The following is the third part of a three-part series of stories about the evolution of a Sheboygan South student. From the opening of South High School to now, many things have changed—the Vietnam War began and ended, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, the Panama Canal was opened, technology exploded, and America elected their first African American president. However, many things have stayed the same. Students are still plagued by the same pressures—homework, athletics, career paths, and many more still cause students stress. The purpose of this three-part series is to explore the similarities and differences of each generation of Redwings and Redmen from the opening of South High to the present.

From the early 2000s to the present, current Redwings and their older siblings attended Sheboygan South High School. During this time, Bill Clinton (1993-2001), George W. Bush (2001-2009), and Barack Obama (2009-2017) held the office of the President, and President-Elect Donald Trump will be sworn in soon. The Euro entered circulation in Europe (2002) and Wikipedia (2001), Facebook (2004), YouTube (2005), Twitter (2006), the iPhone (2007), Instagram (2010), and Snapchat (2011) were all launched. As the world entered the digital age, a new population of students filled South’s halls. They battled many of the same struggles as the previous generations of students, but they had new ways to deal with their stressors.

“The resources available to a high school student exploring postsecondary options are leaps and bounds ahead of anything I had in high school,” stated Mr. Kevin Heling, “and I know myself and my fellow counselors stress this a lot, but Career Cruising and the Internet in general can really be used to your advantage.” Career Cruising and other online resources can help students decide on their postsecondary goals and aspirations, as proven by recent data.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Data Dashboard, of the graduating class of 2006, 71.1% went on to enroll in some form of postsecondary information. Though this dropped to 57.1% of the Class of 2015, this doesn’t mean that students were less motivated to go onto college, they simply had better access to resources that helped them make a decision about their lives during and after high school, like Senior Jared Govek had.

“I used Career Cruising to pick my high school classes,” said Govek. “Career Cruising helped me pick classes based on my interests instead of fitting into a mold.”

As South has tried to help their students more with the exploration of their postsecondary options, they have developed different ways for students to test out their strengths and weaknesses.

One such program South has implemented is the Youth Apprenticeship (YA) Program through LTC. Ms. Erin Gamb, Class of 2016, explained the program’s impact on her,

“Moving from high school to college with my YA experience, I find that I am eager and excited to continue my education because the positive work experience reassures me about my decision to go into health care.” Gamb worked as a CNA at Aurora Clinic during her senior year, while simultaneously going to her high school classes. Another student benefiting from the YA program is current Senior Evan Opgenorth,

“I work at Nemak as a maintenance worker which has allowed me to gain lots of hands-on learning,” Opgenorth stated, “When I ‘grow up’ I want to be an engineer, and working at Nemak allows me to be out on a factory floor and interact with, first-hand, what engineers draw up.”

An aspect of high school that, besides the effects of Title IX, seems to remain unchanging–athletics.

“[Participating in sports] makes me feel like I’m more involved within my school and I’m getting more out of the four years I have at South. I make new friends while getting to do the things I’ve always loved to do,” Junior Ashley Weimann exclaimed, “You get less time to do homework at night, but that’s the baggage that comes with being a student athlete and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

While young women have been empowered to be involved in athletics, go to college, and go after their dream job, having a family shortly after graduation has been shunned. Though the female graduates of South’s first few years were encouraged to be the wife, the mother, or the secretary, the female graduates of today are encouraged to reach for the stars–to be scientists, doctors, or political figures. Today, the idea of having a family before a woman’s career is established has become taboo, and stay-at-home-moms are judged for their choice instead of expected to be home.

In a legacy spanning almost 60 years, Sheboygan South High School has churned out hundreds of graduates over three generations. Though these generations graduated at very different times, they went through many of the same struggles; academic performance, a social life, postsecondary decisions. It is important to remember that no matter how different these three generations may be, they are all linked by their mutual struggles and triumphs of being Red(men)wings.