Advertisement It’s her intelligence and education.
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Sarah Klinesmith . Dick Riniker photo |
She said school always came easy to her, and she liked school except for some time in middle school.
“Life was really hard, we were poor and I grew up without my mom,” Sarah said. “There was a time in middle school that I just didn’t like school anymore, so I stopped coming.”
It was in La Crossroads at Logan, a charter school for at-risk adolescents, that her teachers discovered how bright she was after she took standard college prep tests. Teachers helped prepare her for college prep courses at Logan.
“She is incredibly intelligent, and it’s this natural innate ability to excel in academics that is her ticket out of poverty,” said Karen Schoenfeld, a teacher at La Crossroads. “She’s one of the most intelligent kids we’ve ever had.”
The 17-year-old senior was named the Tribune’s Extra Effort Award winner at Logan for her perseverance and hard work in overcoming major obstacles in her life.
“She has lived in extreme poverty with her father, and sometimes they had no electricity,” Schoenfeld said.
Sarah said she works 20 hours a week at Papa Murphy’s Pizza and buys groceries for her and her father. She said her mother, Diane, died of breast cancer at the age of 36, when Sarah was 6 years old.
“Usually my sister (Nicole) or a baby sitter took care of me, and at times nobody was at home,” Sarah said. “I think of my mom a lot. She would be proud of my grades.”
Sarah has a 3.4 grade-point average and has been taking college prep courses after three semesters at La Crossroads. She said he likes math and science.
“La Crossroads helped me a lot with a lot of encouragement,” she said. “It was a good environment for me.”
Sarah plans to attend Winona State University, but has not chosen a major field of study yet.
“I’ll be the first in my family to go to college, and I realize education is the key to a better life,” Sarah said.
“My dad didn’t have a lot of options, and I want to find something I like to do. I’d like to have a job I like.”
Sarah’s biggest challenge is to find a safe, comfortable environment in which she can thrive, Schoenfeld said.
“She’s extremely introverted, but she’s also extremely responsible to a fault,” Schoenfeld said. “She’s respectful, does her work and hopes no one notices her.”
Sarah plays flute in Logan’s band and likes to help the underclassmen.
“I like to help people and make their lives better,” she said.
Ben Wopat, a La Crossroads teacher, said Sarah is one of his biggest success stories.
“Her intellect is not an escape but a ticket out,” Wopat said. “She has an inner strength from where she has come from. She is the backbone of her family and has had tough responsibilities for a kid her age.
“Losing her mother had a big impact,” he said. “Initial success in La Crossroads built some confidence, and kids were looking to her for leadership.”
Wopat said Sarah may not say much, but often has something valuable to say.
“She has a fantastic sense of humor and very witty,” Wopat said. “A lot of people don’t know that side.”
Sarah also likes her German class, and her teacher, Steve Duffrin, said she is a joy.
“She’s very quiet and thoughtful, and she makes me laugh every day,” Duffrin said. “She’s a very bright girl and has thoughtful questions all the time.”
Terry Rindfleisch can be reached at trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com or
(608) 791-8227.
Other nominees from Logan, C-2
