Kiernan Baker Selected Youth Rotarian of the Month by Seward Rotary Club
Launch the media gallery 1 playerSHS Senior, Kiernan Baker was selected the Youth Rotarian of the Month by the Seward Rotary Club and was honored and recognized at the recent Seward Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday, March 20that noon at the Jones Bank Auditorium in Seward. He is the son of Noelle and Brett Baker of Seward. He was introduced and presented with a packet of Seward and the Seward Rotary Club, a Rotary Club banner and a Book Scholarship.
Kiernan is a musician and a scholar! He has always been on the SHS Honor Roll every semester and completed two Advance Placement Classes (AP), and has taken four dual credit classes for college credit. Kiernan was certified with a Microsoft Word Certification in 2015.
Kiernan has been involved with the SHS Marching Band, the SHS Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Pep Band, Percussion Ensemble, and received numerous District Music Superior ratings in a variety of competitions. He was recently selected to be part of the Colts DCI Marching Group and will compete throughout the summer. He was selected for the UNK Honor Band, Doane University Honor Band, Conference Honor Band and Concordia University Musical Arts Day! He was in the All Star Shrine Marching Band. He has received a Varsity Letter for the last three years in band.
Kiernan has been involved with a lead role in all four of the SHS Musicals during his high school career and was selected to be a member of the SHS Show Choir (Swing Choir) all four years of high school- as a dance captain and involved in a host of SHS Choir activities in the SHS Select Choir. He served as a summer Show Choir camp counselor and a member all four years of the Seward Concordia University Summer Chamber Choir.
He is an active member of the SHS FFA program, competing at the District Competition level in various leadership contests.
He was selected to represent SHS at Boys State as a junior and was also selected to be an Ambassador for Seward High. He holds membership in the SHS Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and competed in competitions at the State Conference in Omaha. He is a leader in the SHS Key Club and involved in a host of their activities, such as the annual Multi-Cultural Fair, coordinating a “hat’ fundraiser for Paradise Schools after their massive fire and coordinated a fund raiser for Key Club, raising almost $400 for the cause.
Kiernan was elected the Class President of his class in 2015 and was selected to be a Sophomore Pilgrim, representing SHS at the State Capitol. He was a member of the SHS Award winning Quiz Bowl and participated in the Nebraska State Fair Education Division in Poetry, Essay and Quiz Bowl.
He was honored as an Elks Club “Most Valuable Student in the Area of Music and attended the youth leadership program at “Youth Salute Youth Leadership in 2018. Kiernan has received numerous P.R I.D.E. Awards for his dedication and leadership at SHS.
He has totally enjoyed his golf team experience at SHs and has been a member of the SHS Men’s Golf Team since his sophomore year.
His current position is a lead worker at the local Seward Dairy Queen, however he also has sold Runza’s at all of the recent UNL football games, worked in the fields for Syngenta at a pollinator and was employed also by Jim Spahr. He enjoyed job shadowing and internships with Tommy Krueger-Band instructor at Westside, Ms. Alexandria Krejci at Hudl in Marketing and with Mr. Tom Thalls at the Seward US Cellualar.
His “Service above Self” volunteer service category includes numerous activities, many based on his memberships in the local SHS Key Club and FFA Chapter, collecting food, raising funds and hosting activities-such as the annual UNICEF fund drive. He also volunteered many hours of service promoting SHS and the School District of Seward, representing SHS at many activities, he spent many hours in volunteer service through his numerous musical performances and as the SHS Swing Choir Dance captain, he spent many hours of work, coordinating the numerous dance routines for the SHS Swing Choir. He worked many hours in volunteer service at the various SHs concession stands for a variety of events over the last four years. Kiernan also is a volunteer tutor after school and spent many hours as a volunteer with roadside clean-up since 2017, as well as working with the Great Plains Trails network. He has been involved as a volunteer in several political campaigns and canvased the community for various political candidates and campaigns.
Kiernan’s college plan has not pinpointed a school as yet but he plans to major in instrumental music and eventually become a high school music instructor.
Kiernan will be recognized again at the annual SHS Honors night in May, where one of the monthly Youth Rotarians will be named Youth Rotarian of the Year, based on scholarship, leadership and service. One Youth Rotarian of the Month is selected every month of the school year with applications available at the SHS Counselor’s office.