Coming into high school as a freshman, you never know what’s going to happen over your next four years. For the Class of 2020, it has been a wild ride. From road trips to dances, here are some of their favorite memories these past four years.

“Being in peer ministry was the best part of my time at St. Dominic because it allowed me to be transparent and open with those around me. They helped me find myself and learn what friendship and brotherhood is really about,” Alli Palmatier said.

“Traveling to Nashville with the football team and being football manager was the best. I loved being on the sidelines, seeing [the game] from a different perspective, seeing all the hard work the guys put in pay off and just being able to support them at every game no matter if we won or lost,” Morgan Walsh said.

“My favorite memory at Dominic would definitely have to be playing soccer and tennis my freshman year because that year was when I met and made so many of my new friends who I’m still friends with today. We still talk about the memories that my soccer and tennis team have made. It was such a fun year for me, and I’m definitely gonna miss it,” Tim Blechle said.

“Last year during the hair drive in October, my sister made an in-the-moment decision to have eight inches of her hair cut off. Her hair was to her chin, and her friends had to come find me while I was in a meeting with Mr. Moore because she was crying in the gym. Don’t worry…we laugh now, and to be honest I laughed then too. Freshman mistakes…” Madison Kelley said.

“One of my favorite memories happened this year during softball team bonding. Since we were seniors, we got to organize the whole thing. We chose to do a dare scavenger hunt. The look on the McDonald’s worker’s face when [junior] Neely Edwards grabbed an ice cream cone by the ice cream part or watching our little underclassmen order a hamburger from Taco Bell made me laugh harder than anything all season,” Jamie Wilmes said.

“My favorite memory of senior year was being on homecoming court because it was fun to flex on everyone at the pep rally when Jameson put me on his shoulders. And, winning court was really neat too!” Cati Welby said.

“My favorite thing was when we would go to meets either from track, [cross country] or lacrosse, and we would all be in the bus as a team and sing songs, eat food, make jokes and get to know one another with the anticipation of the meet or game still to come,” Annie McLoughlin said.

“My favorite memory is of Thursday morning showers with the football team after 6 a.m. practice,” Jameson Witte said.

“My favorite memory from high school was having the opportunity to cheer. Cheering on the sidelines of games and competing is something that I will never forget and always be so thankful for. Dominic cheer brought me some of my best friends and my second family,” Lauren Diebling said.

“Winning the intramural championship volleyball game was awesome,” Kyle Fowler said.

“The best memory I have was the first time I have ever hung out with the boys since I transferred here,” Tyler Juergensmeyer said.

“My favorite memory was the last day of my Kairos because it was my birthday, so I got sang to. It was super awkward, but then we came back and my parents had made rice crispy treats for everyone! We had a football game that night, so I ran down to the field, and my team did my hair and makeup. It rained all during the game, but it was so much fun! Then after the game I got asked to homecoming! It was just such an exciting and great way to spend my 17th birthday!” Halie Hebron said.

“My favorite memory was senior year homecoming because I got to go in a huge group with all my friends and we all had so much fun together,” McKayla Overton said.

“My favorite memory would have to be the community altogether from Burrito California’s [from Dos Primos] before a big home game and chapel chats to empower hour game times to intramural volleyball. I have never experienced anything quite like good ole St. Dom,” Kate Nelson said.

“My favorite memory from high school was winning the conference championship this year. Throughout the whole season, we had looked forward to maintaining our title. When it came time to compete, the nerves were high and the course was intimidating. All the girls kept the JD4J (just do it for Jesus) tradition alive, and through all the highs and lows of the match, we had our unity and support through that marking. By the end of the day, all the girls surrounded the board, watching the scores come in. The moment we knew we had the championship, we ran off to privately celebrate by making a TikTok. Grabbing that plaque for the last time and celebrating with Doc and the girls will forever be my favorite memory,” Trinity Hofstetter said.

“My favorite memory from high school was cross country team bonding night because I had really grown close with my teammates and coaches over the past four years. It was a very fulfilling yet sad night, as it was our last time together as a team,” Sam Schilling said.

“Something really cool was that my friend group ate at the same exact bench in the Oak Grove all four years. It ended up being really special to us because it was our spot. We really transitioned from little freshmen friends to the inseparable best friends we are today,” Grace Hill said.

“My favorite memory was K27 because it was an amazing experience being able to lead those kids. It was also super cool for me because I met so many people that I would’ve never talked to if it weren’t for K27. A lot of the people on the retreat are now some of my closest friends!” Graycen Hollowell said.

“My favorite memory is being able to be with all the peer ministers and eat in the hub every lunch. I love being able to do homework with them and plan things and have the best of laughs…I also love doing track with all my close friends, but warming up every practice with [senior] Kate Nelson was special. All these people that I’ve made friends with have really impacted me and made me who I am today! And I couldn’t thank them more!” Rachel Roberts said.

Personally, one of my favorite memories happened on Kairos 25 this year. Juniors Grace Catlett, Julia Kristensen and Maddie Lepp knew I was paranoid that our small group space on the third floor of King’s House was haunted. During a break, they moved a bunch of small statues from the atriums to the middle of the hallway, and when I went upstairs, I almost peed my pants. We had a good laugh about it afterwards, but in the moment, I was terrified.

Although the Class of 2020 may have had an unexpected end to high school, they will cherish these memories made at St. Dominic. Best of luck to the seniors as they soon start the next chapter in their lives.