At the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, De Soto High School gained a transfer student, senior Olivia Shurtleff.

After attending Mill Valley High School for three years, Shurtleff made the decision to be a Wildcat.

“I decided to transfer because I didn’t feel that I belonged at Mill Valley,” Shurtleff said. “I didn’t really enjoy going to school, but I met lifelong friends at DHS and they influenced my decision to transfer and have a great senior year.”

Although she looked forward to her transfer, the realization of her transfer began to sink in.

“I was excited for a new start, but after two or three days of school I realized how different everything was,” Shurtleff said. “It freaked me out. I barely even remember my first day because I was so worked up and worried.”

Coming into her senior year, Shurtleff decided to become more involved in school activities.

“I wanted to be involved in things because it’s my last year of high school,” Shurtleff said. “I didn’t want to give up being involved just because I transferred.”

Shurtleff joined the DHS cheer team, bringing with her many different tricks and stunts because of her involvement in the competition cheer team KC Cheer.

Shurtleff joined the team five years ago when she decided she was finished with her extremely successful karate career in which she placed second at the world championship team, touring with Team USA.

“I had been a gymnast when I was younger, and I decided to try something new. I’ve been with my team for the past five years,” Shurtleff said.

However, things began to become more difficult for Shurtleff three years ago when she dislocated her shoulder.

“The injury caused permanent nerve damage and tendinitis. I kept pushing the injury until it continued to progress to the point a staircase collapsed, causing bones to fracture around my shoulder,” Shurtleff said. “The injury never fully healed, so I went to multiple surgeons and they discovered I had a torn labrum, torn rotator cuff, sagging capsule, permanent nerve damage and tendinitis.”

This injury kept Shurtleff from competing with her team for nearly six months.

“It [the injury] didn’t only set me back, but my team as well, since cheerleading is a team sport,” Shurtleff said. “2016 was a very long year of recovery, but I’m making strides and coming back stronger.”

Shurtleff also joined De Soto Voce (pronounced vo-che), the audition choir from DHS led by vocal teacher Mindy Fry. She had also made the decision to participate in the theater program, just as she did at Mill Valley, receiving the role of Cha Cha DiGregorio in the school’s production of Grease.

Shurtleff is making her first, and last, year at DHS one for the scrapbooks.