St. Joseph-Ogden Senior Spotlight: Samantha Gonzales, Jenna Schaefer, Mason McLain and Erin Bridgewater

Samantha Gonzales

Marching Band (4 years)

Samantha lives in St. Joseph with her family. She has one older sister. Her hobbies include playing the flute and being around animals. Samantha’s greatest memories at SJO revolve around the SJO Marching Band. During her senior year, Samantha remembers the SJO Marching Band finishing in 3rd place at the University of Illinois Marching Band Competition. This is a memory that Samantha will never forget. After high school, Samantha will attend Eastern Illinois University to double major in music performance and criminology. Her advice for future SJO students is to participate in extracurricular events and to get your schoolwork done. Samantha’s favorite classes at SJO were Band and Chemistry. Throughout her years of schooling, Samantha’s favorite teachers include Mr. Dassow and Mrs. Mabry at St. Joseph Middle School and Mr. Simondsen and Mrs. Lindenmeyer at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Congrats to Samantha on all of her accomplishments and best of luck to her in the future.  

Jenna Schaefer

Band (4 years), Drama Club, Scholastic Bowl, Rube Goldberg Team, NHS, Spanish Club, We The People

Jenna lives in St. Joseph with her family. She has one younger sister. Her hobbies include hiking, traveling, watching TV, and hanging out with family and friends. Jenna has many great memories at SJO. Over the years, she has enjoyed everything about the SJO Marching Band. During her junior year, she enjoyed being a part of the musical and post prom as well. After high school, Jenna will attend the University of Illinois to major in environmental economics and policy. Her advice for future SJO students is to get involved, be a part of all of the offered activities, and be nice to all of your teachers. Jenna’s favorite classes at SJO were Spanish, Economics, Intro to Social Studies, PE, Algebra II, and Geography. Throughout her years of school, Jenna’s favorite teachers include Mrs. Kirk at St. Joseph Grade School; Mrs. Jeffers at St. Joseph Middle School; and Mr. Schacht, Mr. Kieffer, Senor Sutton, Senora Nelson, and Mr. Simondsen at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Congrats to Jenna on all of her accomplishments and best of luck to her in the future.  

Mason McLain

Baseball (4 years), Maroon Platoon, Spanish Club

Mason lives in St. Joseph with his family. He has one older sister. His hobbies include playing video games and hanging out with friends. Mason’s greatest memory at SJO was his junior baseball season. The Spartans had a great year last year, and he was excited to play baseball again this spring. He knows the SJO baseball team could have really done something this spring. After high school, Mason will attend the University of Illinois and will major in kinesiology. His advice for future SJO students is to not take anything for granted and to enjoy all four years of high school. Mason’s favorite classes at SJO were Civics with Mr. Schacht and Geography with Mr. Kieffer. Throughout his years of school, Mason’s favorite teachers include Mr. Dunker at St. Joseph Grade School, Mr. Risley at St. Joseph Middle School, and Mr. Schacht and Mrs. Rash at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Congrats to Mason on all of his accomplishments and best of luck to him in the future.  

Erin Bridgewater

Band (4 years), We The People, Drama Club,  Art Club

Erin lives in St. Joseph with her family. Her hobbies include playing video games and learning Japanese. Erin’s greatest memories at SJO center around her experience in the SJO Marching Band. During her senior year, Erin and the SJO Marching Band earned a 3rd place finish or higher in each of their six marching band competitions. This was a great achievement that Erin was a huge part of. After high school, Erin will attend Eastern Illinois University to major in computer information technology. Her advice for future SJO students is to take your classes seriously and to do all of your homework. Her favorite classes at SJO were Band all four years of high school, Horticulture with Mrs. Duitsman, and all of her science classes. Throughout her years of schooling, her favorite teachers include Mrs. Fitzsimmons at St. Joseph Grade School, Mrs. Jeffers at St. Joseph Middle School, and she has enjoyed all of her teachers at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Congrats to Erin on all of her accomplishments and best of luck to her in the future.