SJO Senior Spotlights with Kolton Batty and Taylor Barnes

Clubs & Activities Soccer (4 years) Maroon Platoon

Batty was one of four seniors on this year's St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team. His dribbling and passing game was top shelf.

He said his most memorable season with the Spartan soccer program was when his JV soccer team went undefeated during his freshman year.

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~ Advice to new students ~

Enjoy the small things and to live every moment like it is your last.

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After high school, Kolton plans to attend Parkland College. He is going to major in aviation.

His favorite all-time teachers at SJO are Mr. Robert Glazier, who taught his freshman Physical Science class. Batty says it was his favorite class in high school. His other favorite instructor in high school is Mrs. Alisyn Franzen.

Kolton lives in St. Joseph with his mom, dad, and two brothers, Dylan and Titus. Batty's main hobby is hanging out with friends.

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Taylor Barnes

Clubs & Activities Girls’ Basketball (4 years) Volleyball (3 years), Student Council NHS, Spanish Club, Maroon Platoon

Like many of her classmates in the class of 2020, senior Taylor Barnes says her main hobby is hanging out with family and friends.

She lives near Ogden with her mother and father. She has two older siblings, a sister, Kelsie, and her brother, Nick.

Barnes' most memorable moment in high school was during the 2018-2019 girls’ basketball season. A little more than 14 months ago, she and a talented team of SJO athletes advanced to the IHSA Class 2A Girls’ Basketball State Tournament at Redbird Arena.

Then a junior, she played six minutes both games against Teutopolis and Hillsboro and was credit with a rebound in each. She finished the season with 52 points and 40 rebounds to help the Spartans to third-place state finish.

She said it was a great accomplishment that she will never forget.

The four-year basketball veteran was also a member of this season's sectional semifinal team that finished with 20 wins against 11 loses. She drained a game-high 18 points against Monticello back in January in a game where head coach Kevin Taylor said his senior "put it all together" playing exceptionally well on both ends of the court.

After high school Barnes will pursue a four-year degree at Illinois State University. There, she plans to major in exercise science.

Her advice for future SJO students is to "participate in everything and enjoy every day."

Her favorite teachers through the years are Mrs. Jeanna Kerner at St. Joseph-Ogden and Mrs. Howard at PVO. She said her favorite class at during high school was Geometry her freshman year with Mr. Kiel Duval.

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Text provided by St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Photos by Clark Brooks