Nineteen Ottumwa High School seniors will wear a silver cord during graduation on Sunday, May 29. Silver Cord recipients volunteered at least 200 hours during their four years in high school. As a group, the 2016 recipients volunteered 4,644 hours.
A few students went beyond 200 hours. Mark Bowler volunteered 319 hours. Most of those activities included time performing with the IHCC jazz band. Two students, Cindy Barker and Mikala Roberts, volunteered over 400 hours each. Barker did free babysitting for a single mom to help her get through nursing school. Roberts has done mission trips with her church.
Two other students also did mission trips to earn Silver Cord hours. Kristen Webster took a trip to Cambodia during her 2015 spring break. Volunteers spent time working with children in schools. Madison Bishop took two mission trips--to Puerto Rico her freshman year and to Joplin, MO where church volunteers assisted residents after the tornado in 2014.
Hannah Lien noted that she did lots of little things to earn her hours, including Interact Club and her church.
Most of the group agreed that they would volunteer regardless of earning the right to wear a silver cord. “I would have done it anyway,” said Kristen McFarland. She spent every early out volunteering at Head Start preschool. She also volunteered with Rotary Club and helped Indian Hills host Lego League each year.
The 2016 Silver Cord recipients include: Gelber Argueta, Cindy Barker, Madison Bishop, Mark Bowler, Danaica Brown, Parker Dains, James Gardner, Chelsea Gates, Jack Hardie, Lindsey Howard, Emily Johnson, and Morgan Kirby. Also Hannah Lien, Kristen McFarland, Bailey O’Brien, Mikala Roberts, Noah Rogers, Kristen Webster, and Rachel Zingg.
