New Students at PHS
New Student Profile: Alexander Kesting
by Krystina Schuett
Alexander Kesting, a new freshman at Pierce High, was born on January 14, 2000, to parents Heather Douglass and Greg Kesting. Alexander has an older sister named Shawna Kesting. Also in Alexander’s family is a dog named Dixie.
Before moving to Pierce with his family and starting up at PHS, Alexander went to school at West Lyon in Inwood, Iowa. For a short time in his early elementary years, he actually did attend Pierce Elementary before moving with his family.
Alexander’s course load includes Intro to Agriculture, Geometry, P.E., and Physical Science in his first semester at PHS. In his free time outside of school, Alexander enjoys hobbies such as baseball, soccer, and running. While he’s not currently involved in any extracurricular activities at Pierce, he says he plans on going out for the cross country team next year.
Alexander is looking forward to starting school in Pierce. “I look forward to meeting new friends,” he said.
New Student Profile: Shawna Kesting
by Aidan Jones
New student Shawna Kesting moved to Pierce from Inwood, Iowa, with her family this year. Shawna, daughter of Heather Douglass and Greg Kesting, is a junior this year. Her family also includes an older sister and a younger brother who is also attending Pierce High this year.
In her free time, Shawna likes to watch TV and movies, especially her favorite movie, Twister.
Prior to attending PHS, Shawna went to West Lyon in Iowa. In her first semester as a Bluejay, Shawna will be filling her school day with many interesting classes including Band, Art 1, Real World Seminar, and American History 2.
Interestingly, Shawna is not brand new to the Pierce Public School system; in fact, she attended the elementary school for a brief time in her early elementary school years, and she is pleased to be back overall. As she looked forward to the rest of her high school career at Pierce, she said, “It will be nice graduating from my original school.”
New Student Profile: Matthew Doyle
by Alec Price
Senior Mathew Doyle, a new student on the rosters of PHS, is from Osmond, Nebraska, and was born September 16, 1996. His parents are Boyd and April Doyle. He has four siblings including brothers Trevor and James and sisters Alisha and Jenna. Matthew’s family also includes one pet dog named Fluffy.
Matthew’s primary reason for coming to PHS was that the school offered more medical classes, something he will need for the career path he plans to pursue. The classes he is enrolled for this semester are CNA, Trigonometry, English 12, and Physiology I. Matthew is also interested in participating in some of PHS’s many activities. Extracurricular activities he plans to be in for his last year of high school include track, wrestling, and one-act.
When he is not busy with school and activities, in his free time, Matthew likes hunting, fishing, playing video games, and watching Netflix. One of his special talents is being able to ripstik skillfully for hours.
New student profile: Alizabeth Schmer
by Aidan Jones
New student Alizabeth Schmer was born September 20, 1998, which makes her a junior at PHS. Her parents are Cynthia Furley and Charles Schmer. She has one brother, Zack Schmer.
Alizabeth previously was attending Norfolk Public High School. She was brought to Pierce High School by her father. With a new school come new classes; Alizabeth’s course load for the semester includes Biology, Algebra, Physical Education, and Real World Seminar. In addition to partaking in new classes at PHS, Alizabeth hopes to participate in some extracurricular activities. She plans to try out for the basketball team this winter.
Outside of school, Alizabeth enjoys photography, hanging out with her friends, and, like most teenagers, eating pizza. One of her special talents is playing the drums.
Being at PHS, Alizabeth is most looking forward to meeting and getting know new people through out the school year.
