'They want to make a difference'

High school graduates typically experience an unbridled joy as they reflect on their past achievements and future possibilities, but also some wariness over the uncertainties and challenges that lie ahead.

And as this year’s graduates prepare to continue their education or immediately begin work careers, the economic, environmental and other challenges facing Petaluma and other communities around the world can at times seem overwhelming — plummeting stocks ... house foreclosures ... endangered species ... global warming ...

“But one of the things that has stood out about the students here at Casa Grande High School is how positive and hopeful they seem to be,” said principal Linda Scheele. “We have some extremely gifted students who have overcome a lot of personal adversity. They are aware of what’s going on in the world, but they still have the attitude that they want to make a difference.

“As I think about them, I feel hopeful. If they are our future, we’re in good shape.”

“The kids who are graduating know the issues,” added Brian Howard, principal of Petaluma High School. “They are optimistic about the future, and are hoping to contribute in a positive way.”

“These seniors aren’t as assured of future opportunities as others have been, but I think they’re generally optimistic,” said John Walker, principal of St. Vincent de Paul High School. “They have an increased global awareness compared to seniors five or 10 years ago, partially due to the crises. I’ve seen them develop more of an international focus and more interest in environmental concerns.”

This awareness has been clearly evident as many seniors at St. Vincent, Casa Grande and Petaluma high schools have been helping to address environmental, economic and other problems.

Several students at St. Vincent de Paul High School have done so as members of the school’s Gardening Club.

Andrew Kincaide

Andrew Kincaide found that some information he learned in his biology classes at St. Vincent was very helpful to his work with the Gardening Club, which created a garden and then harvested more than 600 pounds of produce for distribution to the Committee on the Shelterless.

“I had never gotten involved in working in a garden,” he said. “It’s been a great service opportunity, and a lot of fun to get more involved with the environment.”

Besides his involvement with the Gardening Club, Kincaide, 17, was a member of the St. Vincent cross country team for three years, and was co-captain last fall. He also was a member of the track team for two years and the co-editor of the school newspaper, The Onlooker, this academic year.

He plans to attend the University of California, Irvine in the fall, and says he might major in computer science.

Anna McKenna

Anna McKenna has been a member of the highly successful St. Vincent Speech and Debate team for three years, as well as a talented varsity volleyball and softball player.

She also was a founding member of the school’s Gardening Club.

McKenna, 17, lives on a vineyard in Sonoma, so the club was a natural fit. She echoes the call of Grayson James, Petaluma Bounty’s executive director, for communities to become more sustainable by growing more of their own food. After attending the University of California, Davis, McKenna plans to forge a career in civil engineering, with an environmental emphasis.

“I hope that people can figure out scientific answers to the environmental problems. I would like to help make things more environmentally safe, and pursuing science will allow me to do so,” she said.

Gilles O’Kane

Like McKenna, Gilles O’Kane has been a very active student at St. Vincent, participating in the Music Club and Art Club for four years, and on the cross country team for four years, serving as co-captain in his senior year.

And, like McKenna, he has a passion for the environment.

“Being involved with the Gardening Club has been a good thing ecologically, and a great way to help the community,” O’Kane said.

He plans to study biology and film at the University of California, Santa Cruz this fall.

“I fell in love with biology after taking classes in it at St. Vincent,” he said. “With medicine, we have great opportunities to change the world.”

O’Kane, 18, is optimistic that solutions to other global problems will be found.

“The problems are a bit overwhelming, but this gives us the opportunity to be able to make changes, and be a part of a new way of living,” he said. “We can create new standards.”

Katy Wilson

Katy Wilson, another member of the St. Vincent Gardening Club, shares O’Kane’s optimism.

“I feel that people will be able to step up to the plate and handle the situations we face,” she said. “We’ve been through rough times before.”

Wilson, 18, was drawn to the Gardening Club for two specific reasons.

“My interest was sparked because of what was going to be done with the produce, and because I love to garden,” she said.

