Grand County High School students of the month for January 2019 are Kyler Helquist and Mary Kimmerle.
Kyler Helquist is the son of Naomi and the late Russell Helquist. He is a sophomore at Grand County High School (GCHS).
Helquist said that his favorite class is photography because he learned so much from it; in particular, he relished learning the editing programs Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
He chuckled as he remembered editing his friend into a picture with a monkey hanging off a tree. “It’s just fun,” he said.
Kyler’s dedication and application during challenging times is recognized by his teachers. Mr. Parkin, his 10th grade English teacher, said Kyler is confident in his own abilities as a student and as an emerging guitarist.
“He finds time to be helpful to other students and has a positive attitude in class,” Parkin said.
Kyler stays busy outside of the classroom with baseball and mountain biking. He said he really values the “team building that Coach Meador does” in baseball and the ability, in mountain biking, “to get out there, calm your nerves and get things off your mind.”
Finally, like many students Grand County, Kyler also holds down a job. He used to work for the city on field crew prepping fields, but now he works at Knowles Home Furnishings. He says he does it all — from building, delivering and selling furniture. He said that it’s a rewarding job.
After high school, Kyler plans to serve an LDS mission and then wants to study to become an electrician.
Mary Kimmerle is the daughter of Sara and Kyle Kimmerle. She is a senior at GCHS.
Mary said that her favorite class is AP English because “it is exciting to break large novels down into smaller details and concepts. Mrs. Simmons-Cameron is also so energetic and fast paced which makes the class so exciting.”
Mary explained that her most challenging class is USU statistics because “keeping all of the concepts and applications separate was difficult; sometimes I had to retrace and relearn certain steps.”
Mary, known for her steady ways and warm heart, stays busy. She was a member of swim team (and a team captain), the tech crew for the school musicals, quiz bowl, newspaper and is GCHS’s 2018-19 English Sterling Scholar.
Mary is also service oriented. She has been involved in the National Honors Society; honoring veterans through a trip to Washington, D.C. with Mr. Adams’ class; and is the seminary council president.
She is also a lifeguard at the city pool.
Mary plans to serve an LDS mission after she graduates and then plans to attend college at BYU-Idaho. She is currently considering nursing or teaching as possible majors and career paths.
Mrs. Simmons-Cameron, her AP English teacher, has nothing but good things to say: “Well, first, Mary single handedly brought back our school’s literary magazine. I can’t overstate how much discipline, vision and old-fashioned work that took. I view that magazine as Mary’s love letter to her peers. Even more, though, Mary brings a positivity combined with quiet determination to everything she does; she already does move mountains. I suppose continents or tectonic plates are next?”
