Saturday, June 21, 2025
Celsie Stein has been named the Concordia Junior/Senior High School (CJSHS) Student of the Month for May.
An engaging young lady with a big smile and even bigger laugh, Celsie is the daughter of Mike and Christie Stein.
Celsie only began attending CJSHS in her junior year. Before that, she was a student at Southern Cloud High School. "I was there until the school shut down, and I was definitely nervous about coming here," Celsie said. "I was used to just a few kids in class, so to me, it seemed like there were a lot of students here. But now I'm so glad I transferred. I've made so many friends and met so many wonderful people."
At CJSHS, Celsie carried a 3.5 GPA and participated in volleyball, basketball, and softball. "Sports were probably the biggest difference about coming here," she said. "At Southern Cloud, I was a starter. When I came here, I wasn't. There's just so much more athleticism here. But I still got to play. This was my first year trying softball. Before that, I always went out for track. It was fun."
When she has spare time Celsie likes to read, go on long walks, hang out with friends and family, and work with children. And she really likes driving a combine during harvest.
"I've been driving a combine since I was 12," she said. "I've broken things a few times. One time early on, I broke something, and I told my brother-in-law, not my dad. I was worried that I'd break it worse. Then, another time, I broke the header. I was cutting out a terrace, and the header just stopped. Turns out I'd been bulldozing into the ground. My dad definitely found out about that, and I didn't think he'd let me keep driving a combine. But he eventually forgave me."
Celsie plans to attend Emporia State University to obtain a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She would like to come back to Concordia to teach at the elementary school and inspire young children. "I really love the work; love the kids. They're so funny sometimes. I did work studies; you never know what these kids are going to say!" she said with a laugh. "One time, I had a fifth grader tell me I was wearing too much makeup! Another time I had to pick a booger off a kid's nose. I just love being with kids that age."
Celsie's interest in being a teacher and working with kids was influenced by her older sister, Sarah Collins, a teacher at the Concordia Middle School. "I've known since fifth grade that this is what I wanted to do. But seeing Sarah teach really brought it home for me."
When asked if her sister has the same sense of humor, Celsie grinned and said, "Yeah, she's funny. But I'm funnier."
Attending Emporia State University will mark the first time that Celsie has lived away from home. "I'm definitely nervous, but I think my dad is worse than me. But my friend Kenlee (Williams) is going to Emporia, too. We're going to be roommates at the dorm, so that makes things a lot better."
When Celsie looks to the future, she sees herself back in Concordia teaching at the elementary school. "Yep, I plan on coming right back here as soon as I can to teach. I'd like to live on a farm, have a few dogs, and hopefully, my dad will still let me drive the combine. That's the plan. Of course, you don't know what the future holds, so we'll see."
Celsie wanted to thank her parents and her sister Sarah and all the friends she's made in Concordia. "It's really been good here - just wonderful. I'm going to miss it here but, like I said, I hope to be back in a few years."
Congratulations to Celsie Stein, the CJSHS Student of the Month for May.
