Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Zoe Opperman and Carsen Perry entered their sophomore year last week as the Freshman Boy and Girl of the Year at Sweet Home High School for 2018-19.
Opperman, 15, is the daughter of Mark and Robin Opperman. Perry, 15, is the son of Mindy and Darren Perry. Opperman has one sister, Noelle, 8; and Perry has one brother, Easten, 12.
“I was kind of shocked and appalled,” Perry said when he learned he had won the award, announced at the end of the last school year. “There were a lot of other cool, talented students who were part of it. I feel very honored and blessed to have staff members pick me. It’s a really cool feeling.”
“It’s hard to describe,” Opperman said. “I did not see that coming.”
She was new to the school district last year, she said. “To be recognized – that’s kind of incredible. I’m honored and kind of blown away.”
Opperman has a hard time naming a favorite teacher, she said. “I think most all of them are pretty good. At the moment (her favorite subject) is Spanish because our teacher (Heidi Thorstad) is really fun. She uses music, which is my language.
“I love school. It gives me an opportunity to have relationships with people, to get to know them, eventually maybe help them in the future.”
Perry’s father was a math teacher at SHHS last year. He’s moved on to Oak Heights, where he is dean of students. Carsen Perry said his father might be his favorite teacher, but he hasn’t had a class with him. In any case, that’s who helps Perry with his homework.
Perry said he enjoyed physical science with Harrison Neal last year.
“He was very enthusiastic with high energy,” Perry said. He always took the class out of the classroom to do labs, “which was fun. Science is probably my favorite.”
After high school, “I’d like to be an animator in the drawing department,” Perry said. He would like to draw for TV and the movies, and he is enrolled in Drawing I this year.
He plans to go to college after high school, Perry said. “I was thinking about Disney College.”
“I don’t know, specifically,” Opperman said about life after high school. “I’d like to do something ministry-related.”
She will likely go to college at Northwest University in Kirkland, Wash.
Her father is pastor at Hope Church, Opperman said. She has gone to church her whole life, and in the past year, she has become really interested in doing something in the ministry.
The toughest part of high school, Opperman said, is “being compared to people and comparing yourself to people. Every time you see someone being better, you want to be like them or look like them.”
But “there’s no one else like you,” Opperman said. “I’m trying really hard to break that.”
Perry said his challenge is “the competition.”
“You just have students going against each other in the sense of grades and athleticism.”
He responds, he said, by just doing the best he can.
In his spare time, “I like skiing.” He’s involved in the Sweet Home High School Ski Club, which visits Hoodoo regularly each week to ski from January through March.
He also enjoys and plays football and golf. He is the junior varsity starting center.
Opperman is a member of the volleyball JV2 team.
“I love to make music whenever I have time,” Opperman said. “I love to play piano and singing. Make a joyful noise.”
She doesn’t really listen to much music, she said. She just enjoys making it and is taking choir this year. She didn’t take it last year, but she was a member of the cast of the musical “Shrek.”
Opperman also enjoys photography and goes out with her camera any time she can. She entered three different photos in her church’s state network’s fine arts festival.