Mike Friedlein ('74), daughter Melanie Shattan and friend Dan Klett completed the North Carolina Mountains to Coast bike ride Oct. 7, 2023.The trio from Virginia joined 850 riders from 41 states and 5 countries on the week-long trek that covered over 450 miles from Banner Elk to Emerald Isle. On the road and many miles from Sterling, Friedlein was surprised to meet fellow Sterling alum Joe Gatz ('81).

Bari Reynolds '10 began her fifth school year as a counselor at Moline. She wed Ben Kuebel in November 2023.

Katarina Gvozdjak '14 became the co-owner of Ideal Printing and was promoted to Vice President of Operations. Katarina lives in Verona, Wis., with her fiancé, John.

Abigail McMillin '03 works as a second language (ESL) instructor at the University of Central Florida. She is married to her husband, Devin, and they have two children, Ford and Coda.

Dave Knickel '82 is currently the chief financial officer of Kainos Capital LP, a private investment firm focused on the food and consumer products and services sectors. Dave and his wife, Jennifer, are approaching their 30-year wedding anniversary. Dave and Jennifer have a daughter, Anna, and a son, Nathaniel.

Angela Minnick '11 recently earned her MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business and upon graduation accepted a role in Global Marketing at Eli Lilly & Company. In addition, Minnick ran the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in November 2023 in a time of 3:25, allowing her to qualify for the Boston Marathon in April 2024.

Doug Densmore '96 currently lives in Glen Ellyn with his wife, two kids, and dog. He works within the packaging industry with Shorr Packaging and has been traveling with his family to places such as Daytona Beach, Florida, South Haven, Michigan, and the Smoky Mountains.

Crystal (Hawkins) Carl '81 competed in the National Senior Games in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for Track and Field. Carl made it to finals in the hammer throw, finishing in seventh place.

John Carl '80 competed in the National Senior Games in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for Track and Field. Carl, competing in the men's 60-64 age division, won the shot put competition, finished third in the hammer throw and finished ninth in the discus throw.

Jeffrey J Carl '72 competed in the National Senior Games in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for Track and Field. Jeff, also competing in the men's 65-69 age division, finished seventh in the discus throw, eighth in the hammer throw and tenth in the shot put.

Abby Aitken '20 and the rest of the girls tennis team at Wooster College, Wooster, Ohio, tied for third place in the NCAC conference. This is the highest finish the Wooster girls’ tennis team had in two decades.

Danae Palmer '21 toured with the Carthage Treble Choir in Central Europe where choral students from Carthage College. The students visited the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia.

Nathaniel Stout '19 married Jillienne Roe in June 2023 and graduated from the United States Air Force Academy. He plans to go to graduate school this fall at the Air Force Institute of Technology and then to pilot training.

SHS Class of 1969
55th Class Reunion
'Save The Date!'

Saturday, July 13, 2024


It won't be a RE_NION without 'U'!

Four Sterling High School alumni, all influenced by the late coach Jay Rhodes, recently competed in the National Senior Games held in Pittsburgh PA. Crystal (Hawkins) Carl 81', her husband John Carl 80', Bill Astary 74' and Jeff Carl 72' competed in the Track and Field throwing events. Crystal, Sterling girl's shot put record holder for many years, competed in the women’s 60-64 age division, finished 10th in the shot put in an extremely tough field of many highly ranked world class throwers. She made the finals in the hammer throw, finishing in seventh place. She also competed in the discus throw and javelin. John, competing in men's 60-64 age division, won the shot put. Successfully defending his gold medal from the previous national games. He finished third in the hammer throw, earning the bronze medal. He also finished ninth in the discus throw and competed in the javelin throw. Bill, the current Sterling boy's discus throw record holder, competed in the men's 65-69 age division. In his first national games, he threw a senior personal best, to make the finals and finish eighth in the discus throw. He also competed in the shot put. Jeff, also competing in men's 65-69 age division finished seventh in discus throw, eighth in the hammer throw and tenth in the shot put. They are all looking forward to reuniting for the 2025 Senior Games in Des Moines, IA.

I wanted to share the majestic view of the Horseshoe Falls that Monica and I enjoyed recently during our visit.

Sue Britt, Morrison, was reelected to the Whiteside County Board in November 2022 for another four-year term. She was first elected to the board in 1992, making her the longest serving women on the county board. Sue, a democrat, is the only woman representing district three, a predominantly Republican district.

Kelly Carter Produced a feature film called "Road Hard" starring Adam Carolla.

Michael and Monica send greetings from Lake Placid in Upstate New York.
This photo displays the Fall colors at their peak on this perfect Saturday afternoon October 8th 2022,

Mike Friedlein '74, daughter Melanie Shattan and friend Dan Klett completed the 2022 North Carolina Mountains to Coast bicycle ride 3-7 October. The trio rode over 350 miles in five days from Tryon, NC to Holden Beach, NC. All three reside in Virginia.