Brent Clark will speak on behalf of the other 81 Iola High School seniors who will be graduated in Sunday afternoon’s 2 o’clock ceremonies.
The honor came about by default, he said, with a hint of a smile. “I was the only who signed up to speak.”
Talk to him a few minutes and it’s obvious that Brent is a straight-forward lad who understands responsibility and likely was the natural choice for class speaker.
What he will tell classmates and family and friends packing the gym is being held in abeyance, much like a state secret.
Brent likes it that way. He likes spontaneity.
That he will address the crowd would be a surprise to those who knew Brent well when he was young.
“He was shy and quiet, wouldn’t talk to anyone he didn’t know, but would talk the leg off anyone in the family,” said his mother, Cheri Clark.
If she were alive today, no one would be prouder than his grandmother, Mary Clark.
“When he was around grandma Mary he would talk all the time,” Cheri said. “Once she had a T-shirt made for him. It said: ‘Help, I’m Jabbering and I Can’t Shut Up.'”
To say he came out of his shell in his teens would be understatement, Mom added, recalling how he was a ringleader of IHS faithful who dressed outrageously to cheer on the school’s sports teams.
LATE THIS summer Brent will start his first year at Pittsburg State University, enrolled in business management – and with a leg up.
He completed 15 hours of college-level courses through dual credit classes with Allen Community College, which will have him start full-time post-secondary education as a second semester freshman.
“It’s exciting to have the basics out of the way,” Brent said.
What he will do once he has earned a college degree is a mystery today.
“It (business management) is a broad category” and will give him an opportunity to open many vocational doors, Brent allowed. He would a prefer smaller setting once he starts his work-a-day life, Brent added, noting having grown up in Iola where it is possible to have many friends and know most everyone.
Picking a favorite teacher from his four years of high school would be difficult, Brent said, but he found Dianne Kauth “a lot of fun” as Student Council advisor. He was a stuco member four years and its president this year. Also, he said Kim Bruner, his math instructor, brought the discipline to life.
Brent wrestled in high school and ran cross country one year and intends to get involved in recreational sports at Pitt State, partly as “a way to meet people. I want to have fun in the social aspects of college.”
He also understands it is important to give back to the community. Brent spent time in summer workshops and leadership camps that helped him appreciate and aid programs such as Big Brother Big Sisters and Special Olympics, and intends to have a role in civic affairs wherever he settles.
His parents are Doug and Cheri Clark. He has a sister, Michelle, who will be graduated from ACC today, and a brother, Bryan, who is a graduate of Kansas State University.
