Stories

“I appreciated Mr. (James) Groth and Pastor (Thomas) Bauer,” Pinchard shares. “They both had a large influence on my musical career. I was really involved in high school. I did choir all four years, band all four years, and Mr. Groth actually encouraged me to start taking flute lessons. That’s where I grew so much. That’s what really led me to become the musician I am today. I am a singer now, but if I didn’t have that fundamental knowledge from them, I wouldn’t be here.”

Having the chance to work one-on-one with a voice coach at Shoreland also awakened Lake to new possibilities. “My voice teacher, Ben Jeske, had me perform in a competition called Diva Quest in Kenosha. I auditioned and made the top 10, which meant I could perform for a live audience.”

He credits his fortunate circumstance – to be a 19-year-old high school graduate with a good-paying, full-time job – to Mr. Zondag and all of the other teachers who prepared him for the trades. “They taught me a lot of fundamentals,” he says, adding that among them is the ability for collaboration and teamwork.

Olivia graduated from our trades program in 2020, one of the first women to do so. But she had always been encouraged by the Skilled Trades Academy teachers and her parents to pursue her career. In particular, Olivia says Shoreland’s Mathematics Teacher Jason Hagedorn, Business Teacher Scott Zondag and Dean of Students Paul Strutz worked tirelessly to be sure that their students understood the concept or work they were presenting until everyone in the class mastered the task.

The confession tumbles out. “I’ve ruined a few carpets,” spurts Shoreland Lutheran High School senior Anna Becker as she explains that her absolute love of science and homemade experiments has caused the demise of more than one household item, a byproduct of her enthusiasm that her mother has learned to tolerate.

“I’ve known people who really didn’t like their professions and have had a tough time,” said Fee, now a senior. “I really looked to my future and knew that whatever I did, I would want it to be something I would enjoy. The only way to get there, to open up plenty of opportunities, was to do well in school.”