JEFF FIELDER Editor
POTTER – Michaela Rotert, a senior at Potter-Dix High School, is this week’s First State Bank Female Student of the Week. She’s involved in track and field, speech, One Act, and cheerleading. She also participates in Just for Kix Dance in Sidney, youth group, Xtreme Faith Choir at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Sidney, and Girl Scouts. She has a 4.0 GPA. Her parents are Mike and Mel Rotert. She has one brother, Zach, who’s 13.
Q: Which activity is your favorite?
ROTERT: “It’s hard to pick, but I would say Just for Kix Dance and also cheerleading.”
Q: Why do you like those the best?
ROTERT: “I like them because I get to be active, I’m with a group of girls, and I get to perform.”
Q: How long have you been involved in dance?
ROTERT: “This is my sixth year.”
Q: How many kids are involved in cheerleading at Potter-Dix High School?
ROTERT: “We had seven on the team this year.”
Q: Is that a good number for the cheerleading team at Potter-Dix High School?
ROTERT: “Yes, it’s pretty good – maybe a little higher than normal.”
Q: How has being part of the Just for Kix Dance studio helped your dance skills?
ROTERT: “We’ve continued to learn new dance routines each year, and we have positive coaching.”
Q: Do you plan to continue cheerleading and dancing after high school?
ROTERT: “I don’t think so.”
Q: Where are you going to college?
ROTERT: “The University of South Dakota in Vermillion.”
Q: What do you plan to major in?
ROTERT: “Accounting.”
Q: How excited are you to start your college career?
ROTERT: “I’m really excited for college and all the new experiences I’ll have there, but I think I’ll miss high school, too.”
Q: What are your top memories from your educational career?
ROTERT: “I was inducted into the National Honor Society [her junior year] so that was pivotal because I had to maintain a certain GPA. Also, I took an accounting course last year, and I really enjoyed it, and that helped me decide what I want to pursue after high school.”
Q: What is it about accounting that you like?
ROTERT: “Just in general, I’m an organized person, so I like that it’s very organized and you know where the money is supposed to be. I’ve enjoyed doing the book work and the attention to details.”
Q: Why did you decide to go to the University of South Dakota?
ROTERT: “I went to an accounting camp last summer there, and I really enjoyed it. The campus was super nice. All of the professors that we met were very helpful. I just had a great experience there, and my mom is also an alumni from there, so that helped me to become more familiar with the school.”
Q: What do you see yourself doing in 10 years, and where do you hope to be living in 10 years?
ROTERT: “I would like to have my CPA license, and I would like to be working at a public accounting firm. As far as where I would like to live, I would like to be close to a beach.”
Q: Have you lived in Potter your whole life?
ROTERT: “No. I was born in Denver, and we lived there for about four years, and then we moved to Mitchell, South Dakota, and then I started kindergarten in Potter.”
Q: Have you enjoyed growing up in Potter?
ROTERT: “Yes, I have really enjoyed this small-town experience and having the opportunity to try all the activities in high school instead of just one or two activities.”
Q: How would you describe the community of Potter?
ROTERT: “I would say it’s very close and centered around keeping the community going. We have small-town values.”
Q: What’s the coolest place in Potter?
ROTERT: “We have the Sundry, which is home of the Tin Roof Sundae.”
Q: Is that where you and your classmates like to hang out?
ROTERT: “Yes, like after school on Fridays especially. Lots of kids will go down there and get ice cream or get French fries and chicken strips.”
Q: What do you like to order there?
ROTERT: “I like the Tin Roof Sundaes. They’re pretty good.”
Q: Which teacher has influenced you the most?
ROTERT: “There are a number of teachers who have influenced me. I don’t think I could pick just one.”
Q: Name one person who you feel is a big difference-maker in the Potter-Dix community.
ROTERT: “I would say Claire Smith. She was a speech coach, and she was a school board member as well. She’s been a mentor, and she volunteers a lot of her time for different organizations.”
NOTE: Area high school students named Athlete of the Week or Student of the Week will be included in the upcoming issue of Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues), please send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 60363, or call 308-220-8865. If you would like to increase your subscription to $20, Nspire Today! will donate the extra $5 this month to the Golden Halo Foundation, which helps area children with long-term disabilities. Nspire Today!, a locally owned and operated business based out of Scottsbluff, focuses on positive, feel-good and inspiring content on people in the Panhandle and eastern Wyoming.
First State Bank has been a community bank for more than 80 years with locations in Scottsbluff, Gering and Colorado Springs. First State Bank’s new mortgage center has the convenience of applying online without giving up the personalized customer service people have come to expect. Visit www.fsbcentral.com to find out why when First State Bank says, ‘We’re Big on You,’ they mean it. Find First State Bank on Facebook at firststatebank1935.
