Sierra Lutheran’s top Falcons soar to new heights

Sierra Lutheran High School’s top students in its Class of 2025 all found the private school helped to push them out of their shell in a good way.

The three students who received the highest marks among their class of 38 graduating Saturday shared with the Appeal the benefits about attending a smaller high school. Personal attention from teachers was a high priority, but they also found it brought out the best in academics in activities, they shared.

Co-valedictorian Mylie Christensen had been attending private Christian schools or had been homeschooled. After going to Bethlehem Lutheran, Sierra Lutheran was the logical next step.

“I was expecting it to be the exact same experience,” she said. “It was pretty close knit, but it wasn't very personal. So I was not excited to have to learn how to make friends again after being in the same small class for five years.”

Summer camps as entering students helped, and Christensen found her footing after involvement as a theater student in middle school. She came to play the part of Maria in Sierra Lutheran’s “The Sound of Music” production. The support, she said, helped her discover other passions and meaning as a straight-A student.

“It was just so mind-blowing,” she said. “I’m always so surprised at how supportive everyone is. After the play, not only did all my friends congratulate me, but I had teachers, I had parents, I had everyone you could imagine coming up to me and saying, ‘That was incredible, I can’t believe you did that.’”

Christensen has a full ride to the University of Nevada, Reno with the Presidential Scholarship and plans to enter a career in speech pathology. Eventually, she would like to pursue her doctorate in audiology and work for or own a private business.

Co-valedictorian Nathan Tack plans to attend the University of Notre Dame to study chemical engineering and earn a degree in drug development, he said. He developed a fascination thanks to his chemistry teacher at Sierra Lutheran.

“It’s just super interesting to me how like chemicals interact with the human body,” he said.

The smaller environment was useful for Tack when he entered as a freshman.

“I’m sure this is a common experience, but I was super shy, super in my shell and just the community, the small community, all the teachers being so nice really brought me out of it,” he said.

Salutatorian Kayla Carpenter considers herself an introvert but said Sierra Lutheran gives every student a voice.

“You don’t have to be quiet, you don’t have to speak to the background,” she said. “And I’ve been a part of worship leadership and sports year-round and just really anything I could be a part of, and it was just awesome because I know in public school, I wouldn’t be able to have those opportunities.”

Carpenter played basketball and volleyball and worked to improve herself, she said. The activities also led her to make personal connections with friends, especially in track, where she ran in Northern Nevada’s all-classes regional track and field meet the weekend of May 10. She qualified for state in the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter run, the shot put and the 4x100 relay. She said she was excited to have two of her times match up to recruiting times for William Jessup University in Rocklin, California, where she’s received a scholarship to run track.

“It’s just beautiful how much family it’s like going to a small school and just connecting with teachers, too, and getting help on all the assignments,” she said.

SIERRA LUTHERAN GRAD PROFILE: SEAN HAYNES

Former Carson High School student Sean Haynes overcame a six-credit deficiency and eventually began earning nearly straight A’s. Now, with some hard work and a transfer to Sierra Lutheran High School, he’s ready to graduate.

Two years ago, Haynes moved from Las Vegas and enrolled in Carson High as a sophomore already behind in school. He had been informed by a Carson High counselor halfway through the year that he would have to make up work.

“I’m like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe you waited so long,’” he said.

Sean Haynes

 He worked hard during a summer school program and the regular school year while at CHS. He also put in extra afterschool hours catching up on algebra, geometry and science classes in a span of about five months.

“That was definitely a lot, but my grandfather decided it would be a good idea for me to come to Sierra Lutheran, to be surrounded by people who are God-fearing and are like-minded,” he said.

His academic improvement has paid off. Haynes has received several scholarships. He plans to pursue his associate’s degree at Western Nevada College where he is enrolled for 10 credits and move on to the University of Nevada, Reno.

“My first year, I get all my prerequisites done, and then they (WNC) have a two-year associate’s degree,” he said. “Really, my first goal, I wanted to become a surgeon, but you know, that’s a high standard to reach up to, so I decided I should become a nurse first. I can get a view of what everyone does in a hospital.

“Then I can truly decide if I want to pursue another four years of education.”

