farm machinery. It never gets old.” Derek’s ultimate goal “is to have a successful life.” He wants “to be able to one day look at what [he] has done and what [he] has earned and know that [he] worked hard to get it.” In a few weeks, Derek will begin working for Snell Harvesting, a custom harvesting crew out of Ellinwood, KS. There, he “will run a combine, grain cart, and possibly a semi.” Upon returning, he would like to work for Ag Partners.

Pictures from the 4th & 5th Grade Field trip to the State Capitol Building.

Thank you Bright Beginnings Childcare Center in Centralia for letting the Family Studies class come visit this afternoon.

3rd graders created board games and they are demonstrating to their peers

This is a bittersweet time of the year for many. The doors of High School are closing, while the doors of college, jobs, tech schools, and whatever other dreams are opening for these young men and women. You are AMAZING AND Your principal believes in you and loves you all. 1st day and then todays last day pics-

Graduations to Morgan Allan for being a top winner in the Kansas Insurance department financial essay contest. Here is a nice article about the program and winners. https://www.wibw.com/2024/05/09/three-high-school-students-receive-scholarships-kansas-department-insurance/

Discuss throwers are waiting patiently!

Boys are Geared up for javelin!

Good luck to our track Athletes at The TVL track meet today. Little windy but it is still a beautiful day outside. Go Panthers!!!

Here are some pictures of the 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade field trip to Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum and Lewis and Clark Site.

Centralia Track travels to Valley Heights today for the TVL track meet. Field events start at 3:00 pm. Prelims for Running events start at 4:45pm. Good Luck Panthers!

The Panther Softball team has their last regular season game today at Riverside. Doubleheader starting at 4:30. Ballpark Location: 303 E. St Joseph Street, Wathena, KS 66090

More pics from Awards night.

Congratulations to all students for receiving scholarships and awards last night at our 2024 Academic Awards Night. Thank you to all the families and organizations who support our students with scholarships. Instead of trying to list them all I have photos of our program and last nights ceremony. Thank you to Boosters and Hanna Bell Catering for providing the meal.

The Softball game at Blue Valley has been cancelled for today.

The Golf Meet for today has been postponed and the make up date is to be determined at a later time.