Westosha’s Kennell shows poise, maturity

Trevor resident named Outstanding Senior

By Jason Arndt
Editor

Annually, when the Report receives nominations for Outstanding Senior from Westosha Central High School, each candidate presents a series of strengths and unique qualities.

Rylee Kennell

The 2018 nominees were no different, and awarding the Outstanding Senior after review by staff was not easy, and took additional insight and feedback from a copy editor and editors from East Troy and Elkhorn.

While each of the nominees brought remarkable qualities inside and outside the classroom, the newspaper’s staff selected Rylee Kennell as the 2018 Outstanding Senior from Westosha Central High School.

Kennell, the daughter of Chad and Heather Kennell, said she was humbled by her nomination for Outstanding Senior.

“I am truly honored to be nominated for Outstanding Senior,” Kennell, of Trevor, wrote in her application. “All of my hard work in and out of school have paid off over the years, and I couldn’t be any more blessed to receive this recognition.”

At Westosha Central, after Kennell earned honor roll recognition her first two years, she was inducted into National Honor Society where she held the title of secretary as a senior.

Additionally, during her junior and senior years, Kennell was a member of Association of Business Students and Mu Alpha Theta, a mathematics honor society. As a senior, Kennell was treasurer for Mu Alpha Theta.

She was also involved in Spanish Honor Society as a senior.

Westosha Central business teacher Melissa Bahnson, who had Kennell in three classes, said she showed strong leadership skills inside the classroom.

“Rylee is a very poised and mature young lady. She is very responsible and organized and I would have to say her strongest quality is her assertiveness,” said Bahnson. “She thrives in projects and often puts in great amounts of detail above and beyond my requirements.”

Kennell, meanwhile, was also a three-year letter-winner for the Lake Geneva Badger co-op swim team and played one year of soccer.

While she excelled academically, Kennell remained committed to enriching the lives of others, including four years with Peer Helpers.

Outside of school, Kennell remained active at First Christian Church in Kenosha, volunteering her time with children and attending a mission trip to Puerto Rico in 2016.

Kennell credits her mother for helping her get engaged in children’s lives.

The mission trip, according to Kennell, was offered through her youth group.

“One night, they brought it up, saying they were going to Puerto Rico,” said Kennell, who believed it was her calling.

“If I had the opportunity to go to Puerto Rico and help other in a less fortunate situation, I felt I should take that,” she said.

In Puerto Rico, she and other participating church members conducted a vacation bible school, and offered a wide array of activities to bolster their social skills.

“We showed them games and gave them all bibles,” said Kennell, who helped teach children English.

Locally, Kennell babysat for families, contributing anywhere from four to 12 hours per week.

Kennell, when asked what has compelled her to dedicate time to children’s lives, said they often cling to her.

“I am super-energetic and super-outgoing and I think that is what the kids like about me,” she said. “I have a family that I babysit for all the time, and the kids – somehow – they stick to me.”

Along with babysitting, Kennell works at Harbor Shores in Lake Geneva, accounting for 20 hours per week during the school year and 40 throughout the summer.

Kennell believes her Harbor Shores experience has fostered personal growth.

Looking to the future, Kennell plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she will major in business with a focus on Finance and Investment Banking.

Kennell, as a freshman, initially sought a career as a doctor, but always showed an interest in stocks and bonds trends.

“At Central, with the business program, that really pushed me to the edge,” Kennell said. “When I first started school, I wanted to be a doctor.”

Kennell, who moved to Kenosha County from Kansas City before her freshman year at Westosha Central, has a younger sister, Layni, a sophomore.


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