• Rural areas still offer opportunity

Levi Schrag is unconvinced that rural Kansas lacks opportunity for young people if they look for it. That’s because he’s found his own opportunity in a most unconventional field for a farm town: golf.

“I’m a big golfer,” said the Goessel High co-valedictorian, who has finished in the top 20 in state high school championship tournaments for the past three years and has done maintenance during summers at Hesston Golf Course.

With his dad retiring the family grain and livestock business to rent out their land, Levi had the freedom to think broadly about what to major in when he goes to Bethel College in the fall.

He chose to study sports management.

“I’m kind of hoping eventually to operate a golf course,” he said. A course not far from Goessel, he added.

Research papers were Levy’s favorite academic pursuit in high school.

“This could be in history; this could be in English; this could be in science,” he said. “I like researching something and figuring out more information and then putting that what I learned into my own words.”

Personable teachers, he said, were what made his Goessel education excellent. They made it easy to pay attention in class, engage, and take ownership of his education. Having teachers as sounding boards and supporters gives meaning to a saying Levy subscribes to: “You get what you put in.”

Alongside his high scoring academic work, Levy built a strong background in extra curriculars like band, choir, football, basketball, Scholars Bowl, musical theater,  and FFA, of which he served as president.

His graduation won’t be quite the end of his high school activity: He’s going to the state high school championship golf tournament at the end of the month.