Senior Spotlight: Graduating senior cultivated spirit and community at Whitefish High School

When it comes to school spirit, nobody outshines Anna Shestak.  

Her megawatt smile has been a fixture at practically every Whitefish High School event, from pep rallies to prom to playoff games. Glance into the student section at a Friday-night basketball game and she was there, dressed head-to-toe in green and gold. At school dances, she was the one pulling other students onto the floor, encouraging everyone to shed their embarrassment and groove to the beat. 

“My biggest thing is to make everyone feel included,” said Shestak. “I want high school to be fun again and break through this mindset of you’re too cool to dress up or to come to these games.” 

Her natural charisma and tenacious optimism made Shestak an easy choice for the student council’s first student spirit ambassador. The position, which was created at the end of last school year, required Shestak to plan pep rallies and encourage student participation at major school events, including homecoming and prom. 

Shestak said that student participation in many of those once-treasured events had dwindled following the pandemic. The ninth of 11 siblings, Shestak fondly recalled hearing cheers from Whitefish High School echoing downtown every Friday night. She wanted to build similar experiences and feelings of comradery among her classmates. 

“I just feel like high school is a big character development period in everyone’s life,” said Shestak, adding that the experience was “really what people put into it.” 

She graduates Saturday with the Class of 2026.  

Shestak baked cookies and cupcakes as incentives for students willing to commit a little more to the high school experience by dressing up for spirit week or playing a game during a pep rally. She negotiated with the school administration to reserve free gameday tickets for students with financial constraints and organized a new school spirit event, akin to homecoming week, to celebrate the often-overlooked winter basketball season. 

The latter was so successful, the athletic director approached Shestak after a cross-town game with Columbia Falls High School to personally thank her for reinvigorating interest in the sport. 

“I haven’t seen this many people in here since pre-Covid,” he told Shestak. 

For her part, Shestak said the biggest reward is seeing her classmates let down their guards and have fun together. 

“Just seeing school spirit slowly come back to Whitefish High School is such a cool thing,” she said. “I made it a little bit more fun this year, and I hope people can see what I did and continue to build it.”   

Shestak knows just how important that little bit of fun can be for students. As a freshman, she nearly dropped out of public school altogether after suffering a knee injury. The lingering pain and limited mobility dragged on Shestak, and she started to rack up school absences. 

“I think I went through a very low season,” she said. “I ended up just losing motivation for everything.” 

The turning point came when Shestak met with a school counselor to discuss switching to a home-schooling curriculum. 

“He basically said it would be sad to lose your spirit,” she recalled. “It made it so I wanted to come back.” 

The bounce back wasn’t immediate. The knee injury was slow to heal and quick to flare up, even after corrective surgery, and a sudden fainting spell during Shestak’s sophomore year jump-started another bout of medical tests. 

Shestak credited the staff at Whitefish High School for supporting her as she dealt with what often felt like a never-ending string of setbacks and helping her get her academic career back on track.  

In the future, Shestak hopes to inspire confidence in her own students as an elementary school teacher. While completing an informal internship with a teacher this school year, Shestak said she was often heartened to see her students tackle their own challenges and develop a sense of confidence and community. 

“Sometimes, when I was feeling down or unmotivated, I would walk into that classroom and all that would change,” said Shestak. “I do really find true happiness in seeing others succeed and grow.” 

Shestak was accepted to Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where she plans to pursue a degree in elementary education. 

Whitefish High School holds its graduation ceremony on June 6 at 1 p.m. at the high school.  

Commencement will proceed in the gym despite the demolition of the gym’s foyer due to construction. Guests will enter through the main gym entrance on the east side of the building.  

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or hsmalley@dailyinterlake.com. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.