Boyceville High School 2016 salutitorian, Peyton Hellmann

by Laura Giammattei

BOYCEVILLE — Peyton Hellmann has been involved in a number of extracurricular activities throughout her high school career, including dance, softball, Science Olympiad and FCCLA, but it was the drama club where she discovered a passion she didn’t know she had.

“When I first started in drama my sophomore year,” she recalled, “the production wasn’t very large, the cast was small and I had a very small part. By the time I was a senior, I was part of one of our largest shows with a lead role! It was so great to be part of something that started out small and turned into something big in such a short amount of time.”

Peyton Hellmann is the salutatorian for the Boyceville High School Class of 2016.

She is the daughter of John and Bethany Hellmannn.

Peyton says earning the title of salutatorian is a huge accomplishment and a lot of hard work and dedication that paid off.

“As I looked at the other students in my grade, I saw that many of them value furthering their education as much as I do, which made this even more of an accomplishment,” she said.

“My parents had a large influence on my success. They have always had high expectations for me and doing my absolute best in everything I do is very important to me.”

Peyton says the drama club was the one extracurricular activity that directly affected her personality and ability to speak in front of others.

“Drama has been a great way for me to express myself,” she said. “It really became my safe haven throughout high school. It helped relieve my stress when other extracurriculars may have added to it.”

“My favorite memory with drama club was when we reached our record of tickets sold for my last show ever here at Boyceville. It was then that I felt incredibly grateful to be part of something so special and that people in our community and surrounding areas came to watch and also be a part of.”

In regards to academics, Peyton’s favorite subjects are Social Studies and History.

“I really enjoy learning about history,” she said. “Especially American history and significant wars like the Civil War and World Wars I and II.”

Peyton’s plans for the summer include working at Fleet Farm and a trip to Norway.

“We had an exchange student from Norway here last year and my friend and I will be staying with her in Norway for two weeks,” she said, excitedly. “I am really looking forward to exploring a new country and learning more about the culture.”

When she returns from Norway, Peyton will prepare to attend the University of Minnesota.

“I initially wanted to go to a college far away, but after several discussions with my parents and how far they were willing to let me go, we toured the University of Minnesota and instantly fell in love with both the school and campus.”

“My parents and I felt I would receive the best education at the University of Minnesota,” Peyton said. “And the environment that the campus has is like a city inside of a city. Everything you could potentially need is there or very close to campus.”

“I had also applied and been accepted to NDSU and St. Catherine’s University, but felt the University of Minnesota was the best choice for me.”