[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″][cs_element_row _id=”2″][cs_element_column _id=”3″][cs_text _order=”0″]This spring we’ve been spotlighting our 2020 high school seniors. Their last days of high school may not have gone as planned, but these youth have been active and loved members of our congregation, many of them since birth, and we celebrate their achievements and wish them well as they journey into the next chapter. [/cs_text][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”10″][cs_element_row _id=”11″][cs_element_column _id=”12″][cs_text _order=”0″]

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Jack Bartlett is graduating from Pembroke Hill this year and will be starting college at Arizona State University in the fall. He will be studying sports journalism, a lifelong dream of his; Jack remembers being told that he would make a great sports journalist as young as age six. He has some great memories from his senior year, including his soccer team’s senior night to seeing one of his favorite artists, Post Malone, in concert with his good friends. He also holds close to his memories of last year’s mission trip Ecuador and the important connections he made with others in the youth group as well as neighbors across the globe. He’s excited for what’s ahead, from better weather in Arizona to meeting new people, and he knows that his church family will continue to be there for him even while he’s away.

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Josephine McCray is graduating from Shawnee Mission East this year and will be starting college at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She will be a part of the women’s soccer team and is interested in studying business and psychology. She’s always been interested in sports and the way people think; when she was younger, she wanted to be on the US Women’s National Soccer Team or on part of the FBI. This past year, she helped manage the varsity boys soccer team at her school along with Cate Nearmyer, which was one of her favorite memories. Josephine holds dear her memories from the youth group, from playing hide and seek in the church during lock-ins to the 2019 mission trip to Ecuador. She loved being able to serve and learn about the community in Otavalo, play soccer at night, and grow closer to others from our church. Josephine is nervous about being far away from home but is excited to meet new people and to be supported by love and prayers from her church family.

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Stewart McCray is graduating from Rockhurst High School this year and will be starting college at Southern Methodist University in the fall as a student in the Cox School of Business. One of his favorite memories is from a school service trip to San Andreas, Itzapa, Guatemala this year. Being able to help others and build relationships (especially with the nuns at a convent with whom they worked) was an unforgettable experience. He also holds closely his baptism, from the sacred moment with our whole congregation present to the relationship with his faith mentor in Pastors’ Class. He’s excited about what’s next for him in Dallas— new friends, independence, and joining a fraternity— while also nervous about the new academic responsibilities and college internships. Stewart knows his church, who baptized him, will continue to support him in prayer. He also welcomes any advice or connections that will help him navigate life in Dallas.

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Cate Nearmyer is graduating from Shawnee Mission East High School this May and will be starting college at Baker University in Baldwin City, KS. When she was younger, Cate wanted to be a veterinarian or play on the US Women’s National Soccer Team. Being a vet may not be her next step (she’s interested in nursing or nutrition as possible courses of study), but the USWNT may be in the cards— she will be playing on Baker’s soccer team. Cate played throughout high school and worked as a manager for the boys’ soccer team; these teammates were close friends, and many of her favorite memories were at games and practices. Cate is excited to meet new people and to discover her path. She will go with sweet memories of her church family, like youth lock-ins and last summer’s trip to Ecuador, where “I got to help others, learn more about God, and laugh my butt off with my friends,” and is grateful for the support she’ll have from us in upcoming years and beyond.

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Carlee O’Neill is graduating from Shawnee Mission North High School this May and will be moving to Manhattan, KS, this fall to start school at Kansas State University. She will major in General Engineering on an Amry ROTC Scholarship and hopes to commission as an officer and serve as a helicopter pilot for Search and Rescue. One of her favorite memories with our church community was when she went on a mission trip to Nicaragua a few years ago. “Getting down there was a mess,” with delays, missing flights, and a night spent at the airport, “but once we made it, all that stress went away, and we were blown away by the locals’ enthusiasm and gratitude. That really was one of the best experiences of my life.” She’s excited for the change of pace and new opportunities ahead, and said that the church can support her by checking in on her parents “to make sure they’re not too bored without me.”

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Will Roske is graduating from Rockhurst High School this May and will be starting college at Saint Louis University this fall to study flight science with the plan to become a professional pilot. He will be soaring away with many fun memories with friends, family, and his church community, from riding a longboard pulled by a friend’s golf cart to nights spent at church lock-ins. He’s excited for what’s ahead and about meeting new people and asks that his church family continues holding him in prayer during this big step in his journey.

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