Being a top high school student is full of unbelievable rigor. Our elite students this year are full of expectation and intensity along with a healthy dose of discipline. They are also surrounded by a lot of tools that they use to reach their athletic, technical, artistic and scientific goals. They appear at ease here, but get a sneak peek into their daily routine on the following pages. You’ll be astounded by the way these young people balance the varying aspects of their lives.
Johanna Dykoff: Providence Academy
6 a.m. Wake up to the radio, brush teeth, change into school uniform
7 Morning softball practice
7:45 Shower and get ready for school
7:45 Chamber Choir rehearsal (Mondays and Wednesdays)
8:10 Finish homework
8:30 Class schedule: Choir, Art, Latin III, Pre-Calculus, US History II and Religion
1 p.m. Lunch (I like pasta)
3:30 Volleyball (in fall)
4:30 Softball game (in spring)
7 Theater rehearsal
10:15 Eat dinner
10:35 Homework
12 a.m. Get ready for bed: pajamas, brush teeth, say goodnight and say prayers
12:20 Sleep
If I get a spare moment, I like to read (mostly sci-fi or Victorian-style novels), listen to music (a lot of show tunes, classical and pop) and watch my favorite TV shows.
One Thing I’d Change
The only thing I would change is having less homework or adding some more hours to the day so that I could get some more sleep and see my friends and boyfriend more.
Where I’m Headed and Why
Ever since I was a child, I’ve had a passion for animals. I specifically wanted to be a wildlife veterinarian to help animals who didn’t have owners. As I grew older, this desire morphed into an interest in biology and environmental studies. I am also entertaining the idea of becoming a teacher, specifically a secondary school history teacher, because I think history is a fascinating subject that we can learn so much from.
Kevin Vu: Osseo Senior High School
6 a.m. Wake up, brush teeth, do hair and pick an outfit
6:45 Catch the bus (National Honor Society meeting on some Wednesdays)
7 Buy breakfast from school and say hi to Pam the lunch lady
7:10 Run to the library and work on anything else that I need for the day
7:30 Class schedule: Orchestra, Health Science, Chemistry, AP World History, HP pre-Calculus and AP English (peer tutoring some days)
Tuesdays & Friday afternoons
2:10 p.m. Ride bus home
2:30 Change clothes and bike to work as a waiter at an Asian restaurant
9:20 Get home and shower
9:30 Homework
12 a.m. Quick prayer and sleep
Thursday afternoons
2:15 Volunteer at Edinbrook Elementary, helping in the classroom or tutoring
4:45 Home, eat, chores (dishes/tidying up) and shower
6 Homework
8 Catch up on shows (Game of Thrones, Dexter, Shark Tank) and relax
10 Quick prayer and sleep
One Thing I’d Change
I would want my schedule to have a bit of leeway in between everything so that I could change it up and do other things if the opportunity arose. I feel like a wound-up music box sometimes, playing the same repetitive tune day after day.
Where I’m Headed and Why
As a kid, my only hope and dream was to become a farmer with a big red barn full of all sorts of animals, but my parents wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor. I really enjoyed the idea of the paycheck and of being able to help people, but being a doctor doesn’t spark my attention. When I’m retired, I want to look back at my career and have the satisfaction that I did something that made a difference in the world. Lately, my passion has been science and engineering. I often find myself looking for and building (well, attempting) solutions for problems everywhere I go.
Andrew Beukelman: Providence Academy
6:30 a.m. Alarm on my phone rings, jump in shower, get dressed
6:50 Breakfast (oatmeal or fruit)
7:15 Drive to school, listening to 104.1
7:30/8 CORE group meeting/jazz band practice/National Honor Society meeting
8:30 Class schedule: Latin or Religion (depending on the day), Honors Calculus, Honors Physics, Classical Literature, US History, Band and Engineering
1 p.m. Lunch
3:30 Practice cross country (fall), robotics (winter), baseball (spring)
6 Head home
6:15 Start homework or practice trumpet
7 Dinner with family
7:30 Finish homework
11 Bed
One Thing I’d Change
I’d have more time for lunch!
Where I’m Headed and Why
My curiosity in solving problems and fascination with math and science sparked an interest in engineering. Robotics and the Science Olympiad have provided me many opportunities to brainstorm, design and build complex machines, such as a Frisbee-launching robot. As a result, I’m planning to major in engineering.
Madison Schoephoerster: Osseo Senior High School
6:40 a.m. Morning alarm on my phone
6:45 Brush teeth, wash my face, choose outfit and put on makeup
7:05 Grab a gogurt and orange juice
7:16 Pick up my best friend for school
7:30 Class schedule: World History
8:19 Meet my friends Bri and Leanne in the hall to walk to second hour
8:24 HP Chemistry (with my favorite volleyball coach and pretty much my second dad), AP English, Speech, Ceramics, and Pre-Calculus (Junior Leadership team on Tuesdays and Thursdays)
11:12 Lunch (normally some type of chicken) sitting at a huge round table surrounded by my friends
2:15 p.m. Hang out at Bri’s house
3:30 Arrive home
3:40 Eat whatever amazing food my mother makes
4:10 Drive to Ralia Sportcenter to coach 4th through 6th graders in volleyball
7:30 Warm up for volleyball practice
8 Work with personal trainer, then head back to practice
10:30 Shower
10:50 Brush teeth
11 Homework
11:40 Give boyfriend a call (lives in Fargo, ND)
12:30 a.m. Head to bed
One Thing I’d Change
I would make more time for homework or time to take a nap. As my friends tell me, “Madi, if sleeping was an Olympic sport....you’d take the gold every time!”
