JEFF FIELDER Editor
SCOTTSBLUFF – Anna Harveson, a senior at Scottsbluff High School, is this week’s Nspire Today! Female Student of the Week, sponsored by First State Bank. This past school year she was involved in band, choir, musical, speech, show choir, Educator’s Rising, Tri-M, and National Honor Society. Her GPA is 4.0. Outside of school, she’s been involved in the youth group at First Presbyterian Church in Scottsbluff, and she also participates in Theatre West during the summer. In addition, she teaches voice lessons at her house. She recently was awarded the Jane & Chet Fliesbach Scholarship and the Class of 1966 Scholarship from the Oregon Trail Community Foundation. Harveson plans to go to school at Doane University in Crete to study music education (instrumental and vocal) for pre-K through 12th grade. Her parents are Tammy and Bob Harveson.
Q: Talk about how your senior year went at Scottsbluff High School.
HARVESON: “It went pretty well up until the last quarter (due to COVID-19). All my activities were going well. It was fun.”
Q: Did this school year seem a lot different to you because you were a senior?
HARVESON: “I felt like I did more with leadership things this year than I’ve done in previous years. I felt like I stepped up more as a leader because I felt like there was nobody to push me down and say I was too young to try to be a leader.”
Q: How does if feel to be done with high school?
HARVESON: “It doesn’t feel a lot different yet. I think once we, hopefully, do something for graduation, it will feel more like I’m done. Right now, though, it just feels like I’m going to be going back to the high school this fall.”
Q: How disappointing was it not to be able to go to school the last couple months because of COVID-19?
HARVESON: “It was pretty disappointing, but when school got shut down, I was at the point where I was so busy, so it was nice to get a little break. But then when I realized we weren’t going back to school at all, I was devastated about some of the “lasts” that I didn’t get to have. That was hard.”
Q: Out of all the activities you were involved with at school, which one did you enjoy the most?
HARVESON: “I really liked musical because it helped me come out of my shell. When I was younger, it was always a dream of mine to be a lead in a show, and I got to do that. I’ve learned so much, and I’ve made so many close friendships [in musical]. And it’s opened a lot of doors for me. That’s part of the reason I want to be a music teacher.”
Q: When did you start getting involved in dancing and singing?
HARVESON: “I started dancing when I was 7 or 8 years old, and I’ve always loved singing. My mom has videos of me singing as a 4 year old in my living room. I started taking lessons my sophomore year.”
Q: What musical instrument do you play?
HARVESON: “I play the piano, and I play the trumpet in band. I started piano when I was 6 or 7, and I started band in fifth grade.”
Q: Why did you pick the piano and the trumpet?
HARVESON: “Well, my mom made me do piano because that’s what she’s loved doing since she was a little kid. As for the trumpet, with the way [Bluffs Middle School band teacher Michael Koch] does it, he has you pick out three instruments, and then you try all three out. Then you’ll go have a meeting with him, and whichever instrument works best for you is the one you’ll play. So, the trumpet is the one that worked best for me.”
Q: Have you enjoyed playing the trumpet?
HARVESON: “Yes, I liked it. Band is the activity that got me really involved in high school. I loved it, and I wanted to do more things. So, it kind of broke me out of my shell because I used to be really shy.”
Q: Will you continue to play the piano and trumpet at Doane?
HARVESON: “Yes. I’ll have to do piano for my major, but I’m also planning to be in the band and choir.”
Q: What’s another one or two activities that you really enjoyed at school?
HARVESON: “I really liked speech. I wanted to do it my sophomore year, but I was really nervous about it because it was kind of out of my comfort zone. But my friend and I decided to do an event together, and it ended up working out really well for us because this year we won our division at Western Conference. It was cool to be duet partners for three years and then experience that win together. It was cool, too, because I got comfortable speaking in front of people, and it really helped my acting as well.”
Q: What’s your top memory from high school?