She has been a member of the St. Vincent Leadership Team for three years, and basketball and cross country teams for two years.

Wilson will attend Boston College in the fall, and is particularly interested in its English and foreign-language programs.

Mark Brown

Casa Grande senior Mark Brown sometimes wonders if the current global crises can be resolved.

“There is a line where there are too many problems to solve, and some people feel that we’ve crossed that line — and sometimes I wonder if we’ve crossed that line,” he said.

But while serving as a member of the Helping Hands Club and president of the Honor Society at Casa Grande, as well as with Habitat for Humanity in Sebastopol, Brown has felt empowered by helping others.

“I’ve felt a sense of community, and that I can help make a difference locally and nationally,” he said.

Brown, 18, plans to study architecture at the University of Southern California in the fall, and might subsequently pursue a career in the field.

Mary Elliott

As a talented member of Casa Grande’s varsity tennis and track teams, senior Mary Elliott has turned in many notable performances, but she perhaps has even more outstanding accomplishments as a volunteer.

Elliott, 17, has been a volunteer for the Helping Hands club at Casa Grande, and has volunteered for several other groups and events, including Relay for Life, Petaluma Kitchen, Rebuilding Petaluma and Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.

She will begin studying graphic communications at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in the fall. She is optimistic by nature, and recent economic reports have buoyed her enthusiasm.

“I’ve read that by the time I get out of college, the economic situation won’t be nearly as bad,” she said.

Kasey Peterson

One of the area’s most active community-service volunteers, PHS senior Kasey Peterson has served as a mentor for younger 4-H members for 11 years, and volunteered at the Sonoma-Marin Fair’s annual Ag Day for the past eight years, Petaluma Wildlife Museum for four years, Future Farmers of America for three years and Boys & Girls Clubs of Petaluma for one year.

She won the Agricultural/Vocational prize at the Community Youth Service Awards, sponsored by The Press Democrat, in May, and she also was a contestant in the 2009 Dairy Princess competition.

“I’m a very positive person, and I like to see how I’m able to motivate kids,” she said.

Peterson, 17, has been accepted at Fresno State University, although she might first attend the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus.

“I would like to have a double major in ag communications and animal sciences in college, and would like to then become a teacher, although with the state of the economy, teaching jobs aren’t looking so good. I will keep my head up, and make an informed decision,” she said.

Hayden Richter

While attending PHS, Hayden Richter has completed more than 500 hours of community service, many of them in the school’s Petaluma Wildlife Museum.

“Growing up in our society, people don’t know anything about what the planet could be like,” Richter said. “I tried to teach kids about the importance of balance in the environment, and how creatures are affected as the environment shifts.”

Richter, who played varsity tennis at PHS for all four years, now plans to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and major in nutrition.

“I would like to use a nutrition degree to help people better understand how we can use the natural resources of plants to survive,” he said.

He is hopeful, despite the challenges facing the country.

“It seems as if we’re getting thrown right into them,” he said. “We need to take responsibility, and solve the great problems as a whole, but we can do small individual things to help.”

Benjamin Stern

PHS senior Benjamin Stern surely has been one of the most active students in Petaluma during the past few years. He participated on the school’s track team for two years and cross country team for four years, serving as captain last fall, but has become even better known for his volunteer work.

Stern, a member of the PHS Environmental Club and the Sonoma County Trails Council for the past two years, has volunteered for Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, Petaluma Kitchen, Bounty Farms, Elim Lutheran Church’s Amor Ministries and Walker Creek Outdoor Camp, among other groups.

He received the Ecology prize at the Press Democrat’s Community Youth Service Awards ceremony this month.

“I really get a sense of satisfaction and pride when I volunteer in any way to help somebody, and was given a sound body and mind to do so,” he said. “I don’t feel nearly as much joy when I do something only for myself.”

In the fall, Stern, 17, will attend Humboldt State University to focus on environmental studies.

“I’ll see where that takes me,” he said. I know that I and some other students are aware of some issues that some people don’t understand as being big issues. If we don’t do something now to protect the environment, in the future, we won’t be here — and if we are, things won’t be the same.”

