Mt. Pleasant High School hosts first Alumni Day

MT. PLEASANT - Mt. Pleasant High School along with the Mt. Pleasant Chamber Alliance pioneered the first Alumni Day and brought back 17 former students who graduated from the school district to speak with current students on Friday, Oct. 11. Alumni in attendance included Christian Oetken, Tyler and Jerilynn Horn, Som Sylavong, Jennifer Campbell, Pat Coen, Drew Perry, Hannah Smith, Aaron Aplara, James Bryant, Abbey Mulford-Hendrickson, Carrie Gracey, Holly Jones, Mikayla Mabeus, Hailie Carlson and Jess Hassenfritz.

As part of Alumni Day, keynote speaker Pat Coen addressed students at the middle school and high school. Coen, who graduated as part of the class of 1984, previously worked in schools throughout Henry County and now currently serves as the superintendent in Burlington. In addressing the high school students, Coen reminded students that they are 'blessed to be [there] and blessed to be [a panther].”

Coen also stressed that students would be receiving all the tools to succeed.

'If you do the fundamental tenets of self discipline, show up on time, do your work and be respectful, the teachers will do the rest,” he said. Coen also noted that Mt. Pleasant has a 'culture of winning” in all areas of studies and athletics. In his closing remarks to students, the Burlington superintendent reminded high schoolers that it is OK to not yet know their path.

'Mt. Pleasant schools has put you on a path for success, regardless of the challenges that come before you … win, lose or draw, did you put out your best? Win, lose or draw, do you have a plan? Mt. Pleasant will get you there, but you have to do your part,” Coen concluded.

Following the assemblies, all 17 alumni were able to have discussions with juniors and seniors who were interested in their specific field of work. Students could choose from 14 different advisory classes, which covered topics including agriculture, engineering, cosmetology and animation. In the classes, students listened to different alumni speak about their jobs and their path to their current work.

Krist Ray, the executive vice president of the Mt. Pleasant Chamber Alliance, said the school has always had a career day, which included inviting locals from Mt. Pleasant to speak to students about their careers. With alumni day, Ray specifically asked former students, both local and those who have since moved away, to come back and speak. Many alumni traveled from different parts of Iowa to attend the event, with two alums coming back from Georgia and Minnesota.

'This time we focused on why Mt. Pleasant and how it prepares kids for the world … we wanted a more Alumni Day to see how these people become successful starting out here in Mt. Pleasant … We would be naive to believe that every student who graduates from here is going to stay. We have to keep our eyes open to what the kids want. Our message to the students is, if you need to go away, that's fine. You can always come home,” Ray said.

Mt. Pleasant Principal, Todd Leichty noted that bringing alumni back to speak to students allows them to realize 'other kids from Mt. Pleasant have done it, so there's no reason they can't as well.”

Anh Nguyen, a senior and Desiree Leonardo, a junior at Mt. Pleasant High School said the advisory class helped them further explore whether they wanted to go into the medical field as a career. Both students attending the health care class, which included nursing practitioner Hannah Smith and physician assistant Laura Bjork.

'I think it's important because if you don't know what you want to go into, there's many options to listen to and to get the information you need or what you want to learn about … I was undecided in all of high school until now,” Leonardo said. The high school junior added that she hopes to become a pediatric nurse.

'It was really helpful … I learned about what classes I need to take … and that there are a lot of choices,” Nguyen added.