What Dreams May Come Tuesday, January 18, 2011 By Junior Nathan Rose-Heim CHS is home to many dreams. - Photo by Nathan Rose-heim Advertising Former Vice President Dick Cheney said, “From kindergarten to graduation, I went to public schools, and I know that they are a key to being sure that every child has a chance to succeed and to rise in the world”. It’s no secret that the students who walk the halls of CHS have dreams outside the classroom, even half of them are asleep in their classes. Many of the students have clear cut paths, while others’ futures are somewhat up in the air. The new year is a good time to get your dreams in focus, so below are the dreams of students, some past and present. Erika Baker, CHS graduate of 2008, had a dream of becoming a star. “I wanted to be an actress/singer/ballerina/veterinarian/photographer and Thumbalina. I am not even kidding. I have always loved to sing and dance and act things out. I have a wild imagination and I spent hours as a little girl just making up worlds and characters,” she said. Erika credits CHS for her passion. “CHS is where I discovered the stage. I was always a singer and I auditioned for the musical because I thought I would enjoy it and I ended up falling in love with it. No matter what I was going through or had going on, I was always able to depend on my characters to be a home away from home. I learn something new and exciting from every character I play, and without the theatre department I would have never found this.” Freshman Jordan Brazeel has coincidentally similar dreams. Jordan, who is involved in theater in CHS, originally wanted to be a veterinarian. “I had like eight cats around the house all the time; I suppose I just wanted to be able to be around them all the time," she said. Jordan's aspirations now gravitate towards being an A-list actress, “Hopefully in New York or California, either way I would do any theater and hopefully make my name famous!” CHS has given Jordan opportunities to keep up with her dreams. “Drama Honors Society is always fun to do, and the plays and musicals are fun to make. It makes me want to keep doing things like that”, said Jordan Senior Alicia Witt--who also wanted to be a veterinarian when she was young-- is bound to be in the legal field. She said, “My dream now is to go to Truman State University and study pre-law. That's not really a concrete plan though.” Concrete or not, Alicia enjoyed Mr.Mayne’s law classes saying,“His approach to everything made it more fun and interesting.” Alicia intends to focus her studies in criminal law. Kalob Cunningham, CHS graduate from the class of 2008, had big aspirations of his own. Kalob is studying at University of Central Missouri (UCM) majoring in interior design. “I have grown to really love interior design. I used to watch TLC all the time. ‘While You Were Out?’ and ‘Trading Space’ were my favorite shows, and because of those shows my love for interior design only grew”, said Kalob. Little did Kalob know that like his love for design, his dreams too would grow. “In college I have found a huge passion in dancing and choreographing. With this new passion I have discovered I want to never stop dancing and maybe go to graduate school and get my MFA in dance and choreography”, Kalob said. However, UCM was not all to blame. Kalob said, “CHS helped with my passion for dance when I was cast as Ryan Evans in High School Musical my senior year. I had learned the choreography from the movie and then I taught the cast the finale number. We all know that dreams are the fire in the heart of our society.  That is why it is so important that we keep being supportive of our youth. Whether it’s teaching what you love or being a helpful volunteer, these students wouldn’t have gone anywhere without the aid of parents, teachers, and friends who shared the experience. Keep on dreaming, Cameron.

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