(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)

Mark Brown

Casa Grande senior Mark Brown sometimes wonders if the current global crises can be resolved.

“There is a line where there are too many problems to solve, and some people feel that we’ve crossed that line — and sometimes I wonder if we’ve crossed that line,” he said.

But while serving as a member of the Helping Hands Club and president of the Honor Society at Casa Grande, as well as with Habitat for Humanity in Sebastopol, Brown has felt empowered by helping others.

“I’ve felt a sense of community, and that I can help make a difference locally and nationally,” he said.

Brown, 18, plans to study architecture at the University of Southern California in the fall, and might subsequently pursue a career in the field.

Mary Elliott

As a talented member of Casa Grande’s varsity tennis and track teams, senior Mary Elliott has turned in many notable performances, but she perhaps has even more outstanding accomplishments as a volunteer.

Elliott, 17, has been a volunteer for the Helping Hands club at Casa Grande, and has volunteered for several other groups and events, including Relay for Life, Petaluma Kitchen, Rebuilding Petaluma and Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.

She will begin studying graphic communications at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in the fall. She is optimistic by nature, and recent economic reports have buoyed her enthusiasm.

“I’ve read that by the time I get out of college, the economic situation won’t be nearly as bad,” she said.

Kasey Peterson

One of the area’s most active community-service volunteers, PHS senior Kasey Peterson has served as a mentor for younger 4-H members for 11 years, and volunteered at the Sonoma-Marin Fair’s annual Ag Day for the past eight years, Petaluma Wildlife Museum for four years, Future Farmers of America for three years and Boys & Girls Clubs of Petaluma for one year.

She won the Agricultural/Vocational prize at the Community Youth Service Awards, sponsored by The Press Democrat, in May, and she also was a contestant in the 2009 Dairy Princess competition.

“I’m a very positive person, and I like to see how I’m able to motivate kids,” she said.

Peterson, 17, has been accepted at Fresno State University, although she might first attend the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus.

“I would like to have a double major in ag communications and animal sciences in college, and would like to then become a teacher, although with the state of the economy, teaching jobs aren’t looking so good. I will keep my head up, and make an informed decision,” she said.

Hayden Richter

While attending PHS, Hayden Richter has completed more than 500 hours of community service, many of them in the school’s Petaluma Wildlife Museum.

“Growing up in our society, people don’t know anything about what the planet could be like,” Richter said. “I tried to teach kids about the importance of balance in the environment, and how creatures are affected as the environment shifts.”

Richter, who played varsity tennis at PHS for all four years, now plans to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and major in nutrition.

“I would like to use a nutrition degree to help people better understand how we can use the natural resources of plants to survive,” he said.

He is hopeful, despite the challenges facing the country.

“It seems as if we’re getting thrown right into them,” he said. “We need to take responsibility, and solve the great problems as a whole, but we can do small individual things to help.”

Benjamin Stern

PHS senior Benjamin Stern surely has been one of the most active students in Petaluma during the past few years. He participated on the school’s track team for two years and cross country team for four years, serving as captain last fall, but has become even better known for his volunteer work.

Stern, a member of the PHS Environmental Club and the Sonoma County Trails Council for the past two years, has volunteered for Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, Petaluma Kitchen, Bounty Farms, Elim Lutheran Church’s Amor Ministries and Walker Creek Outdoor Camp, among other groups.

He received the Ecology prize at the Press Democrat’s Community Youth Service Awards ceremony this month.

“I really get a sense of satisfaction and pride when I volunteer in any way to help somebody, and was given a sound body and mind to do so,” he said. “I don’t feel nearly as much joy when I do something only for myself.”

In the fall, Stern, 17, will attend Humboldt State University to focus on environmental studies.

“I’ll see where that takes me,” he said. I know that I and some other students are aware of some issues that some people don’t understand as being big issues. If we don’t do something now to protect the environment, in the future, we won’t be here — and if we are, things won’t be the same.”

(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)