Top graduates spend time volunteering, working with children

Eagle Ridge Christian School's highest-achieving senior, Hannah Hess, has a good idea of what she wants to do with her life.

Hess plans to attend Southeast Missouri State University this fall for a degree in early childhood development, an area in which she already has years of firsthand experience.

2013 Eagle Ridge Christian School Valedictorian - Hannah Hess (Laura Simon)

She has always liked being around kids. Her aunt is a preschool teacher, and over the years, Hess has spent a lot of time with her, learning how to work with young children and having a good time doing it.

"We interact with the kids, and it just seems like it'd be fun because it doesn't feel like you're working," she said.

For the past two years, Hess has worked at her Cape First church two days a week watching 2-year-olds.

She'd go in Sunday mornings and set up, then watch the kids all day. She did this Sunday and Tuesday evenings, too.

Hess said this experience has helped her become adept at dealing with children, especially when it comes to figuring out how to work with different types of kids when they're upset.

"Giving them a toy to play with, turning on the TV, giving them a snack- it really helped just figuring out what the kids want, how to talk to them," she said.

She wants to leave a positive impact on them, and she hopes they'll remember her years from now.

With only three students in her graduating class and a total of about 40 students from the seventh to 12th grades, Hess stepped up and got involved as much as she could. She was the captain of the volleyball, basketball, soccer and cheerleading teams. She also was in ballet. To balance it all, she took advantage of study hall, finishing as much schoolwork as she could. Then when she got home from practice or work, she'd sit herself down and plow through schoolwork.

SEMO is close to home and it's known for producing high-quality teachers. Hess is excited to move on, meet new people and take the classes. But she'll miss the close friends, teachers, coaches and teammates she has at Eagle Ridge. The last week of school, the younger students came up to Hess, telling her they'd miss her. She said she's just happy to know she left an impact on those younger students, too.

Josh Sander

Central High School's valedictorian Josh Sander will attend Union University this fall in Jackson, Tenn., to pursue a degree in business administration with a concentration in economics. This may lead him to some sort of financial advisory position, or he may decide to do some kind of missionary work.

Cape Central High School 2013 Valedictorian - Josh Sander (Adam Vogler)

Sander is an earnest volunteer, devoting two hours a week to the Red Cross, doing clerical work such as filing, sorting and restocking. He volunteers his time through the Lynwood Baptist Church, too. Sander went to Brazil with his church group two summers ago for a mission trip, and they plan to go again this summer.

The trip consisted of evangelism in the public schools, help with construction on a house and running a sports camp for kids. Sander was mostly based in the schools, but he did help with the construction of the family's home one day. He was excited to have the opportunity to help lend a hand and also become submerged in another culture. He even learned how to perform a popular type of fight dancing from one of the men living in the house the kids helped fix.

Sander said it was rewarding "just being able to experience another culture and serve God in a foreign country." He said his faith in Jesus Christ gives him a good work ethic. His valedictorian speech addressed the importance of service. Sander said he looks around at the recent events going on around the country.

"None of us knows how much time we have left, so we need to make the most of it by serving God and serving others," he said.

Sander hopes to continue to volunteer his time and go on mission trips in college. He looks forward to the opportunity to pursue a career, grow in his faith and meet new friends at Union.

In school, Sander was a member of National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, the Beta Club and Scholar Bowl. Sander is a National Merit Scholar and a Missouri Scholars 100 recipient for 2013. He also won the seventh place in the personal finance category at FBLA's National Leadership Conference this summer.

His advice for the younger generation?

"Just find things that you like and pursue your interests, develop your talents and follow God's lead and you'll eventually end up where you need to be in a career that you'll enjoy," he said.

botto@semissourian.com