JEFF FIELDER Editor
Jessica Kappen, a senior at Bayard High School, is Nspire Today!’s Female Student of the Month for March. She holds a 4.0 GPA and is in National Honor Society for the third straight year. Other school activities she’s involved in are show choir, choir, FFA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and volleyball. In choir, she’s been selected to multiple honor choirs, including the High Plains Honor Choir in Chadron and the UNK Honor Choir. In FFA, she’s qualified for the state competition in April in livestock judging and welding. She also advanced to state her junior year as part of the livestock judging team. In volleyball, she started all four years of high school, mostly as a middle hitter. Her performance helped her land a spot on the all-conference teams in both the WTC and MAC. Before this school year, she competed in track and field, and she went to state her freshman year in the 4×100 relay. She also used to participate in 4-H, showing sheep. After high school, she plans to continue her career in the Air Force, which she joined recently. She’ll participate in basic training this summer in Texas, and while in the military, she’ll study to eventually become a flight nurse. Her parents are Julie and Bill Kappen.
Q: Talk about how excited you are to have a 4.0 GPA at this stage of your high school career.
KAPPEN: “I’ve always been the type of kid who’s strived to get straight A’s in school. It’s really satisfying to know that I’ve been able to keep my grades high for so long. It makes me feel proud.”
Q: Coming into your freshman year, was one of your goals to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout high school?
KAPPEN: “Yes, it was. I’ve really liked school since I was really little. I wouldn’t say it’s always been super easy, but for the most part, I’ve never really struggled with school. I’ve had confidence in academics. I know I can hold myself up to a high standard.”
Q: Which academic achievement are you most proud of?
KAPPEN: “I’m really proud that I’ve been able to make the Principal’s Honor Roll every quarter and that I’ve gotten either the first- or second-highest GPA in my class every year. I’m also excited that I’ve been able to get the Citizenship Award every year.”
You can read the entire story in the March 2025 issue of Nspire Today! magazine. A one-year subscription (12 issues) is only $20. You may sign up for a subscription by sending $20 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363, or you may pay with a credit card by calling 308-220-8907.
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