Juniors

Hello my name is Tanner Hanke I grew up in Omaha Nebraska, I am a junior at Douglas County West High School. I am 16 years old. My favorite things to do is walk my dog and hangout with friends. I used to go to Elkhorn North freshman year. I transferred here because my parents are looking to move out to a lake in Waterloo/Valley. Some of the lakes they wanna live at are West Shores, Ginger Cove, and Blue Water. I joined journalism this year because I think it is a fun class and I enjoy taking pictures

In my family I have one pet, his name is Asche and he is a Weimaraner. I also have a sister named Emma she played basketball in college and now is study to become a physical therapist. Since in the summer of 22-23 she tore her ACL. I have a mom named Christy she is a teacher in Papillion she teaches 1st grade. I have a dad named Eric he is an accountant but also owns his own window cleaning company and basketball program called Omaha supreme. I like to think I have a unique family my parents were born on different sides of the country my mom was born in Maine and my dad was born in Texas. One night they met at bar and then they got married had my older sister who is now 20 and then I was born.

I like to play sports and to be active. I play basketball for my dads basketball program in the summer and I play for high school in the winter. I also like to play golf I was on junior varsity for golf. I just play sports for fun I’m not necessarily to good at basketball or golf I just enjoy playing and being glad I get the chance to play. Some achievements for sports and academics were I’ve made honor roll all the years I have been in high school. My goal this year is to get straight A’s and I can do this by studying every day and turning in all work on time. I also am in the UNO weights class with all my friends I like being in there to work on myself and to talk to my friends mostly.

I think that I am a funny guy. I have a pretty good personality around people I don’t know and do know. I like to just have fun and I’m excited for this school year basketball and golf. I hope I get straight A’s. I also hope I learn to take good photos and get more involved in the student body since next year is senior year and I only have two years left.

My name is Kami Herrington. I am a Junior in high school, I go to DC West and I’m from Valley, NE. I have been a part of the yearbook staff since my freshman year. I really enjoy taking pictures because of the atmosphere of being there and the moments and emotions it captures. I also have a photography business so if I’m not on the field for journalism I’m doing it for the players. My favorite part is knowing I’m a part of it when I get the “Hey can you send me those photos” or when will those be uploaded”.

My mom is from Valley and went to the same school as me. I work on the weekends when I don't have softball whether it is babysitting, photography, or picking up shifts at work. Some more to know about my family is, I have two siblings, a younger brother Korbin, and an older sister Kayla. I really enjoy photography in my own time. I take senior photos, family photos, business photos, and more. You can find me at @kamis_captures on TikTok and Instagram. I also love hunting, fishing, baking, and hanging out with friends/family.

This year I am hoping to get my photography business recognized. During the week nights and week mornings I will be working with the softball team to achieve our goal of making it to state again. Last year we made it to state and districts for the first time ever in school history. My long term goal for the future is to go to college in Florida for Radiology or I would also love to be a NICU nurse. To work for that I will be getting my CNA this year!

In conclusion, I’m very excited for my junior year at DC West. I will be continuing my softball career, and I cannot wait to see how our Journalism class works together because we have so much diversity, because there are two classes. This year the yearbook is going to be so amazing. I can’t wait to see how many memories and moments we capture this year through the lens!

Hi, my name is Ava Walvoord! I am currently a Junior at DC West. I live on an acreage just a few miles outside of Valley with my parents and two dogs. I love traveling to new places! I’ve visited 32 states and 7 islands outside of the US.

Growing up as the youngest of three I’ve always stood out as both the little sibling and determined to make my own mark. Both of my siblings graduated from DC West. I have lived in Valley my whole life. Family has shaped so much of who I am. Not just my brother and sister but also my parents, four grandparents, three great-grandparents and eighteen cousins.

I work hard to balance school and fun. I take pride in my school work and have been on honor roll since Freshman year. After high school, I plan on attending a 4 year college but not quite sure what I want to major in. In my free time, I love hanging out with friends, boating, swimming, and riding ATVs. I also love spending time in Marco Island, Florida.

