Tyren Talley placed 6th with a 49!
Dempsey Haverkamp placed 2nd with a 44!
*SENIOR SPOTLIGHT*
Alina Feldkamp by Erin Smith
Centralia High School´s class of 2026 has many talented and gifted students. Among them is Alina Feldkamp. Alina Noelle was born on December 27th, 2007, to Brandon Feldkamp and Crystalyn Koch. She is the oldest of three children, with siblings Blake and Aria. She has many hobbies, including painting, reading, and playing video games with her friends. Alina is highly involved in school activities, participating in FFA, FBLA, NHS, STUCO, Yearbook, Choir, and Esports, and holding leadership roles in many of them. She has been a dedicated member of FFA all four years and currently serves as Historian. She has participated in FBLA during her junior and senior years and currently holds the position of Secretary. As a member of NHS her junior and senior years, she now serves as Vice President. Additionally, she was involved in STUCO her junior year, where she served as the FFA representative. Her favorite has been FFA, not only for the opportunities it has given her throughout her high school career, but also for the friends she has made. When asked what her favorite high school memory was, she responded with the trip FFA took to the National Convention in Indianapolis. She recalls how, on the way there, they stopped at a reindeer farm. While they were there, they spent plenty of time at the convention center, running amok and completing the GooseChase photo challenge, which her team ultimately won. They also explored the Living History Museum at Conner Prairie. They ended up creating an entire storyline between the historical interpreters, bringing to life a love story between the carpenter and his assistant. They ran around the town helping the blacksmith to pay off his debt at the grocery store so he could craft them a metal heart, which they then had the carpenter gift to his assistant. She explains that it was completely spontaneous and ended up being the funniest and most memorable moment of the trip.
When reflecting on who influenced her most during high school, Alina shared that Mrs. Gleason had the biggest impact. Through her English classes, she not only improved Alina’s speaking and writing but also helped shape her as a person. By constantly challenging her to think deeper, Mrs. Gleason encouraged Alina to become a stronger critical thinker with a greater understanding of the world around her. After graduation, Alina plans to continue her education at Wichita State University, where she will major in Fine Arts with a focus on Graphic Design and Engineering. She is excited to combine her creativity with technical skills as she moves into the next chapter of her life.
To next year’s senior class, Alina offers simple but meaningful advice: make the most of every opportunity and don’t take the little moments for granted. She emphasizes that those small experiences often become the most memorable. Like many students, Alina faced challenges throughout high school. One of the biggest was pushing herself outside of her comfort zone. While it wasn’t always easy to try new things or get involved, she found that stepping out and taking chances led to some of her best experiences. Through her involvement in various organizations, she gained confidence and created lasting memories.
If she could relive one moment, Alina would choose her trip to California for the FBLA National Leadership Conference. From competing to spending time at the beach and sharing countless laughs with friends at the hotel, it was an experience she will always cherish. Alina believes that high school has prepared her well for the future by helping her develop essential skills, such as time management, responsibility, and critical thinking. Through both academics and extracurricular activities, she learned how to collaborate with others, take on new challenges, and grow as an individual.
A fun fact about Alina is that she is a huge Formula 1 fan and watches nearly every race, even those that start as early as four in the morning. When asked to describe her high school experience in one word, Alina chose “rewarding.” Through all the challenges, growth, and involvement, she feels that the hard work and experiences have truly made it all worthwhile.
We crowned our champion last Friday!
Doubleheader starts at 4:30 pm
Good Luck Panthers!
Aidan Talley written by Jayden Talley and Bronx Talley
Wade and Tammy Talley welcomed their child Aidan “The Mule” Joseph Talley to their lives on December 23, 2007. He lives on his family farm out in the country. His siblings are Dustin, Kenton, Trenton, Jayden, Brooklyn, and Quentin.
