The Best Grade Ever

Note: this post is part hyperbole and part truth.

The Louisville Collegiate School Class of 2017 is one of extraordinary talent and character. This is not surprising, however, as Collegiate has a history of producing amazing people. Among the amazing and distinguished alumni is one Tori Murden McClure, the first American–and woman–to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She is a brave explorer and one to be admired. Though, with such outstanding alumni and such an awesome class, the question begs to be asked. Has the class of 2017 lived up to its hype to become the best grade in Collegiate history? The answer is clearer than it may seem–yes.

Not that it's a competition, but this current senior class is the greatest collective group to have walked the halls of Collegiate.

Our grade excels in all aspects of life.

In sports, we dominate like no other class. The Class of 2017 led the Titan soccer team to 4th in the nation and to an All “A” State Championship. The Titan golf team, composed of all seniors, won the All “A” Region two years in a row after never before making it out of the region. The Amazon Soccer team, led by Regan Kommor and fellow seniors, won its All “A” Regional Tournament. Titan Cross Country, led by captain Will Hunter, won the Small Private School Championship, and Amazon Cross Country, led by Molly Speth, finished second in regionals.

The Amazon Tennis Team, led by Caroline Cox, was runner-up in the regional tournament and advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament. Caroline also was runner-up in both doubles and singles in the state tennis tournament.

The Titan Basketball team, which is led by six seniors (and a world-class announcer, George Merhoff), is on its way to becoming the winningest team in school history. Lastly and most impressively, Rose Marie Wheeler was a part of the 2016 United States saddle seat World Cup team, and she has won 20 world titles.

These are just the things I know; I’m sure I have missed many other athletic accomplishments.

Furthermore, the Class of 2017 has multiple college athletes. Caroline Cox has signed to play tennis at Claremont McKenna. Ryan McDaniel has signed to play basketball at Alabama-Huntsville. Regan Kommor has signed to play soccer at UAB. Cameron Wheeler has signed to play division one soccer at the University of Louisville, and Jackson Geer plans on playing at the University of Cincinnati. Also, Haji Abdikadir, a junior, is reclassifying to play soccer at UofL as well next year, so he basically counts toward our class.

Academically, we have Ellie Prince, which is all you need to know.

In terms of our character, we excel as well. According to Mr. Gahan in October, the Class of 2017 had received the fewest amount of points of any grade of his tenure. (Even though he does not have official records, he believes we have relatively few instances of misconduct.) Thanks to the leadership of hard-working class officers, the senior lounge remains spotless.

The senior class remains close, well at least most of the time. We support each other at our respective events, and we congratulate each other on our accomplishments. When someone feels down, there is always someone there to cheer him or her up. Whether it’s comedy from Jake Hendrix or a hug from Ryan McDaniel, you’ll be feeling better in no time.

Battling adversity (this is the hyperbole I talked about), the Class of 2017 flourished under extremely difficult circumstances such as construction, fewer lunch options, far-away parking, and accusations of collusion. Nevertheless, the grade remained close. As Jordan Aberson said, “We possess a unique ability to come together and to work together as a grade.”

We truly care for one another. We are well respected by every grade, and the faculty notices, which is why they will all vote for us to get open campus in March…

The Class of 2017 would like to thank everyone who helped us along the way. We also would like to formally apologize for raising the expectations of all the faculty at Collegiate, as our level of awesomeness will be unmatched in the coming grades.