When people think of me, I want them to remember me as someone who brought energy, laughter and fun. A person who made others feel welcome, wasn’t afraid to try new things, and stayed true to her roots.

“Life becomes more meaningful when you realize the simple fact that you’ll never get the same moment twice." 

- C.S. Lewis

Hi my name is Lane Smith, I grew up in Omaha NE. I lived there until 2019 where I moved to a house in Waterloo. I came to DCWest as a 5th grader. I joined journalism to take good pictures and help with the yearbook. One of my friends has a camera that I help him take pictures with.

In my family I have two dogs. Their names are Jovi and Tiki. One of my hobbies is football. Football is one of my favorite sports to play. I played football in middle school, 6th and 7th grade, but I quit my 8th grade year. I didn’t play my freshman year and regretted it so I joined the team again my sophomore year and it was the best choice I could have made. I now play Wide Receiver and Cornerback for my school football team. We should be pretty good this year.

I also play basketball which is my favorite sport. I’ve played basketball since I was really little and fell in love with the sport. I play during the summer for AAU and I also play for my school basketball team. I also play golf, this is a sport I just do for fun. I’m not necessarily good at it but I get a free nine holes everyday after school. I love practicing after school because I get to play golf with my friends. I also like working out with my friends. I am in the UNO weight training class this year and a bunch of my friends are in it.

I’m excited to play all of my sports and take pictures for others. My goal is to get all A’s this year, and also go to state for both sports football and basketball. This is my junior year at DCWest and I’m excited to get started in journalism

Hi, my name is Katelyn Stanton, I am a junior here at DC West, and I’ve gone to DC West since kindergarten. I work at Stella’s Ice Cream, and I am an intern with the Omaha Lancers Hockey Club. After highschool, I want to go to college somewhere in Michigan.

My parents are Rick and Debra Stanton, and I have four brothers, Austin who is in the Army, Brandon, Jonas, and Charlie. Me and Austin are really close. I only get to see him once a year. I also have a niece named Camilla, and I also only get to see her when Austin is here. I play volleyball, and I love photography. I really enjoy traveling, and my favorite place I've ever been to is Marquette, Michigan.

Throughout my internship, I’ve gotten the opportunities to take photos for Omaha Lancers, LOVB NE, UNO Hockey and Volleyball, and Northern Michigan University. Over the past summer I also was able to go to the Chicago Blackhawks digital media conference with my boss. My long term goal is to end up working in the NHL, whether it be taking photos/media or I end up doing something more on the business side of things. My short term goal is to just get myself out there and get clients that I can keep forever.

I am a very introverted person, but I’m always up to meeting new people and friends. I’m really looking forward to journalism this year because I will learn new stuff about sports that I maybe haven’t thought about when I’m taking photos.

Hello! My name is Allyson Cooke, and I am a junior at DC West. I have attended this school since kindergarten as well as most of my classmates! I currently live in Waterloo, NE. I have lived in the same house my whole life. I first joined Journalism freshman year with my brother when Mrs. Eggen suggested it to us. After my first year, I received the opportunity to be an editor in this class for the second year in a row.

While being in high school I’ve been on the honor roll and Stuco for the past two years. I love to be involved in my school by participating in sports and clubs! I have played volleyball since I was ten, back when my mom was my coach! I’ve been participating in track and basketball since middle school! I highly enjoy the atmosphere of competing at DC West. Attending a smaller school offers you the ability to get to know your classmates and teachers. I love to participate in the abundant amount of the opportunities this school offers.

While being active in many activities my family acts as my biggest supporters! Through the long nights and the early mornings my parents are always the first ones to offer help and still show up to every sporting event. I am the youngest of two kids in my family. My brother, Brook, is in college attending the Naval Academy. My mom is a nurse and my dad works in his family’s company. I also have three animals: Myla, Rocky, and Bella!

