If there’s one name everyone has heard around Millbrook High School, it’s Mackenzie Kurtz. From cheering on the sidelines during football games to being one of the most involved members of Millbrook’s best buds club, Mackenzie is loved by everyone. This year, as her time here at Millbrook comes to a close, Mackenzie has been chosen as one of the student/teacher-elected 16 Outstanding Seniors.
Around Millbrook, Mackenzie is best known for her place on the varsity cheer team, where she has cemented herself as an amazing leader and teammate. Mackenzie joined cheer in her freshman year and said that cheer has “absolutely” helped influence and shape her high school years. Mackenzie shares that the biggest lesson cheer has taught her throughout the years is to go out and try things for yourself without needing your friends’ influence and without caring about others’ opinions. She also shares that cheer has helped her to grow her confidence, try new things, and become more involved with school.
Mackenzie’s teammate and friend on varsity cheer, Lily Hoffman, shares her favorite memory with Mackenzie, which is sitting by the hotel pool braiding her hair when the cheer team was at Nationals this year. Hoffman also shares that the biggest impact she believes Mackenzie will leave is the kindness and energy she brings to the teams.
Outside of cheer, Mackenzie is also an active member and co-president of the Best Buds club here at Millbrook. And she is also part of an out of school non-profit called “Addis Jemari” that works closely with orphans in Ethiopia. The Best Buds club, at Millbrook, pairs students with and without disabilities for fun social activities. Best Buds also gives students a chance to gain friendships and earn community service. Mackenzie says Best Buds is her “favorite thing ever” and shares that it’s helped her meet so many new people.
Mackenzie also says that joining any club, whether it be Best Buds, a nonprofit outside of school, or one of the other various clubs we offer here at Millbrook, is “1000% worth it.” She notes that it’s one of the best ways to get out of your comfort zone and meet people who enjoy the same things you do. She adds that there’s not “a single bad thing about it” and it takes “like 10 minutes of your time.”
Outside of school clubs, Mackenzie also works a summer job at Saint Mark’s preschool, where she is able to lead and have a positive impact on the children there. She is also part of a religious organization, “Young Life.”
With all these accolades, Mackenzie certainly has her hands full. But even between the sports and all the clubs, she still manages to still stay engaged with her classes and keep her grades up. Mackenzie is a member of the NHS and has managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout! Her biggest tip for staying on top of everything is to start using a planner. She says she knows it sounds cliche but it’s the only thing that keeps her organized with everything she has going on.
The one thing that Mackenzie says has helped guide her and shape her high school experience the most has been her faith. She says that her faith has “gotten her through a lot” and she says that it is the reason that she is so involved and does everything she does. She says her faith has helped her keep going and realize that everything she’s doing is worth it, even if she’s only making an impact on one person.
After high school, Mackenzie has big plans for the future. While she hasn’t yet committed to a college and is still waiting for her acceptance letter to local colleges, she shares that wherever she decides to go, she’s planning to major in elementary education. She also mentioned that her biggest goal for the future is to continue to “be the light to other people,” even if she makes a small impact. She says just knowing that she can be the one form of comfort in someone’s life is really meaningful to her.
Needless to say, Mackenzie Kurtz is the perfect example of a dedicated, hard-working, and kind student. She has been extremely successful in her time here at Millbrook and has clearly made a lasting impact that everyone here will remember for years to come. Kurtz is so deserving of this award, and she has a bright future ahead of her!