HARVESON: “I remember when I got the lead last year in the musical. I knew I was in the running for it, but I was not expecting to get it. So, finding that out was crazy. Getting to work on my acting really helped me a lot. It was a lot of fun. It was probably my best moment of high school.”
Q: During your educational career, which teacher do you feel made the biggest influence on you?
HARVESON: “Probably Mr. [Brad] Ronne, my choir director. I had him all four years of high school, and he really tries to make a connection with every student. He was always pushing me and helping me along the way. He always believed in me and supported me. If I had crazy ideas for things, he would let me go with it. He knows I want to be a music teacher, so he’s given me so many opportunities to practice doing it. He’s been more than just a teacher to me. He’s been a good mentor as well.”
Q: You have a 4.0 GPA. Talk about how important grades are to you.
HARVESON: “I’ve always been told that school is really important and that I needed to always try my best in school. It’s been really important to me because if you don’t get good grades, you won’t be able to participate in your activities. So, that was always a really big motivator for me.”
Q: For you, what was the key to achieving excellence in the classroom?
HARVESON: “Staying organized, paying attention in class, and getting help from my teachers.”
Q: Why did you pick Doane?
HARVESON: “When I went there, the faculty was so inviting, and all the students on campus acted like they wanted me there, and they talked to me. At the other campuses, I just didn’t get that family-friendly feel. Also, the faculty at Doane was super nice, and they were constantly connecting with me through email or calls, asking how my college process was going. They were really good about recruitment. Then once I decided I wanted to go there, they were so excited for me.”
Q: What do you want to do for a career?
HARVESON: “I’m hoping to try to run a program [as a music teacher] similar to Scottsbluff’s vocal program. I would like to hep with the musical and direct the choir and show choir because I have a lot of dance and music experience. I think it would be fun to choreograph for the show choir and musical. That’s what I would really like to do – work with older kids.”
Q: Outside of your school activities, what do you like to do for fun?
HARVESON: “I like hanging out with my friends. That’s always relaxing and fun for me.”
Q: Do you work?
HARVESON: “Yes, I give voice lessons at my house. I have five students. They’ve been so much fun to work with. A lot of what I do is try to make them feel confident with using their voice and learning different styles of music.”
Q: What’s your favorite type of music?
HARVESON: “I grew up listening to older music, like from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. I also really like Broadway soundtracks.”
Q: Who is your favorite music artist?
HARVESON: “I really like The Beatles and Queen.”
Q: What is your favorite TV show?
HARVESON: “Friends.”
Q: Who do you think is one of the kindest students at Scottsbluff High School?
HARVESON: “Leesha Geary. She’s a junior. She’s always so sweet to everybody. She has such a bright personality, and she’s really nice.”
Q: What’s one thing you wish people would do more of?
HARVESON: “Just be nice to people because you never really know what someone is going through. There’s no point in being rude to people.”
Q: What do you think is the coolest attraction in the WyoBraska region?
HARVESON: “The Monument is really cool because it has historical stuff to it, and I really like history. My mom took us there a lot when we were younger, so I kind of got tired of it. But during the COVID-19 break, I’ve gone there a few times, and it’s been refreshing to see it again.”
Q: What is your favorite local restaurant?
HARVESON: “I would say the taco trucks in town. The people who work there are really nice, and their food is so good.”
Q: What are your three favorite apps on your cell phone?
HARVESON: “Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok.”
Q: Have you enjoyed growing up in the Scottsbluff area?
HARVESON: “Yes, I like it here. It’s not a super big city, but it’s not super small, either. There’s opportunities to be involved in a lot of different things here, and it’s a very community-based area.”
Q: Do you have any siblings?
HARVESON: “Yes, I have one sister, Abby. She’ll be a sophomore next school year.”
If you would like to nominate someone for Nspire Today!’s Students of the Week, sponsored by First State Bank, you may do so by sending an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com or by mailing a letter to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Nominations may also be submitted by sending a text to 308-220-8865.
In addition to being recognized online, students of the week will also be recognized in Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues) to the magazine, please send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. To pay with a credit card, please call 308-220-8865.
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