Senior girls attend 82th Annual Senior Tea
Good, better, best, never let it rest until your good gets better and your better gets best.
For 82 years, senior girls at Tippecanoe High School have gathered for the annual senior tea. This year’s tea was held on May 21 at Tipp Center with Tipp City’s Bittany Otto as the featured speaker.
President Nici McClurg of the Community Minded Women (CMW) welcomed the senior girls and their guests. “CMW is a group of like-minded women whose goal is to give back to our community. We sponsor events such as the Senior Tea and Safety City, senior scholarships, and donate time and money to other local community-based public service groups and organizations. Twice a year, CMW members put on their orange vests and do a roadside clean-up on the east end of 571 going into town.
The Senior Tea was started by the Civics Women's Club in 1944. CMW agreed to take over the tea in the 1990s.”
Broadway Elementary’s second-grade teacher, Angie Anderson, read Dr. Seuss’ words of wisdom from the book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”.
Tippecanoe High School grad, Class of 2001, and WHIO Radio News Director, Brittany Otto, was the guest speaker.
This is an excerpt from her speech:
“I am a self-proclaimed, a little bit of a nerd. In school, I was that kid who took the classes you didn’t have to actually take, and you didn’t get any extra credit for.” Brittany also admitted to taking Mr. McCray’s advanced chemistry class because he used to bake a turkey for the class. “It was a horrible decision because chemistry is really hard. I’m not a math or science person; I’m a literature person.
My senior year, there was a class called Career Mentorship. You could put feelers out into the world and decide what you wanted to do when you grew up. You would get set with an internship. I combined my two passions, sports and writing. I thought I was going to be on ESPN SportsCenter. Well, Tipp couldn’t get me an internship with ESPN, so instead, they set me up with KIT-TV (a local Tipp City channel) and WHIO radio.
It was fun to start working at the radio station. I could write, I had the opportunity to use my voice, and nobody could see me. So, I decided I was in love with radio.
This became my career. To this day, this is what I do. I am the news director for WHIO radio. I am the midday girl on K99.1 and use an ultra-ego, Nikki Montgomery.
So, with this internship, I got through high school, and I was asked to join the staff. I would work summers and then head to Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism in the fall. During the fall break, I would return to work at the station, go back to school, and then spend the summer working at the station. “
During Brittany’s sophomore year, she talked with her parents and transferred to Wright State University. But then, Brittany wondered why she was paying for her college when she was literally in this career. So, she left college and it appears this worked out for her.
“I was going to talk about you being a bold woman working with other women in the workforce because we do get pitted against each other. I was going to talk about speaking up for yourself. All of this was important, but I threw the speech away last night. I had something else that was tugging at me to talk about.
What I want to say is that there is one universal truth in the world, that is that we all live, we all die, and we will all be remembered for something. So what I would like for you to do when you go out into the world is to live your life for you and for your legacy.”
Being a huge Chicago Bears fan, Brittnay talked about the new coach, Ben Johnson. She shared what Johnson says to his team, and they scream back, “Good, better, best, never let it rest until your good gets better and your better gets best.”
Brittany also shared:
“I am a news anchor; terrible things happen in the world. I talk about it every day, and that, can wear on you. When I was young in my career, it took a toll on me. I realized I could do a couple of things. One, I could get jaded and just not believe in anyone anymore. Or I could choose to be better. Choose to spread love, spread joy in the world. Everything in life is a choice. Every move you make is truly up to you. So, make sure you choose wisely.
You are at a crossroads in your life. Many of you have huge plans in store. Keep in mind that plans are made to flex and adjust. You are the architect of your life.”
Brittany left everyone with a quote shared with her from a coworker:
“People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
This version is credited to Mother Teresa
CMW wanted to thank their members, Shelia Ingram, Brittany Otto, Angie Anderson, Janet Woodworth, J&L Wood Products, Broadway Elementary, LT Ball Intermediate, Stephanie Smith, The McClurg Family, and Tipp City FOE Auxiliary.
They were also very appreciative of The Tipp Center for generously allowing them to host the 82nd Annual Senior Tea at their venue.
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