ELLSWORTH – The Ellsworth High School Class of 2023 plans to leave its mark on the world, as apparent by its motto “Go forth and set the world on fire,” by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Superintendent Barry Cain began the commencement ceremony Friday, May 26 with the remark that students these days are different than even a decade ago. After going through constant changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, students had to learn to be more flexible than ever.

“They’re willing to take chances for their future that many earlier generations were not willing to take,” Cain said. “They are willing to do what it takes to live lives we can continue to be proud of.”

Suki Mitchell, president of the Ellsworth Community School District Foundation, announced EHS social studies teacher Ryan Casper as the 2023 Teacher of the Year. He received a plaque and $1,000 for the honor.

“Throughout his 25-year tenure at EHS, Mr. Casper has not only been an exceptional educator, but also a mentor who establishes meaningful connections with each student,” Mitchell said. “By combining factual knowledge with personal life experiences, he creates a dynamic learning environment.”

Casper began teaching at EHS in 1997 with a personal desire to better the school and community, Mitchell said. His four decades in the military also gave him a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with his students.

Casper said he was hired by Chuck Bechel and Mark Stoesz after student teaching at Eau Claire North for one year. He had also just recently been completed his second deployment to Germany for a Kosovo mission.

“Little did I know at that time that would be my path for the next 26 years,” Casper said.

The school and community supported him through four more deployments to the Middle East, making it impossible to separate his military and teaching careers.

“I’ve been labeled as a storyteller,” Casper said. “I took my experiences around the world to share with them.”

Casper grew up in Brackett, a small rural community like Ellsworth.

“There’s something to be said for small-town country values,” Casper said. “We don’t want these kids to forget that they can go out and make a difference. I had no idea as a high school graduate that I would spend my life in the military and 26 years teaching.”

Casper spoke about being an ambassador around the world for Ellsworth. Four times the district raised funds, allowing him to deliver school supplies to schools in Iraq and Afghanistan. He called the support from the community, Cain, Stoesz and fellow teacher Anne Pechacek “a blessing.”

Casper and his students gained national attention when they collected $13,000 to purchase school supplies for Afghan refugees living at Fort McCoy in 2021. Lt. Casper, the 7212^th Medical Support Unit Commander, received an Army Achievement medal, while Pechacek, Stoesz and students involved received coins. 

Casper and EHS students also raised more than $5,000 last year for Ukrainian charities after war broke out between Ukraine and Russia in February 2022.

“That’s been the pattern, as you can see,” Casper said. “I’ve had the opportunity and pleasure to combine my military and civilian life. This community has allowed me to do that. And I’ll forever be appreciative. I’ll be forever linked with this class as we both go out the door.”

Student speeches

Salutatorian RaeAnna Smith joked that, like many things, she waited until the last minute to write her speech, titled “Unpredictable.” She spoke of all the hard moments the class has faced together.

“Time works in a crazy way,” Smith said. “Nothing ever goes exactly how we plan it to. Nothing like the coming-of-age movies. We make friends we never thought we would. You can’t possibly expect the unexpected, but you can be prepared.

Lucas Kirchner, the voice behind the livestream broadcasts of We Are Ellsworth, encouraged his classmates to take the lessons they learned within school walls and apply them to their lives. Life is about perspective, he said. If you have a good attitude, you’ll have a good life.

The memories made weren’t all in the classroom. He laughed as he described Carson Nugent blindfolded in the gym during a pep fest, shaking his backside, completely unaware that he was in front of the whole school.

“For some reason, this small, odd moment stuck with me,” Kirchner said.

Nothing in life is promised, he warned. He spoke of the losses the class has felt, of family members, friends and classmate Maggie Brown, who died in 2014 of cancer at age 9.

“We are not invincible, no matter what we want to believe,” Kirchner said.

His education has given him the courage to chase his dreams in a competitive field: Sports broadcasting.

“I want to leave a legacy in which I chased what I desired rather than giving up,” Kirchner said. “Every day is a chance to be relentless in the pursuit of happiness.”

Valedictorian Holly Hufnagle joked that the class motto “Go forth and set the world on fire” shouldn’t be taken literally, since that would be arson.

However, the class can take the world by storm with its varied and diverse skillset, she said. The Class of 2023 was part of three Middle Border Conference champion football teams, one of which made it all the way to state. Forensics, school plays, musical accomplishments, track records, the seniors did it all and did it well.

She shared a favorite memory of Clive Brookshaw having the whole school look for his missing ham freshman year, only to discover it was never in the school in the first place.

Last but not least, the Class of 2023 performed 10,013 hours of community service.