If attending any sort of school during this year has been a challenge, then being a senior has been nearly impossible. Seniors have had to face every possible bit of adversity that you can think of. From missing their first day of school to not being able to attend any school dances and worst of all, not being able to walk at graduation. Despite all these challenges, many of the seniors here at Capital have flourished, including Shane Kalb. 

Shane moved to Washington from Colorado in 4th grade. The move introduced Shane to adversity at a very young age, but thanks to his natural social skills and likable attitude, he had no problem with the adjustment. Learning to deal with adversity at a young age prepared him for high school, and especially this year. Shane plays soccer and tennis and has been a key contributor on varsity in both of these sports. He lost his junior soccer season to the pandemic, but did not let it deter him from having an excellent senior season at defender. Shane also excels in tennis where he played on varsity as just a sophomore and currently holds down the first doubles spot for Capital’s team this year, despite losing a season last year.  Having both of his seasons shortened this year, he shows that he can still thrive even in the most adverse conditions. 

Next year Shane will attend Montana State University, where he will study mechanical engineering on an ROTC scholarship. He says that he never felt like he was making too many sacrifices in order to obtain this scholarship, but if you knew him, you might disagree. The truth is Shane kept a 3.9 GPA throughout high school while balancing two sports, several IB classes, and a vibrant social life. His work ethic, especially through the pandemic, has been truly amazing and is a main reason why he was able to earn his scholarship. 

This year has been hard, especially for the class of 2021. A pandemic and online school is not anyone’s ideal way to spend a senior year, and that makes Shane Kalb that much more impressive. Shane has kept his plate full with sports and school throughout high school, and he is one of the hardest working, most polite individuals you will ever meet. His constant belief in himself and his ability to succeed at anything he does is what made him such a great student for Capital high school and why Montana State will be grateful to have such a great kid attending their university.