The 2025 Hall of Fame Alumni ceremony was held at 10:30 a.m. today in the PAC in front of the high school student body. It is the 18th annual year of this ceremony.
The first award presented was the Fine Arts Award, given to Renae Meyer Vande Wegge (MVHS ’96). She was nominated by Babs Moore. She has a Bachelor’s in Vocal Arts, and she is a middle school choir director in Michigan. Her teachers play a huge role in her life and decisions; she dedicates all of her work to them.
The Service Award. was given to Dennis Jordan (MVHS ’87). He was nominated by Andrew Morf. Jordan has a Bachelor of Arts from Kirkwood Community College and a Master’s in Business. During his early years at Mount Vernon High School, he was in the Band and Jazz Band. He loves giving his talent to the local community. Something he would tell the younger generation is “Don’t worry about figuring it all out now, your path will build itself.”
The Community Impact award was given to Dave Ryan (MVHS ’85). He was nominated by John Rife and former superintendent Dr. Greg Batenhorst. Ryan is the Mount Vernon Bank’s president and CEO. He is the father of nine children, one being a senior at MVHS, Mikey Ryan. Ryan loves to be a classroom speaker and a local sports commentator. He holds multiple records for wrestling, football, and softball. Toward the end of his speech, he said, “Good things happen when you swing at the bat.”
The Achievement Award was presented to Derek Oakley (MVHS ’92). He was nominated by Teresa Patterson. Oakley is an Air Force Colonel who has 28 years of service in the Air Force, and he has 3400 flight hours. He also taught 12,000 current Air Force pilots. In his early days, he was in the National Honor Society in High School, he was also a KCRG Athlete of the week, in his junior year for track. One thing he would tell the younger generation is, “Your decisions make a foundation of who you’ll be.”
The final award presented was the Athletics Award. This award was given to Nikki Nelson Pauli (MVHS ’98). She was nominated by former elementary teacher Bill Thomson. In high school, she was in Softball, Volleyball, Basketball, but her main sport was Track. She was the 1998 Gazette Athlete of the Year, and she was in the US Olympic trials. At the end of her speech, she said, “The most important accolades you get in life are the people.”
These are the newest inductees of the MVHS Alumni Hall of Fame.