SIERRA LUTHERAN GRAD PROFILE: DAKOTA REED

Dakota Reed first felt a little apprehensive going from Carson Valley Middle School, a campus of about 1,000 students, to Sierra Lutheran High School, a drastic drop with only about 200 students.

“I think it was really helpful to me personally in my growth and becoming who I am because in middle school, I had a lot of anxiety,” Reed said. “And I feel like when I came here, I was able to just connect with my teachers and my schoolmates, and it was very close-knit.”

However, she found an opportunity equal to her passion and began interning at Jacks Valley Elementary School in Douglas County. Reed discovered she enjoyed working with small groups of younger students at different grade levels. Her ambition after graduation is to enter education.

Dakota Reed

 Reed is one of Sierra Lutheran’s five Davidson Scholarship winners from her class this year, scholarships offered to high-achieving students younger than 18. She’ll use her financial aid to attend Western Nevada College and then Boise State University.

“I’m just building connections with (the students),” she said. “…I just take notes every time. There’s different personalities. There’s the little boys that have all this energy and you can’t get them to sit still.

“But there’s the little girls who are just the sweetest things ever, and they'll make the little drawings or we'll go out to recess and they just want love and they just want to be your friend, and it's so sweet, and they have an excitement to learn.”

SIERRA LUTHERAN GRAD PROFILE: JOHN SALONITES

John Salonites has dreamt of being a film director since he was 7 years old. He’s getting closer to entering the field after posting his own productions on YouTube.

The Sierra Lutheran High School graduate said the small size of the school and its welcoming staff helped him find his footing with his talent. In recent weeks, he’s premiered on his personal YouTube page “Wonder,” a 7-minute film following the story of Al, a high school senior pressured with deciding what comes after graduation.

“With the smaller size of the school, it's very much, you're not just facing the crowd, like the teachers can really look after you, they can really nurture you, they can really help you,” Salonites said.

Salonites credits theater teacher Mark Phillips for teaching him the technical aspects about lighting, visual effects, shooting scenes and other essential skills. Salonites then would enlist his two older brothers or classmates as actors or interject himself using a tripod while filming.

John Salonites

 

Salonites also plays basketball, with some teachers offering to arrive at school early to play or coach him early, he said. The administration also encouraged social opportunities when he didn’t know anyone at first.

“The school is very much nurturing in that as well,” he said.

He hopes to attend Biola University in Los Angeles to pursue a degree in film directing.

As for his friends he recruits for his projects, he calls them helpful and supportive of his talent.

“(I want) to one day direct big blockbuster moves that help spread the light of Christ to the world,” he said. “It's just been really fun because I'm able to tell them like what I want and I’m able to communicate the vision for it, for the scripts that I write and then they go and do it expertly. They're awesome.”

SIERRA LUTHERAN GRAD PROFILE: ELIJAH THORNTON

Elijah Thornton was keen on playing football as a Sierra Lutheran High School student, but injuries wound up pivoting a path he planned for himself.

“I came into (school) with a very athletic mindset,” he said. “But it never really worked out because of injuries. It was just kind of a bad circumstance. But within that, I learned to adapt and somewhat enjoy school.”

During his freshman year, he broke his ankle. As a sophomore, he fell ill and dropped 15 pounds in a week. When he became a junior, he committed to recovering and working harder.

Elijah Thornton

 

“The third game into the season, I blew my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and my meniscus, and it was completely gone,” Thornton said. “It was like a four-hour surgery, like four surgeries in one.”

Now the Sierra Lutheran senior who graduates May 24 is looking to attend Truckee Meadows Community College and learn how to become a mechanic. He credits his teachers for refocusing on his studies.

“I’ve never been the best student, but the teachers, the help and, I don't know, just the administrators in general have been very helpful in understanding my assignments and getting me in on time,” he said. “I think Sierra Lutheran’s helped me to find something I love other than football, so it’s a little easier to leave that behind.”

Thornton said he’s satisfied that his next steps will take him far.

“There’s something about cars that’s so technical but it’s fun at the same time,” he said. “To be able to start it and get back in it and just does what you want it to do and you fixed it, it’s a great accomplishment.”