Everyone Has a Story 2017-2018

As the sun rises each morning, a small team of rowers from the Y Quad Cities Rowing Club is already practicing on the Mississippi River. Sophomore Taylor English has been a part of the rowing team based out of Moline, Illinois for over two years, and in that short time she already has quite a few accomplishments under her belt. Not only has she won several regional championship races, English also...

When thinking back to the sophomore year, most can recall being carefree and content, but for Bailey Sorensen, a sophomore at Pleasant Valley High School, she has her future set to a T. Although she is undecided on which college, Sorensen is planning, after high school, to study to become a neonatal nurse. After graduating from a 4-year college, she intends to join the Peace Corps. To prepare, she...

Corea Conner is an African American freshman at Pleasant Valley High School. She’s been going to Pleasant Valley for a while now. At age two, Conner was adopted by a white family and has been living with them ever since.“I think if I was asked what the most interesting thing about me is, being adopted to a white family would definitely be it”. “I consider them my real parents and love them very much”. C...

Though many see him as the guy with the strong political views, John McGrath is more than that. McGrath is an offensive lineman for the Pleasant Valley Football team. He is truly passionate about the sport and cares about his fellow teammates and friends. “I have had the privilege to play with some of the greatest friends, brothers and teammates I could ever ask for,” says McGrath. Outsi...

Kellen Hornbuckle, also known as Kell, is a new to the scene this year as a Freshman at Pleasant Valley High School. Born in Davenport, Hornbuckle has lived in the area his entire life. Although he has not been at the High School for long, he states that so far, his year has been “Pretty good and better than the Junior High for sure.” His goal for this school year is to work hard to get good grades. He...

While many people may not know her, Lauren Steinhart has a story to share. Steinhart is a sophomore this year who loves being at Pleasant Valley! She has two older brothers, Tyler and Devon. Tyler is studying at Kirkwood Community College and Devon is studying at Iowa State University. Steinhart enjoys her classes in math and childhood development, but her favorite teacher is Madam L. “Madame ...

Maya Johnson was born in Waterloo, Iowa on January 21st, 2002. From there, she moved to Waukee and then in the fifth grade, to Bettendorf. She is currently a Sophomore at Pleasant Valley High School and is fifteen years old. She lives with her younger brother Sam and little sister Quinn. Sam is twelve years old and and an athlete who enjoys baseball and basketball. Quinn, the youngest Johnson, is five...

Although this student had to say goodbye to his wrestling career due to a broken back, his story is still something worth sharing. Logan Volkert is a senior here at Pleasant Valley. He is from Honolulu, Hawaii and has moved five times. Volkert entered the Pleasant Valley district at the start of eighth grade, and has enjoyed his time spent in Iowa. He especially enjoys, what he calls, the “super...

Pleasant Valley High School has had many students roam its halls, and as time passes, more and more  students join the ever growing community. One student who has recently joined, Rosemary Jones, or more commonly known as Rose, moved here her sophomore year and continues to attend PV now as a junior. She, like many students at PV, are part of a family that are constantly on the move. “ My dad...

Co-founder of the Pleasant Valley Cricket team and physics enthusiast Mukul Nair has been in the Pleasant Valley district since fourth grade, attending a total of four different elementary schools. Prior to transferring to PV, the senior had gone to two different elementary schools in his hometown of Moline. Since then, Nair has participated in several different activities and discovered and deepened...

Grant Tebbe was born in North Carolina on June 22nd, 2003. He is currently a freshman at Pleasant Valley High School and is 14 years old. As a ninth grader, Tebbe is involved in cross country, track, and basketball at the high school. He enjoys sports because of all the great people surrounding him. His favorite subject in school is math because he enjoys problem solving. Problem solving is an essential...

Rachel Hunt is a Pleasant Valley Senior this year. She is very passionate about anything art related, whether its drawing, painting, or sculpting, but painting is her favorite. It’s a given that Mrs. Peter’s AP art class is her favorite. This reason for this is, “because I can be creative and work on my artwork, and Mrs. Peters is my favorite teacher.” She enjoys all aspects of art and her dream ...

Pleasant Valley is well known for both academic and athletic success, having a large quantity of impressive student athletes. One student who embodies this title is sophomore Noel Pearson who is a member of PV Platinum, the school’s dance team. Outside of dance, Pearson is also a motivated student. When questioned about her favorite aspect of Pleasant Valley, Pearson concluded that the class choice...

Among many others , Pleasant Valley’s drama club is known for its excellent productions and talented cast and crew. One of its members is Olivia Bohren, a sophomore who has been in the school district since Kindergarten. While the school puts on many large scale productions, Bohren especially enjoys participating in the children’s shows. “I just really enjoy interacting with the children” she says. ...

Rachel Schwarz is a freshman who is loving her high school experience so far. Rachel is involved in drama, choir and she has been singing since 6th grade. She did makeup for Little Red Riding hood children's show with the drama department. “I love the whole drama community. They’re all really nice and accepting.” Though she has not been in any of the shows, she plans on expanding her involvem...

Pleasant Valley senior Emma Elceser will be attending the University of Iowa where she plans to major in therapeutic recreation with minors is Spanish and Psychology. With her education, Elceser plans to pursue a career as an occupational therapist. Looking back on her four years of high school, Elceser has plenty of happy memories and lasting relationships that she will cherish moving forward. ...

For most students at PV, the coming of spring primarily marks the beginning of warm weather and sunny days dressed in shorts. For others, however, spring signifies the start of their sport. Track season has just begun at PV, and for Holyn Doran, a rising sophomore, this season will be her first chance to run competitively in months. Last fall Holyn ran for PV’s cross country on the fresh/s...

  Brendon Hillis, or Hilly, is a freshman at Pleasant Valley High School. He moved to the district in seventh grade. Before attending PV, he lived in Dewitt. Hillis is the oldest of three siblings. He has a brother named Carver and a sister. Brendon enjoys playing sports and video games with his friends. Baseball is a tremendous part of Brendon’s life. He has been playing baseball pr...