By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
There was never much free time for Sam Joski in his four years at Catholic Central High School.
“I was kinda busy,” the recent graduate conceded. “I kind of felt it was the thing to do. Everyone’s pretty involved at Catholic Central, and I figured I might as well get involved as well.”
And then he added, “I really didn’t want to be bored.”
Judging by Joski’s involvement, boredom probably wasn’t an option. For all of his accomplishments, Joski has been named the Burlington Standard Press Outstanding Senior for CCHS.
Joski – the Class of 2015 salutatorian at CCHS – was nominated for the award along with valedictorian Shan Gill as well as Mackenzie Kyle and Eleanor Czerwinski.
Much of Joski’s success outside of the classroom at Catholic Central came as a runner. He qualified for the WIAA Division 3 cross country meet twice – finishing 38th overall as a senior – and also made the WIAA state track meet as a junior.
While Joski’s senior season in track didn’t end how he would’ve liked – after he fell at sectionals and did not qualify for state – he still enjoyed the journey.
“I didn’t really know what to expect going into running,” Joski said. “I really didn’t start until I was a sophomore. I just kind of had blind faith.
“I’ve had a good career – a very good career, actually,” he added.
Competitive running is now going to take a back seat, though, as Joski heads to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he hopes to pursue a degree in chemical engineering.
“I’ve always known that I’ve wanted to do engineering,” he said. “I’ve always taken a good fascination to it.”
Just last year, though, Joski began focusing on chemical engineering, figuring it would be more interesting.
“There’s actually many different paths I could take,” he explained. “I could be doing maybe laboratory work…or I could be doing more business-minded engineering.
“The possibilities are kind of endless,” he added.
And, of course, the homegrown Wisconsin fan gets a chance to go to a campus he loves.
“I’ve kind of grown up being a Badger fan,” Joski said. “Being that it’s close to home, I felt it would be a good fit for me.”
Here are profiles of the other three nominees, as selected by CCHS staff:
Eleanor Czerwinski
Czerwinski was a four-year member of the Catholic Central High School girls basketball team, serving as a captain in 2015. She also participated in volleyball, cross country and softball.
In addition, she was a member of the National Honor Society, and worked part-time at an optometry office in Elkhorn 15 hours a week for three years.
Czerwinski plans to attend DePaul University, where she will be a part of the ROTC program. She plans to double major in English and political science.
Shan Gill
In addition to being the class valedictorian and a member of the National Honor Society, Gill was named to the National Society of High School Scholars.
While in high school, Gill participated in student ambassadors, key club, prom and homecoming, and Students Against Destructive Decisions.
Gill was a four-year member of the football and basketball teams, serving as a captain of the football team as a senior.
Gill worked several different part-time jobs, and also volunteered at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.
He plans to attend UW-Wisconsin, majoring in biomedical engineering.
Mackenzie Kyle
A standout athlete, Kyle was a four-year member of the varsity softball team, where she was a captain as a junior and a senior.
She also worked part-time at a number of different jobs, was the school’s yearbook editor for two years, and participated in Operation Click for four years.
She will attend the University of Dubuque in Iowa to major in sports and business management.
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