Overall, high school is definitely one to remember! High school thus far has helped shape who I am today and plan for my future. I’ve always taken pride in my grades and excelling in school. That being said, it has helped me shape my perspective on the importance of caring for everything, even the little things. I am looking forward to seeing what the last two years of high school will bring!

Hi my name is Mallory Shaw and I am from Omaha, Nebraska. I’m a junior at DC West and I transferred here my freshman year because I hated Omaha Public Schools. I play volleyball and basketball for the high school team. I am also involved in many clubs such as HOSA, SALT, and FCA.

I am the youngest in my family. I have one older sister who goes to Hastings College and plays softball there. She graduated from DC West in 2024. I have a golden retrieve named Rocky and he loves to play fetch! I've been playing club volleyball at Nebraska Elite for about 6-7 years!

This past school volleyball year I made All Conference and All state honorable mention! I am hoping to play volleyball in college and go into elementary education or digital media. I have made an honor roll the two years I have been here. I hope to stay on the honor roll the next two years as well.

I am happy to be back in journalism this year and helping with the yearbook again. I can't wait to do new things in journalism this year as well. The things coming with being an upperclassman excite me such as prom and being able to have more opportunities. I am excited to take on junior year and learn new things.

Hi! My name is Talia Walsh and I am a junior at DC West. I am from Elkhorn and I went to elementary and middle school there. I knew of DC West because my cousins went here. My brother also transferred here when he was a freshman. I went to DC West games and activities and I really enjoyed the community. So when I was a freshman I transferred because I loved how the small school felt in comparison to the big Elkhorn schools.

I have one older brother, Brody. He is a freshman at Midland University. My mom is a teacher in Millard and my dad works for Pioneer Seed. I play softball and basketball for DC West. I also play club softball in the summer. I am very involved in my school. I participate inmany clubs - FCA, FBLA, HOSA, SALT, National Honor Society, and Student Council.

My first achievements for clubs would be making it into the National Honor Society and SALT. Adding on to that, I am on the leadership team for FCA. Academically, I have made the honor roll every year, and obtained a 4.5 GPA. Last year, I made NCC Honorable Mention for softball. Some goals that I have going forward academically is to maintain my GPA and to achieve a good class rank. For clubs, I hope to become president or vice president of 1 or 2 of those clubs. Lastly for sports, I would like to earn Honorable Mention or above this year for softball and for basketball.

I am hard-working and passionate about the things I am involved in. I love to be involved in the community around me. I try my best to stay positive towards the others around me. Lastly, I can’t wait for another school year with Digital Journalism.

I’m Parker Steskal, I’m a junior that just moved to DC West from Elkhorn high school. I plan on continuing my next two years here at DC west. I used to live in Valley as well as Elkhorn. I recently moved to Waterloo because my parents wanted to build a house. I play lots of sports and I’m a very competitive individual. I like all sorts of music but my two favorite genres are country and rap. This is my first year joining journalism and I’m enjoying it so far.

I’m the youngest of 5 siblings. There are 3 girls and 2 boys. My oldest sister is married and just had her third child. One of my sisters has moved to Arizona, while the other sister is planning on moving to Colorado. My main sport is volleyball while I do track for fun. And a few of my hobbies are golf, tennis, and pickleball. I’ve played volleyball for about 6/7 years.

Some goals and achievements that I have accomplished is my job at Salted edge. I love the job so far and the environment is great. I’ve also been a varsity athlete and love the competition at this level. My long term goals are graduating college and buying a house. As well as becoming rich in life. My short term goals are making honor roll and graduating high school.

Overall I’m looking forward to this class and meeting new people. I like DC West a lot so far and I’m excited to start the school volleyball season as well as club volleyball . One quote I like to always go back to is everything happens for a reason. Whenever I question something going on in life I think of that quote. Hopefully you enjoyed hearing about my story and know me more than a girl who transferred.

