Class of 2016: Sam Benkelman has a way with words

Sam Benkelman’s hero is Dr. Seuss.

“I love the way he writes — the bouncy rhyme and meter,” he said. “I grew up reading him, but as I got older I realized his books have a greater meaning.”

The Whitefish High School senior points to his favorite Dr. Seuss book — The Lorax — as an example of how Seuss penned a children’s story with an underlying message addressing economic and environmental issues without being dull. The American writer and illustrator was known to express his views through the use of satire, wordplay and nonsense words.

“I love him because he wrote in a way that was fun for children, but also meaningful for any age,” Benkelman said.

Benkelman will graduate next month with the class of 2016 and plans to attend Harvard University where he is looking at studying computer science, engineering, or maybe pre-law.

His high school resume — two pages deep — proves he’s been busy the last four years participating in a multitude of extra-curricular activities while earning a 4.0 GPA. While he admits he might not have always gotten a full night’s sleep, he says every activity has been worthwhile and he’s loved every minute of it.

He’s participated in Montana Model United Nations, National Honor Society, the Montana High School Business Challenge, served in student government, played on the varsity boys soccer team, placed in DECA marketing competitions, sang with the high school premier vocal ensemble, earned awards at the high school state thespian festival, plays several musical instruments, is a member of the Feat By Feet tap company, and has held numerous roles in high school and professional theater productions. He’s also volunteered in the community, assisted as a camp counselor at Camp Marshall and served as choral leader at All Saints’ Episcopal Church.

“I love Whitefish High School,” Benkelman said. “I have a ton of opportunities here that I might not have at a larger school. I try to take advantage of that.”

Benkelman is also a four-time Montana State Class A champion in speech and debate. Speaking competitively, he says, is where his heart lies.

“Speech and debate is my favorite,” Benkelman said. “It’s so rewarding — it taught me to be a better public speaker, but also some of my closest friends have come from that.”

He earned a state championship in the memorized public address category this year with his performance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Benkelman admits when his coach suggested it he was uncertain about taking on such an iconic and historical speech.

“It was a daunting task,” he said. “But the angle we took was not only that it was a historical speech, but also the analysis of my speech is about how it’s timeless. He says we shouldn’t judge others by the color of their skin, but today that can apply to the nation of your birth or your religion. It was important to place that analysis on it or otherwise it was just a speech.”

Whether it is giving a speech or portraying a character in the theater, Benkelman said he enjoys being able to get an important point across or tell an important story through performance. Even for someone who is often in front of an audience, Benkelman said competing in speech and debate still taught him to push outside his comfort zone.

“I learned to take a risk and put my neck out there,” he said. “It taught me that there is a lot of value in being able to be outgoing and put yourself out there.”