North Platte Post
NORTH PLATTE, Neb - The North Platte Public Schools Foundation, in conjunction with the North Platte High School, announced the 2023 NPHS Distinguished Alumni Awards this week.
Kerry Ann Schultz-Battle (Class of 1994)
Kerry Anne Schultz-Battle graduated from North Platte High School in 1994. While attending college, Kerry was student body president, a member of Blue Key, Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, All-USA Academic Team, a Rhodes Scholar Finalist, a Truman Scholar Finalist, and an Oxford Service Learning Scholar. She graduated summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University as valedictorian with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science. Then she attended Western Michigan University’s Thomas M Cooley School of Law, and was selected to the Moot Court Board. She was a semi-finalist in the intra-school Moot Court where she earned an honor for best brief. After graduation, she served as law clerk for one year to the Honorable Paul Clulo in Midland, Michigan. She then became a member of the Florida Bar Association in 2002 and the founder of Schultz Law Group in 2020 in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Kerry is currently a member of many legal and real estate boards around Pensacola, Florida. She is a board member of Junior Achievement, Pensacola Little Theatre, Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County, a member of the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Gulf Breeze Rotary Club where she has served as District Governor, and The Starfish Project. Kerry was named 2009 and 2010 Rising Star Florida Super Lawyer, and 2018 Citizen of the Year by the Gulf Breeze Rotary. In 2020 she earned the Ethics in Business Award. Kerry is well known as a champion for compassionate and ethical representation, and for mentoring paralegals and young attorneys. She serves as a lecturer and contributor in seminars, and has participated in International Rotary service projects in Kenya, Africa for more than five years, assisting schools and orphanages. She was selected by Florida’s governor to serve on their Judicial Nominating Committee to select judges in their judicial circuit. Kerry is married to Paul Battle, who is a civil engineer, and they have a daughter, Ella.
Michael Grosse (Class of 1968)
Michael Grosse graduated from North Platte High School in 1968. After high school, Michael attended the University of Nebraska. For about ten years, he was in the health club business, starting clubs in Nebraska, Iowa and Ohio. After running health clubs, he started a hunting business in Colorado in 1979, International Adventures Unlimited. He has built this business into a world class hunting operation with clients traveling to Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Alaska, Canada, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Australia, Argentina, Mozambique, South Africa, and the former Soviet Union. His wife, Danielle, is his partner, and she takes spouses and hunters on various tours of the area where they are hunting. Mike is known for his integrity and successful breeding programs for big game trophy stags. Michael has won numerous Outfitter of the Year awards from 15 different Safari Club international chapters. Michael has planned and traveled with two medical mission trips for nursing students at Concordia University in Austin, TX, and worked at numerous clinics in South Africa doing spiritual counselling and health surveys in rural villages. He has supported the Lutheran Church in Botswana to create their own independent church body. He has served the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod for many years, both in his local church in Gunnison, and on national boards. Michael and Danielle, whose mothers were both teachers, have four children; daughter Joey is a traveling nurse, Jason is a retired firefighter, Justin works in the family business, and daughter Jordan is a NICU nurse. They will welcome their fifth grandchild in August.
Mindy (Stefka) Helfrich (Class of 1989)
Mindy (Stefka) Helfrich graduated from North Platte High School in 1989, while her husband, Rick graduated from NPHS in 1987. Mindy attended the University of Nebraska-Omaha and graduated in 1994 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. She has been employed with Vintage Financial Group in Omaha since 2011; first as an investment advisor, then as vice president and certified divorce financial analyst. In the past she was involved in Millard Public Schools PAYBAC Partner, Omaha Concordia High School Baseball, and Nebraska Gold Gymnastics Academy. Currently, Mindy is a part of Women In Financial Services as founding board member and past president for the Nebraska state chapter, and national executive board treasurer. She received the Pearl Award twice and the Topaz Award three times in their Circle of Excellence honors. She has been on the Million Dollar Roundtable as both a member and Court of the Table She is also involved with Principal Financial Group National Female Advisor Network as a committee member, Miss Nebraska’s Outstanding Teen pageant volunteer, P.E.O. Chapter HX member and a past chapter president, 100 Women Who Care-Bennington founding steering committee member, Bennington Chamber of Commerce board member, and Gracehill Lutheran Church Launch Team member. Mindy recently received the 2022 Community Impact Award from Principal Financial Group. Mindy has become an advocate for women in financial services. Mindy and Rick have three children; Alex, Ashly, and Eli.
----------------------------------------------------
The North Platte Public Schools Foundation accepts nominations for Distinguished
Alumni all year long.
The Distinguished Alumni Event has a name change to Evening of Excellence and it will be held on Friday, July 28, from 6:00-8:30.
The Evening of Excellence Event will have a “Hollywood” theme to celebrate public education in North Platte and will be held at Venue 304.For more information on our Distinguished Alumni Program or ticket information, please contact the North Platte Public Schools foundation at (308) 696-3325 or visit our website nppsf.org.
Link for all information: https://www.nppsf.org/alumni/education-after-hours.html
Link for tickets https://apps.nppsf.org/upcoming-events?EV=149