Zoellner is February Youth Optimist at MHS
Nicole Zoellner has been named February Youth Optimist at Merrill High School. Mr. Shannon Murray nominated Nicole. “I have had the pleasure of knowing Nicole for most of her life and as the principal of MHS for the past four years,” Mr. Murray said. “Nicole’s quiet leadership, modesty, persistence, and positive attitude are great examples for other students. She is an outstanding student and teammate who works hard to make those around her better and takes the time to appreciate and enjoy the things she is involved in. I have watched Nicole participate in athletics over the years and have found her to be inspirational and a model of what high school sports and activities should be. Nicole has played different roles in various sports and activities; she was involved and always accepted her position, playing time, opportunities, and challenges with optimism and grace. Throughout the seasons and the years, Nicole showed up every day, worked hard, persevered, accepted her role, and maintained a positive attitude in all that she did. She was a great teammate and a pleasure to be around. As she worked her way through high school and continued to work hard, her roles began to change to a much more prominent position in each of her activities and, by the time she was a senior, she had worked her way into key roles in each of her activities. She was a starter on many of her teams. In these new roles, her approach never changed, and she continued to remain an outstanding team player, a modest leader, and a positive representative of her teams and our school.”
Mr. Murray also said, “At any point along her journey, like so many kids, Nicole could have hung it up in any of her sports and activities because she wasn’t the ‘star,’ getting playing time, etc,, but she never did. She stayed involved in sports and activities, and by the end of her senior year, will be one of a very, very small number of three-sport athletes at MHS. I wish I had 50 Nicole Zoellners in our activities programs. Nicole has also maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout high school while taking some very challenging classes and participating in numerous clubs and activities at MHS. She has had a rich high school experience and exemplifies what a great outlook, positive attitude, perspective, and patience can mean to a person’s success. Nicole Zoellner, in my opinion, represents what the Optimists stand for and the Optimists Creed as well as any student I have known.”
During her high school years, Nicole has participated in volleyball (Most Improved Award), basketball (Team Award), Softball, Earth Club, Link Crew (Leader), National Honor Society, Raise Your Voice, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Voice of Democracy (5th Place), and Athlete of the Week and has received six Varsity Athletic Letters and semesters on the highest honors honor roll.
When not in school, Nicole has volunteered with her Church Youth Group, Make A Difference Day, Church Mutual Christmas Party, and Basketball Tournaments for fifth through eighth graders.
Following graduation, Nicole will be attending the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse and will be studying Nuclear Medicine Technology. She is the daughter of Penny Zoellner.