Andrea Johnson/MDN Nedrose graduating seniors Kaylie Gruber and Sadler Huber are shown at the school.

Nedrose seniors Sadler Huber and Kaylie Gruber said they have benefited from a close-knit class and supportive teachers during their time at the small, rural Minot school.

They and their classmates will graduate from the school at 2 p.m. May 22.

“I really enjoy the community that we have at this school,” said Huber, who has attended the school since he was in kindergarten. “Everyone’s always here for each other.”

Gruber, who has attended Nedrose since she was in the fourth grade, said everyone has always been kind.

Students at Nedrose have the advantage of attending a small school but still living in proximity to a larger town like Minot. Gruber said she would not have been comfortable at Minot High.

“I don’t think I could handle that many kids,” said Gruber.

A small school also gives students more opportunities to play in sports or take part in other extracurriculars than they might have at a larger school, said Huber.

Gruber said her plans are not nearly as solid as Huber’s, but she plans to attend Minot State University in the fall, take general courses and maybe pursue a degree in business.

Huber has decided that college is not for him right now.

“This summer I’m taking a taxidermy course and then next fall I plan on opening up my own taxidermy business,” said Huber.

Huber, a lifelong hunter, said some of his teachers and classmates have said they would give him their business and would like to support him in his endeavors.

“I wanted to do something that was outdoorsy and I kind of figured that (being a) professional hunting guide wouldn’t really be good if I don’t own any land,” Huber explained. “So, taxidermy was my next option.”

He plans to take a class offered by Dave’s School of Taxidermy in Newburg but said people can also learn on their own from books and other sites.

“I’m looking forward to doing birds mostly, just because I’ve always thought birds were cool,” said Huber. “There’s a bunch of different ways to mount them.”

Eventually, he said, he might also take college courses online.

Gruber said she and a cousin who is the same age plan to have a joint graduation party in Minnesota.

For now, both Huber and Gruber are looking forward to the end of their high school careers and toward their graduation and the start of the next phase of their lives.