Throughout high school, Aidan has heavily participated in multiple sports such as basketball, football, and baseball. Aidan says the sports he played have been extremely fun. He also stated that he dedicated his blood, sweat, and knees to the sports he loved. One of his favorite memories was when his team won the district championship against Riverside in football. He explains, “The fans and the atmosphere were amazing”. Aidan was not just heavily dedicated to sports, he also participated in FFA for his four years of high school.
Some words of wisdom Aidan preaches to the younger classmen, “Cherish every moment because this is the only time in your life you can be around your friends for five days a week.” Aidan's most challenging thing was the summer activities. He says this because all the sports he played in the summer would go long, but he still enjoyed them. He says, “You will seldom be away from the school.”
The most influential person in the school was Mr. Holthaus, his football coach who has greatly prepared him for his future. He taught him how to be tough and pick himself back up when he gets knocked down. Not only this but Mr. Holthaus has taught hard work and dedication which will go a long way in his future.
Aidan thinks high school has prepared him for the future by teaching him how to work hard, by being dedicated to getting good grades, and excel in sports. It has also helped him make new friends and given him new connections out in the real world. An interesting fact about Aidan is he loves to go camping with his friends on the weekends. He describes high school in one word, and that word is chaotic, there was never a dull moment. There was always something interesting happening at school. After high school Aidan plans to attend Kansas State University to obtain his Business Education Degree.
Aiden is ready to take on the next chapter of his life by working to become a teacher. Everything he learned at Centralia will help him in his future. He'll also never forget about the memories and friendships that he will have for the rest of his life.
Cora Thompson written by Myah Tanking
On August 21, 2007, Dustin and Manda Thompson welcomed their second child, Cora Elaine Thompson, into their family. She has one older brother, Nick, and one younger brother, Luke. Her interests are vast, but include spending time outside during the summer, quality time with friends going to Walmart, Taco Bell, and with her family hunting and fishing. She is graduating from Centralia High School with the Class of 2026.
Cora is an active member of multiple extracurricular activities. These include basketball, cross country, track, cheer, dance, StuCo, NHS, SADD, SAG, KAY, FCCLA, FBLA, and the school play. Cora’s favorite was cross country. She has made connections and friendships with people she might not have talked to otherwise. She is very grateful for every cross country team because each team has felt like family to her. Cora’s personal achievements throughout high school include being NHS president, winning state basketball, making the basketball All-Star game at Highland, and qualifying for state track twice. Cora was asked, “What was your favorite memory from high school?” She answered with, “My favorite memory from high school has been the bonfire every year, but especially senior year. It was so much fun getting to set up and joke around with classmates.”
Cora plans to further her education at Kansas State University to earn a degree in Chemistry or Biology. Then, she plans to apply for Kansas University’s Pharmacy Program. Cora has been influenced by many teachers at Centralia, but stated that Mr. Shearer has been the most influential. He is always willing to re-explain something and he makes classes fun to learn in. Something she has learned during high school is to not take everything so seriously. Set a goal for yourself and focus on that, work hard for yourself. Cora said that high school has prepared her for the future because, “It has taught me so much about myself and about work ethic and how to be involved within my school and community. High school has also helped show me what path I want to pursue after graduation and there have been so many people who have been a part of that journey.“ Some tips Cora has for next year’s senior class is to, “Focus on making memories with the people in your class. Soak up every memory because it flies by and you’ll be graduating before you even realize what’s happening.” Although Cora is sad about leaving Centralia, she is excited to start this new chapter in her life.
Tyler Jones placed 3rd with an 85!
Bronx Talley placed 5th with an 88!
Landon Heller placed 7th with a 93!
Good luck Centralia Panthers.
Field Events start at 4:00 pm & Running Events start at 5:30 pm.
Good Luck Panthers!
Field Events start at 1:00 pm & Running Events start at 2:30 pm with the 3200m run.
Good Luck Panthers!
Congrats to all!
(Bronx -84, Tyler - 85, Blake - 97, Landon - 99)
The team placed third with a 365!
Tyler Jones placed 7th with an 85!
Bronx Talley placed 4th with an 84!
