Sophomores

Austyn Dye 

Hello! My name is Austyn Dye. I am a sophomore at DC West. I have been going to DC West my whole life and grew up in Valley.

I have one older brother that also went to DC West. My family has three dogs and two cats. Some of my hobbies include volleyball, basketball, and I love to take pictures! In my spare time, I love to hang out with my friends and go to concerts. This school year I’m participating in one-act, speech, basketball, and the spring play. This year I’m in a couple of the school clubs. For example, World Language Club, HOSA, choir, and FCA.

Some of my goals are to make it to state in one of my clubs. Some accomplishments of mine are all from my freshman year. I lettered in multiple different activities last year and got some awards from some clubs and some of my academic achievements!

As a person I would describe myself as hardworking, a leader, and the type of person to always stand up  for what I believe. I’m very excited for this school year and I can’t wait to see what accomplishment I get this year!

Hayden Radar

Hello, my name is Hayden Rader, I am a sophomore at DCW. I am from Michigan, North Dakota, but recently moved here with my mom, this year to Valley Nebraska.

I am the youngest sibling between me and my brother, we both grew up really close being the only two kids. He recently went into the National Guard so when he left it felt like I lost my best friend. But we grew up in a family who loves playing basketball, so our journey started at really young ages. I love being active when it comes to running, being outdoors, and playing all sports like basketball, volleyball, and softball. We have three dogs, and many horses who live on our family farm back in North Dakota.

I’ve always been on the academic teams ever since being in high school. Such as academic challenge and math counts. I have always been on the A honor role my whole high school career. I’m working towards a long-term goal of getting into a good Dental college once I graduate high school, and saving up to pay for it. A short-term goal of not being afraid to try something new in life.

I am a very outgoing and active person when it comes to just my day to day life or sports. I am a very academically gifted student which I’m very grateful for. And being outside watching sunsets and driving around either by myself or with friends will always be the highlight of me. I am very excited to start my new journey in the Nebraska community, and make my way slowly into my future dream.

Quinn Willmott

Hi everyone! My name is Quinn Willmott and I’m a sophomore at DC West. I’m from Arlington, Nebraska and I went to school there up until my freshman year when I transferred.

I’m the youngest child and I have one older brother who just recently graduated high school. I love watching shows and movies, reading, and crafting. My mom and I enjoy going to the movie theaters and watching every movie as they come out.

I play softball and am a member of World language Club, Science Club, FBLA, student council, and one act. I want to keep good grades this year and stay on top of all of my work.

I’m very excited for this school year and all of the activities I’m involved in. I can’t wait to get involved in journalism and help create this year’s yearbook!

Grace White 

Hi everyone! My name is Grace White and I am a sophomore at DC West.I grew up in Elkhorn, Nebraska, and I just recently moved to Valley.I went to Elkhorn schools my whole life until my Freshman year when I came to DC West. I enjoy going to DC West because the community is great.

I love to play softball and I am very excited for this year's school season.I am the youngest sibling and I have two older sisters. I love to read books,and watch movies. My favorite TV show is Criminal Minds, and my favorite movie is Ten Things I Hate About You.

I am a member of the Basketball and softball team.I enjoy playing with everybody on both the basketball and softball team. I am also a member of the World Language Club.I am working to get good grades this year.

I am very excited to be a member of journalism this year. I can’t wait to take photos and be a part of the journalism environment. I want people to remember that mistakes are bound to happen, but the only thing that matters is how you recover from them.

Cole Bridges II

Hi, my name is Cole Bridges II, and I’m from Waterloo, Nebraska. I'm in 10th grade and in mostly advanced classes. I have been going to DC west since preschool. I enjoy hanging out with friends and lifting weights.

I am an only child and have a big dog and a little snake. My mom is a respiratory therapist and my dad works for the city. I enjoy playing video games with friends and lifting weights after school. I have red hair which is a rare trait to have. I am also very smart and am in some advanced classes.

Some accomplishments are having mostly A’s my whole life. I also used to be a swimmer on the swim team and won a lot of races. My short term goal is to have a 4.0 GPA this school year. My long term goal is to hopefully go into the medical industries.

In the end, I believe I’m a good person who is kinda funny but really smart. I am nice to everyone and love animals. I hope to accomplish a lot in life and enjoy it at the most. I hope to live a long and eventful life and have a nice family.

Aurora Harris 

Hello! My name is Aurora Harris. I am a sophomore at DC West High School. I came to DC West in kindergarten and went to preschool at Trinity Lutheran Preschool. I have an older sister who is a sophomore at USF in South Dakota. It's my first year in digital journalism.

Outside of school I love to spend time at my Grandma's farm. Being with family and friends is also one of my favorite things to do. Driving to Taco Bell with Peyton is a highlight of my week. I love animals so I have three cats, a dog, and multiple fish. Another thing I spend my time doing is reading.

Another thing is in the future I would like to go to college somewhere in South Carolina. Another goal I have for the future is to travel around the world. I will be traveling to Italy this upcoming summer with the school. I am very excited to go there and hopefully in the future I can go again.