Most know me as Belgium, but here at DC west I am just Ava. My name is Ava Newbauer, I am a junior, and I just transferred here from elkhorn north high school. I was born in Germany and have lived in Europe for a total of 9 years. My freshman year I moved back to the United States from Belgium and joined the volleyball team, which is where my nickname originated from.

I have a large family, my father is in the United States Army and my mom works in construction. I have 4 siblings; 2 older siblings who are in college and 2 younger siblings who are in middle and elementary school. I myself have lived in 9 different places and attended 11 different schools. I believe this has shaped the person i have become and kept me well rounded.

I play volleyball and soccer but my top sport is volleyball. Volleyball is the main reason i transferred to DCW. I am a setter and occasionally a right side. During high school I strive to lead the DCW volleyball team to a state championship, both this year and my senior year. the future I would love to be an elementary school teacher, teaching kindergarten, first, or second grade.

 I am exited to be a student at DCW and am looking forward to meeting a lot of new people. I hope to finish out high school on a positive note and allow myself to succeed later in life. I hope to meet my lifelong friends and keep the, for a very long time.

Hi, my name is Johanna Luthy. I was born and raised in Valley, Nebraska. A little more about me is that I have attended DC West my whole life. In the future, I plan to attend Creighton to take nursing school in paramedic school then after accomplishing those my plan is to become a full-time flight nurse in hopes of getting a job with life net.

My father, Terry Luthy II, is the Fire Chief of the Valley Fire Department, and also works full time at the Fremont Fire Department as a Fire Lieutenant on A-shift. My mother, Michelle Luthy, works at DC West Elementary School as a paraprofessional. During the summer she helps her friends renovate and redecorate their homes. I have one brother, his name is Terry Luthy III. He attended and graduated from DC West. After graduating from DC West he became a full time Firefighter in Columbus, Nebraska at the age of 18.

Some activities I have done while at DC West were my sophomore and freshman year I played volleyball, and I also shot trap. I have been attending FCA since freshman year. An I also plan to start powerlifting during the 2025-2026 school year. Some of my academic goals I have this school year is maintaining a good GPA, and keeping up with good grades.

I’m so excited to be in this class this year and can’t wait to see what this year brings. The main reason I join the class is because a bunch of my friends were in the class, and its been so fun so far. Im so excited that im a junior and get to go along this journey with the people I love.

Hello, my name is Halaina, and I am a junior here at DC West HighSchool. I have been attending DC West since kindergarten, as well as most of my classmates. I grew up in Valley, and moved to Waterloo when I was nine years old.

I am a huge family person, and love holidays for the gatherings. Fun fact~My Family owns PorkyButts BBQ, it has been open for six years. While I don't have an actual job there, I am always working every holiday to help out as much as I can.

I enjoy playing softball, and really love competition cheer. When I am not at school or doing those sports you can find me hanging out with my friends, babysitting, or doing handstands. I think school, and grades is a really big part of my life, and have maintained on the honor roll the last two years. 

My goal is to go to Creighton to either study Occupational therapy, or somewhere in the surgical area. I would also love to cheer at Creighton if the opportunity comes around. I have been interested in these careers since I was in sixth grade. I can not wait for my junior year! Go falcons!

My name is Brienna Sullivan. I am a junior in high school. I go to school at DC West High School. I grew up and live in Omaha, Nebraska. I just recently joined journalism, and my role is to take photos for the yearbook.

I have two brothers. I have one older one who is twenty and one younger who is eleven. I am the middle child. I love playing volleyball in my free time. It is so much fun to me. I also really like it because I make new friends every year in school and club volleyball.

I really hope by the end of the year I will have all the credits I need to have an early out. I really want to keep my grades in check so I can continue playing volleyball and have a good GPA. When I'm older I want to go to cosmetology school to do hair.

