BHS SENIORS NAMED STUDENT ROTARIANS OF THE MONTH THIS SPRING
Six Brookings High School seniors were honored this spring as Students of the Month by the Brookings Rotary Club. The students joined club meetings via Zoom to address the members and receive their recognition.
Jaxon Bowes and Nicholas Diersen were honored in February. Bowes, the son of Jason and RaeAnn Bowes, was active in football (team captain, Reserve State Champion), wrestling (team captain, Regional Champion 170-lbs) and FFA, and participated in FCA and High School Rodeo. Named to Academic All-State in football and wrestling all four years, he was a member of National Honor Society and Monogram Club.
Diersen, the son of Matt and Cindy Diersen, was active in cross country (named Most Inspirational and Most Improved), track and field (Most Inspirational), choir, vocal jazz and the high school musical. He also was inducted into the National Honor Society and planned to attend either SDSU or USD.
Olivia Foster and Noah Stremmel were honored in March. Foster, the daughter of Hillari and Michael Foster, was active in theatre, speech and debate, choir, orchestra and vocal jazz, and participated in Brookings Community Theatre. She was named to the honor roll every year, was a Presidential Scholar, an AP Scholar and a National Merit Scholar Finalist. Foster accepted an offer to attend the University of Texas at Dallas where she plans to major in global business with a potential minor or double major including vocal performance.
Stremmel, the son of Joan Riessen and Andrew Stremmel, was active in marching band, jazz band, concert band, choir, jazz choir and the high school musical. In the community he participated in the Feeding Brookings Task Force and in his church as a pianist and choir accompanist. A BHS Marching Band Drum Major, he was named to All-State Band, All-State Jazz Band, All-State Choir, South Dakota Senior Honor Choir, South Dakota Junior Honor Choir, and was the MTNA Senior Woodwind winner. At the time of his Rotary recognition, he planned to attend either St. Olaf or Gustavus Adolphus to study computer science and music.
Reem Khalaf Mohammed and Jensi Jensen were honored by the Rotary Club in April. Mohammed, the daughter of Moustafa and Naglaa Mohammed, was active in orchestra and the arts at BHS. She was named to the National Society of High School Scholars and the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. Mohammed plans to study human biology at SDSU and then attend medical school.
Jensen, the daughter of Mike and Joy Jensen, participated in choir, marching band (flute section leader and woodwind captain), concert band, orchestra, vocal jazz and the high school musical. She also was inducted into the National Honor Society and Thespians and was active in speech and debate and track. Jensen was named an alternate to All-State Choir and was selected as Marching Band Best Female Musician. She received the Music Scholar Award, was a varsity scholar athlete, a national qualifier for Worlds School Debate and earned a 4.0+ Honor Roll seven semesters. Jensen was an active member of her church youth group, and an award-winning figure skater, performing through the Brookings Figure Skating Club. She plans to attend Gustavus Adolphus to major in math/data science and minor in music.
