Sean C. Morgan
Caroline Amendola, Krystal Juza and Cheryl Wilson are the 2011 Sweet Home High School valedictorians, each carrying a 4.0 GPA throughout high school.
Carissa Swanson is salutatorian. She carries a 3.98 GPA.
Amendola is the daughter of Mark and Linda Amendola.
She plans to attend Gonzaga University. After that, she hopes to attend medical school to become a doctor.
Amendola ran varsity track and cross country and was a member of the National Honor Society. She received awards for outstanding achievement in biology and American history. She ran with the Portland to Coast team for three years.
Amendola was a member of the symphonic choir and active in her youth group as a student leader. She volunteers at the Safe Haven animal shelter.
Juza is the daughter of Daniel and Lori Juza.
She plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to study therapeutic recreation.
Juza lettered three times in the symphonic choir and four years on the dance team.
She was a member of the National Honor Society; the Key Club, four years; and Book Club, three years.
Wilson is the daughter of Marvin Wilson and Jan Hufford. She is the granddaughter of Tom and Mardy Hufford.
She plans to enter pre-med in the degree partnership program with Oregon State University and Linn-Benton Community College.
Wilson has been active in the Key Club, Forestry Club, Book Club, Spanish Club, water polo, swimming, drama, the Youth Watershed Council and the symphonic choir from 2008 to 2010.
She was the 2011 state Jill in technical and overall forestry. She was swim team captain in 2009. She was selected to attend the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Seminar in 2009 and as a Girls State representative in 2010. She was a member of the National Honor Society.
Swanson is the daughter of Scott and Miriam Swanson.
She plans to attend Biola University in Southern California and earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing. She hopes to specialize in pediatric nursing and someday work at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
“I also hope to travel to a third-world country and volunteer my nursing skills to help those people there,” Swanson said.
A four-year participant in track and field, she served as captain for two years. She has earned numerous team awards and the Val-Co Coaches Award, 2010. She earned three letters but has yet to finish the 2011 season.
She was 2010 district champion in the 1,500. She was second-team all league for two years in the 3,000. She was second-team all-league one year in the 1,500. She placed sixth in the state championships in the 1,500 and 3,000 in 2010.
She has been active keeping varsity and junior varsity wrestling stats, the Amnesty International Club, Book Club, concert band, jazz band, the symphonic choir and the Portland to Coast Relay as a participant and team captain.
She was SHHS Junior First Citizen and a Linn County Junior First Citizen nominee. She was a counselor at Foster Outdoor School, a member of the leadership class and the freshman, junior and senior class boards.
Wilson and Juza grew up in Sweet Home, while Swanson moved to Sweet Home as a sixth-grader from Southern California and Amendola moved here in the eighth grade from Montana.
They attribute their successes to the closeness of their school, Wilson said.
“The teachers know us,” Amendola said, adding that she would definitely not have done as well without her parents.
They like much the same thing about Sweet Home.
“I like that it’s so close with the neighbors,” Wilson said. “It’s my home. I don’t think I’ll call any place else home.”
“I’m glad I moved to Oregon,” Swanson said. “I love the beauty surrounding Sweet Home.”
She had just been talking to Amendola about that, she said. “You can’t beat the beauty,” except maybe in Montana.
Juza has grown up working with animals and raising cattle, she said. “It’s the one thing I’m going to miss when I move.”