I am super excited to try out journalism this year. I think it will be so fun. I have always wanted to contribute to the school and do something to be a part of the school. Now I get to do the yearbook and I'm so excited.

My name is Sara Edwards, I am a junior in high school. I live in Valley, Nebraska. I am afirst year journalism student planning to take pictures. Mrs Eggen talked me into taking this class because she said how fun it would be to take pictures and help make the yearbook.

I play softball on a select team. The organization I play for is called Shockwave. I have been playing select for three years, but I’ve played softball since I was six years old. I have two older brothers, Jason and Zack. Zack is twenty-six years old and Jason is twenty. I also have a niece named Olivia, she is six years old.

One of my goals this year is to improve my grades. I’m striving to have an early out whenI’m a senior. I’ve been keeping track of my credits to make sure that happens. I’m proud of the fact that I can balance school and softball at the same time.

I am very social and I speak my mind so Mrs Eggen thought I would be a good fit for journalism. I helped her with the yearbook last year in Keystone so I am interested to see how this year goes. I have two years left in high school and plan to make the best of it.

Hello my name is Wyatt Janke, I am sixteen years old. I was born in Omaha, Nebraska. I am a junior at DC West high school in Valley, Nebraska. I have younger siblings. Outside of school I enjoy a lot of things. I like to travel with my family to lots of different places.

My favorite activity to do outside of school is fishing. I fish almost every day regardless of the weather. My favorite place to fish is in Florida, it is really nice there. I also like to fish a lot with my friends and family. It is a really good activity. My favorite sport is golf. I love golfing after a long day of work. A lot of my friends like to golf so it is really fun to do it with everyone.

I really enjoy going to Dcwest Highschool, I think it is the best high school in Nebraska. It is really great and I love waking up in the morning and going to school. Every teacher is very nice and always willing to help. I always feel really comfortable and able to be myself inside the school. I never feel unsafe or unwelcome.

I am very excited for this school year. I think it is going to be a really good year academically and athletically. Hopefully it will be a very good year and I will excel academically and carry that strong into senior year. I hope you all learned a lot about me and learned what I like to do. I am a very kind person and I love to go to school and learn new things. Thank you for listening to this “About Me”.

Hi my name is Ryder, I am from Omaha Nebraska, I am a junior at Douglas County West highschool. I play basketball at DC West as a point guard and shooting guard. I'm super excited to take this journalism class and learn how to take pictures and upload photos. This is my first year taking journalism as a junior so I am super excited to see how it goes.

First I would like to start off by talking about my family and some of my hobbies. I have three brothers and three sisters, I have one biological brother and one biological sister and then two stepbrothers and two stepsisters. Some of my favorite hobbies are playing basketball, hanging out with my friends, going golfing and bowling. I enjoy playing board games and videogames with my brothers and sisters. I also enjoy going to church on Sundays with my Dad and Stepmom.

Next I would like to talk about some of my goals for this school year and for the future. I decided to take this class because it seemed like it would be easy and also something that could help me with getting involved and helping be a part of something great. Being someone that helps create the yearbook and helps create posts on social media is a big responsibility. I am excited to learn and also meet some new people and achieve some of the goals I set for myself. Some of the goals I have set for myself are, getting an A in this class, helping be a part of the yearbook and making others feel involved when in this class.

Finally I just want to say I'm very grateful to be a part of something special and I am super excited to start this year off strong. I live by the quote “ Treat others the same way you would want to be treated.” This is one of my favorite quotes and I try to live by it everyday. Lastly I am very grateful for this opportunity to be a part of this class and make something great.

My name is Josue and I am a junior at DC West. I've been going to DC West my whole life. During my freshman year I was in journalism and my main focus was the sport pages. Specifically the wrestling page. Journalism is a great way to learn and see the different kinds of sports and clubs.

Some hobbies I like to do in my free time are fishing, snow boarding, and golfing. There are tons of places that I go fishing at but my favorite lake is Lake Wanahoo. Every year my friends and I go to Mt. Crescent to go snow boarding. Every other weekend me and my older brother go golfing in Fremont at valley view.

