The Mineral Point Kiwanis Club honored its April Students of the Month at its meeting Tuesday, April 7.
The students, who are members of the Senior class, are selected for this honor through a voting process by staff at the high school, and their biographies are written by themselves.
Cole Ripp
Cole is the youngest child of Michelle and Roger Ripp. He has three older sisters: Amanda, Jackie, and Mackenzie. He was born in Dodgeville in 2007.
Cole has attended the Mineral Point Unified School District his whole life. He has made it on the Honor Roll or High Honor Roll every semester. Cole was also involved in 4-H where he displayed woodworking at the Iowa County Fair.
Cole is a three-sport athlete and plays football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he is a two year letter winner and also earned Academic All-State his Senior year. He also received Dodgeville Chronicle All-Area his Senior year. In basketball, he is a two time letter winner and was also two time Academic All-State. During his Junior year, the team was Conference Champions, Regional Champions, Sectional Champions, and were State Qualifiers. In baseball, Cole was a two time letter winner, and is getting ready for his Senior season.
In his free time, Cole likes to farm, fish, golf, and spend time with friends and family. After Cole graduates, he plans to go into the trades and become a plumber.
Cole would like to thank his family, friends, and teachers for all the support. He gives a special thanks to his parents for all the support and motivation with athletics and academics. He would also like to thank Mr. Kyle Carey for teaching him about cabinetry and construction. Mr. Carey’s class has taught Cole a lot about tools and building. Mr. Carey’s class also helped Cole realize that he wanted to go into the trades. Cole would also like to congratulate his friend and classmate Thorin Vamstad on Student of the Month. Lastly, Cole would like to thank Kiwanis for the recognition and for organizing this lunch.
Thorin Vamstad
Thorin is the son of Brad and Jennie Vamstad and the younger brother of Bryce Vamstad. He was born in 2008 in Dodgeville.
He has attended the Mineral Point Unified School District his entire life and has taken advantage of many opportunities to get involved and learn new skills. This year, he was a member of Future Business Leaders of America, where he gained experience in leadership and business, further expanding his interests beyond the classroom.
Thorin is a three-sport athlete, competing in football, basketball, and track. He played baseball for three years before deciding to go out for track this year. In football, he is a two-year letter winner and earned Academic All-State his Senior year. He was also named Second Team All-Conference on both offense and defense and earned Dodgeville Chronicle All-Area First Team honors on both offense and defense. In basketball, he is a two-time letter winner and a two-time Academic All-State athlete. During his Junior year, his team achieved a successful season, winning Conference, Regional, and Sectional titles and qualifying for State.
Outside of school, Thorin enjoys spending time with friends and family. After graduation, he plans to attend UW-La Crosse and is currently undecided on his major.
He would like to thank his family, friends, and teachers for their continued support. He is especially grateful to his parents for always pushing him to do his best in both academics and athletics. He would also like to thank Mr. Tom Steger for sparking his interest in biology and making it a class he truly enjoys.
Thorin would like to congratulate Cole Ripp on being named Student of the Month. He is also thankful for the recognition from Kiwanis and appreciates the opportunity to be part of this lunch.