Where I’m Headed and Why
Moorhead State, NDSU, Valley City or Concordia in Moorhead to major in business, with either a cosmetology or industrial therapy degree. Ever since I was a little girl (starting with Barbies) I’ve liked doing makeup and hair. I like industrial therapy because helping people is one of the things that gives me the most satisfaction. I also love anything that has to do with science.
Kelsey Frizell: Maple Grove Senior High School
5 a.m. Finish homework/study
6 Get ready (I prefer to jam to Olly Murs on Pandora while getting ready)
6:45 Tues.: Junior Rotarian meeting Wed.: National Honor Society meeting Thurs.: Model United Nations meeting
7:30 Class schedule: HP Pre-Calculus, Symphony Orchestra, AP World History, HP Chemistry, AP English and Spanish
3 p.m. Track practice
3:20-5 (Oct.-March Thursdays) Volunteer assistant coach at Fernbrook Elementary school for Destination Imagination program
5 Start homework (non-track meet days)
9 Push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups
9:30 Shower (I like to jam to Maroon 5)
10 I make green tea every night before bed and put it in the fridge so I can have some detox early the next morning
11:30 Hopefully I’m ready for bed. I usually fall asleep to an album titled “Atlas” by Sleeping at Last (ironic)
One Thing I’d Change
My friends and family like to point out my teenager abnormality that I am always reading. I have multiple e-book apps on my phone and my iPad and I’m constantly hoping to squeeze in a chapter every now and then. So, if there was one thing I would change, it would definitely be to have more free time for reading.
Where I’m Headed and Why
I am interested in liberal arts and humanities with a specific focus in clinical psychology and social work. In the summer of 2013, I stayed on the Leech Lake Native American Reservation in Cass Lake, Minnesota, for a mission trip, and it was the most eye-opening experience. I specifically worked at a child care center and was touched by all the kids’ optimism and joy towards the little things regardless of their economic or family issues. I’ve known since then that I want to make a difference in the world by having a positive impact on people by making their attitudes towards life just a little bit brighter.
Max Zwach: Maple Grove Senior High School
5:20 a.m. Wake up to alarm on my phone, brush teeth, get dressed for workout
5:55 Five minute football workout warm-up, then to the weight room for an hour
6:45 Honor Society meetings (Wednesdays)
7 Shower and dress
7:20 Breakfast from cafeteria
7:30 Class schedule: HP Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, World History/Geography, Spanish 3, and English
9 Link Crew (we lead activities in the sophomore classes)
11:45 Lunch; hot lunch or a burger
2:20 p.m. Home, grab a snack, get dressed for work (during fall, I have football practice instead of work)
3 Work at Receivables Control Corporation, a commercial collection agency in Maple Grove. I work as a skip tracer in the Research and Investigation department.
6 Drive home
6:15 Eat dinner
6:30 Start homework
7:30 After homework, I usually watch TV, WWE Network (World Wrestling Entertainment), or hang out with friends. I’ll often watch a TV show with my dad. We have been watching different TV series together since I was in third grade.
10:30 Take contacts out and go to sleep
One Thing I’d Change
I’d change the start time of everything in the morning. I would love if school started an hour later; the extra hour of sleep would be amazing.
Where I’m Headed and Why
I want to go into business, and hopefully with some aspect of math involved. Since grade school, I have loved math, and it has always been my favorite class in school. I got my job at Receivables Control a year ago, and I have really enjoyed the business environment, so that has increased my desire to go into business.
Sabrina Ehrmantraut: Benilde-St. Margaret’s School
6:15 a.m. Parents wake me up; get dressed, pack my backpack, grab breakfast (granola bars) and make a cup of tea (green with honey)
7:15 Arrive at school and unpack
7:30 Pop Choir or Madrigals practice
8 Class schedule: Accelerated Chemistry, Honors Pre-Calculus, Choir, AP US History, Latin IV, Religion, AP English Language and Composition
12 p.m. Lunch, I always look forward to Chinese dishes or tater tot hot dish
2:40 Play or speech practice
6 Rehearsal ends, parents pick me up
7 Do homework; mom makes dinner
8 Shower to relax, watch TV or write
10 Sleep
One Thing I’d Change
I only have about one or two hours of downtime every night. I do put a lot of this on myself since I decided to take AP US History, which I enjoy, but it’s difficult to get enough sleep and relax on days other than the weekends with such a busy schedule. Even then, I wouldn’t give up my extracurricular activities because it keeps me loose, having fun, and relaxed for at least a couple hours a day.
Where I’m Headed and Why
I am extremely interested in either elementary education or high school English. In 10th grade, I realized just how much I love kids. Learning more throughout my life was a driving force in my call to education.
