Taylor Barnes
Girls’ Basketball (4 years), Volleyball (3 years), Student Council, NHS, Spanish Club, & Maroon Platoon
Taylor lives near Ogden with her mom and dad. She has an older sister, Kelsie, and an older brother, Nick. Her main hobby is hanging out with family and friends. Her greatest memory at SJO was last year during the 2018-2019 girls’ basketball season when Taylor was a junior. The team advanced to the IHSA Class 2A Girls’ Basketball State Tournament at Redbird Arena. The Spartans placed 3rd at state, which was a great accomplishment and a memory that Taylor will never forget. After high school, Taylor will be attending Illinois State University. She plans to major in exercise science. Her advice for future SJO students is to participate in everything and enjoy every day. Her favorite class at SJO was Geometry during her freshman year with Mr. Duval. Her favorite teachers through the years are Mrs. Kerner at SJO and Mrs. Howard at PVO. Congrats to Taylor on all of her accomplishments and best of luck to her in the future.
Kaylee Blackburn
Cheer (4 years), Drama Club (4 years), SADA, Student Council, We The People
Kaylee lives in St. Joseph with her family, and has six siblings: three brothers and three sisters. Her hobbies include writing poetry and short stories and hanging out with friends and family. Kaylee has many great memories of SJO. Over the years, she has enjoyed the overall atmosphere at all home football games with the Maroon Platoon. She is a big fan of Homecoming week and has really enjoyed participating in the Spartan Olympics. Also, Kaylee has really enjoyed post prom and will miss the opening show night for the spring musicals. After high school, Kaylee is going to attend Eastern Illinois University to study early childhood education. Her advice for future SJO students is to simply enjoy everything and to appreciate all of your teachers and friends. At SJO, her favorite classes over the years are American History, Advanced Civics, and Economics with Mr. Schacht; English with Mrs. Lindenmeyer; and Geometry with Mr. Duval. Her favorite teachers throughout the years have been Mr. Steele at St. Joseph Middle School and Mr. Schacht, Mr. Kieffer, and Mrs. Lindenmeyer at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Congrats to Kaylee on all of her accomplishments and best of luck to her in the future.
Emily Bigger
Volleyball (4 years), Maroon Platoon, NHS, FCA, Spanish Club, & AMP
Emily lives in St. Joseph with her mom, dad, and older sister, Kate. Her hobbies include hanging out with friends and traveling to many places. Her favorite memory at SJO was this past fall when the SJO varsity volleyball team traveled to Palos Heights to play in the IHSA Class 2A Volleyball Super-Sectional vs. Chicago Christian. SJO lost the first set but then won an unbelievable, gritty, hard-fought second set to swing the momentum over to SJO. In the 3rd set, Emily and the Spartans prevailed and advanced to the IHSA Class 2A State tournament at Redbird Arena. The Spartans took 3rd place in IHSA State, and Emily will never forget these moments. After high school, Emily plans to attend Parkland College and is undecided on her major. Her advice for future SJO students is to appreciate all of the little moments, and to participate in as many activities as you can. Her favorite classes at SJO were English with Mrs. Lindenmeyer and Physics with Mr. Glazier. Her favorite teachers over the years have been Mr. Risley at St. Joseph Middle School, and Mrs. Lindenmeyer and Mr. Schacht at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Congrats to Emily on all of her accomplishments and best of luck to her in the future.