Overall, I am very excited for digital journalism this year and to make fun memories. I love photography but I haven’t done anything about it so I am excited to be able to do something with the pictures I take. A quote a live by is “Treat people with kindness” by Harry Styles.

Addie Klawitter

Hi! I’m Addie! I’m a sophomore at DC West. I’ve been going here since kindergarten. I actually was supposed to go to Yutan, but I didn’t want to leave all of my friends who went to DC West. This is my first year in journalism and I’m very excited!

My family is pretty small. I have one brother and both of my parents live with us. I also have two cats and one dog who love to destroy things. I am pretty involved at DCW. I am in volleyball, dance, one-act and speech. For clubs, I’m in FCA, world language club and S.A.L.T. It can get pretty busy, but I love it. I have a tooooon of hobbies as well. I love baking, reading, playing piano, singing and gardening.

I have many goals that I work towards each and every day. A life-long dream of mine is to have my own business. I would love to open a bookstore with a built-in cafe. I also really want to pursue a career in the music industry. I started learning piano and music theory for that very reason. I love learning new languages, and at the moment I am learning Spanish, Korean, Hebrew and Vietnamese. I take pride in my grades during the school year and strive to be in as many honors and metro classes as possible.

As a person I would describe myself as outgoing and stubborn. My favorite quote is “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.” - Bernard M. Baruch. I’m also very excited for this school year!

Reese Troshynski

Hello! My name is Reese Troshynski. I am a sophomore at DC West high school. This is my 5th year at DC West. Me and my twin sister Harper transferred here from Elkhorn. We transferred to DC West for the smaller class sizes. 

Me and my family live in Elkhorn but we spend a lot of time in Morse Bluff. We spend a lot of time in Morse Bluff because we have a lake house there. When I’m at the lake I love to go fishing, swimming, and paddle boarding. I have 2 dogs and they both love to swim. My dog’s names are Sully and Frank.

Outside of school I love to spend time with my friends. When I am with my friends I love playing pickleball and tennis. When I am in school I am a member of World Language Club, One Act, and HOSA. I was in One Act and World Language Club last year but this will be my first year in HOSA.

This is my first time being in journalism. I am very excited to be in this class. I can’t wait to learn how to use a camera correctly and edit the photos. I’m looking forward to supporting the falcons! 

Harper Troshynski

Hello! My name is Harper Troshynski! I am a sophomore at DC West . I transferred to DC West in sixth grade.And have been here for five years. I have a twin sister named Reese who also goes to DC West. We have a brother who is a junior at Elkhorn South.

Some of my favorite things to do outside of school are baking, being with friends, going for walks, and water activities in the summer . I also enjoy helping my mom at work, she is a florist. During homecoming I help her make corsages. I also do other little things for her throughout the year.

One of my main goals for this year is to stay on honor roll both semesters. When I get out of high school, I plan to go to a college far away from Nebraska. I also plan to travel all over Another main goal of mine is to live outside of the country for at least a year.

I am very excited to take journalism. I am mostly looking forward to learning how to use a camera correctly. I am also excited to take and edit pictures. My favorite quote is “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

Chloe Acton

My name is Chloe Acton, and I have been going to DC West my whole life. I’m in the 10th grade and my favorite class is Biology. I participate in One Act and am excited for this year's competition. I live in Fremont, Nebraska but I used to live in Valley Nebraska . I have two animals, a hamster and a dog. In my free time I like to go to Spotify and play music.

Moving on to my family, I have no siblings, my cousins are like my siblings because I grew up with them. Especially my cousin joss, we are like best friends. I love going and spending the night at her house during the weekends. Me and my family and I went on a trip to Colorado like two winters ago and that was super fun.

Last year I got an award for doing more than two things in school. And the two things were one act and basketball. My short term goal for school is that I get good grades in science so I can follow my dream job. I dream of being a marine biologist. My long term goal is that I can get good grades so I can get a scholarship for college.

Some things about me is that I love sea animals and if I could help them any time of the day I could. What I am excited for is once I get out of high school I can start college and follow my dream. "The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." - B.B. King, I chose this quote because it really tells you that you can do stuff on your own and they can’t just take it away from you. 

Peyton Casper 

Hello! My name is Peyton Casper. I’m in 10th grade and I have been going to DCW since preschool. I have lived in Waterloo pretty much my whole life. I have a little sister and a little brother. My dad lives in Florida so I’m there a lot.

My family is really big. I have two little cousins that I babysit all the time. My family is always around each other, whether it's swimming at my grandma's house or just hanging out in my kitchen. I enjoy traveling, my favorite places are Florida and Arizona. I have been to Florida every year since I was six, and Arizona twice. I really enjoy spending time with my friends. I especially like going to Taco Bell with Aurora.

I have worked at Farmer Browns since 6th grade, I am now a hostess. I really enjoy working there and I like the extra money. I love meeting new people and making new friends. Last year, I was voted on to the student council as a freshman representative. I love spending my Wednesday mornings at student council meetings. I would love to attend a 4 year college somewhere in Arizona, and maybe move on to practicing law.

I’m a very friendly person and am always interested in making new friends. I’m very excited to be a part of journalism and working together with new people. I would like people to remember me as kind and funny. “believe you can and you’re halfway there”-Theodore Roosevelt.