Top graduates from Saxony Lutheran ready for new opportunities

Saxony Lutheran High School valedictorians Clayton Fritsche, Zach Vogel and Rachael Gruenwald will miss the support and closeness of their school, but they're excited to move on.

Clayton Fritsche

2013 Saxony Lutheran High School Co-Valedictorian - Clayton Fritsche (Laura Simon)

Fritsche will attend the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla to study engineering in the fall.

Fritsche's interest in engineering goes back years to when he and his cousin built remote-controlled boats they raced across a neighbor's pond in a cow field behind his house.

"It was just something we liked to do, take stuff apart and put it back together as something else," he said. "Bath tubs were for testing, and the pond was for actually doing it."

Tinkering with remote-controlled vehicles led to a love of woodworking.

"I've never really been an artist, and pencil and paper don't really seem fun to me," he said. "But when I have a Dremel tool, I'm actually working with the wood, and it's a whole different story."

Fritsche made time for his hobbies along with baseball, basketball, a job at East Perry Lumber Company and of course, his academics.

He said the key to juggling it all was keeping organized.

"If anything's out of place, I'm always the first one to fix it," he said. "Staying organized helps keep your mind organized. Have a system going."

Zach Vogel

2013 Saxony Lutheran High School Co-Valedictorian - Zach Vogel (Laura Simon)

Vogel said his way of dealing with the stress of school and outside interests was prioritizing and time management.

"You just have to remember that the grades come first," he said. "You're in school to learn. Sometimes you just have to say no, and that's always tough to do."

Vogel will be attending Truman State University in the fall, majoring in chemistry with plans to go into health care.

While in school, he ran cross country and track and was a member of the National Honor Society. He was on the scholar bowl team all four years and played the bassoon in the band throughout high school. Vogel also played accompaniment on the piano for school plays and the choir.

"If you don't enjoy it, there's no point in doing it really, because there's so many other things that you could choose to do," he said. "If you really like what you're doing, it doesn't seem like you're that stressed out or that busy."

Vogel has visited Truman, and the campus had the same family atmosphere as Saxony, something that instantly made him feel at home.

"That's just how Saxony is," he said. "From day one, I was accepted and felt like part of a family. I've liked Saxony, but it's time to move on -- new challenges, new opportunities, that kind of thing."

Rachel Gruenwald

2013 Saxony Lutheran High School Co-Valedictorian - Rachael Gruenwald (Laura Simon)

Gruenwald also is ready to meet those challenges. She'll head to the University of Missouri this fall to major in biology with plans to follow up with veterinary school. She's already admitted into the Pre-Veterinary Medical Scholars Program.

During high school, Gruenwald was vice president of her class, a member of Student Council and a dedicated cross country runner.

Though she plans to join the Mizzou Running Club, Gruenwald knows running won't be the same because it was the people who made the team. She's leaving a team who made a care package for her when she was the only girl to make state this year, the team who created strong bonds through crazy carbo-load get-togethers and encouraged each other through rigorous workouts and stressful meets.

Gruenwald is ready to jump-start her dreams of becoming a veterinarian.

She shadowed Dr. Kenneth White in Perryville, Mo., the past two summers. She's watched spays, neuters and vaccinations and witnessed in-depth procedures and surgeries. She's spoken to owners and helped weigh calves.

Gruenwald hopes to work at a zoo. She has her sights on the St. Louis Zoo, where she'd like to work with the big cats.

"It was like I could see myself doing this," she said. "Try everything and do a lot of research, even if you're young. Once you know what you want to do, it clicks."

botto@semissourian.com