Some of my favorite sports are wrestling and baseball. I’ve been wrestling since third grade, and I’ve played baseball pretty much all my life. Some non academic goals I have this year is to place at wrestling state. A team goal I have is to make it to state as a baseball team.

As a student-athlete I’ve learned that you need to focus on academics before anything else, because if you're not passing your classes you're not allowed to play in the games. One quote that stances out to me is “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” It stands out to me because it teaches you that if you work hard you can beat anyone or anything.

Hello, my name is Adisan Jeffrey. I'm a junior at DC West High School, and I’ve been going here since kindergarten. I’m from Omaha so it’s very close to home. I’ve been an active member in journalism for two years now and love it! During the school year I really enjoy taking pictures, and going to different school events to go support the Falcons.

I try to be an active member in most of the things DC West has such as their clubs, FCA, and HOSA, and I’m planning on joining more this year as well. I’ve also started a new job in the DC West district office this year as well, helping them with book work, and so far I love it! I’m excited to continue in journalism, and can’t wait to see what this year has in store for us.

Some more things about me is I have a huge family, with eight other siblings, and two dogs. There is never a dull moment in my house, and I love it. Some activities that I enjoy are playing pickleball, golf, sand volleyball, and hanging out with friends. Those are most of the things you’ll find me doing in my free time. I also love watching sports, and traveling.

I’ve had a bunch of academic achievements over the past few years, some of those include being on the honor roll all of high school, and also maintaining a 4.0 GPA. I was also chosen as the Sophomore class leader in last year's leadership dinner. I plan on attending college after high school and hopefully go into medical school, to become a radiologist! I’m excited to see where this school year takes me!

Hi, my name is Emma Kopocis. I am a junior at DC West high school. I am from Omaha, Nebraska, but I transferred to DC West high school as a freshman. I came from Millard Public Schools. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

I have three siblings Jake, Megan, and Will, along with two dogs Twix and Snickers. My dog Twix is a chocolate lab and Snickers is a beagle mix and more dog breeds. My older brother and sister go to Carroll University in Wisconsin. I play club volleyball at Club Legacy Nebraska and for high school. I have played for about four years. I enjoy hanging out with my friends in my free time.

I participate in SALT and NHS at the school. I plan on joining more clubs this year. Last year I got my first varsity letter for volleyball. A few of my goals this year are to do well in school and make it to state for volleyball. I plan on attending a 4 year college and get a degree.

I am so glad to be back in journalism this year and try new things.I also am super excited for volleyball season this year. As an upperclassman, I am looking forward to bein given more opportunities. I can’t wait to take on junior year.

My name is Melanie Little and I’m in my junior year of high school at DC West and I’m from St.Louis MO. I was in Missouri for most of my life but then I wanted to move to Nebraska. I was here from the end of my sixth grade year until the beginning of my freshman year then I left and wanted back to Missouri until my sophomore year, then at the end of summer I came back to Nebraska. This is my first year of journalism, I just wanted to try something new.

I’m the older of three siblings. I have one that is two years younger than me and she just started her freshman year.I have another sister that just started her first year of middle school and then I have a brother that just started two grades. I enjoy hanging out with my friends and my family. I like to go on walks and go on bike rides. I like to meet new people but I can be shy at times and I have been told that I’m a fun person to be around but I’m just not a talkative person.

I am really hoping that I go to college after high school and go to become a special education teacher. One of my goals this year is to try more new things and to make new friends. I’m a very outgoing, friendly person but at the same time I’m a very quiet, not talkative person. I used to not be able to speak up and I used to just be quiet but now I can actually speak up for myself and stand up for myself and I’m very proud of myself for doing that now and making it that far.

I hope this year goes well for me and everyone else. I have always been told that life goes by fast and it really does. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself”(George Bernard).