Students in Suzanne Bishop’s Advanced Placement Language Arts class wrote these profiles of the Class of 2026 graduating seniors.

Lukas Renner

By Ellen Barrett

Lukas Renner was born and raised in Homer and recently graduated from Homer High School. Lukas attended Fireweed Elementary where he discovered his love for nature through class camping trips. One thing he loves about Homer is the beautiful landscape.

He says, “There’s so much good scenery and wilderness and access to nature right within the city.” 

Lukas has left a positive, lasting impact on the community. Throughout the year he volunteers and works at the Pratt Museum. In the summer of 2024, Lukas took initiative to create a tour for the Harrington Cabin. To do this, he researched numerous sources, from books to interviewing people in Homer’s community. Not only does Lukas present this tour, he presents it in German when given the opportunity. Lukas is fluent in German, learning the language at home from his dad who was born and raised in Germany. 

When not at school or working, Lukas spends his time running, biking and skiing. At Homer High School, Lukas is a member of the cross-country running and nordic ski teams. After school he plans to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology and major in mathematics along with participating in several clubs.


Lukas says a book he thinks everyone should read is “The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter,” by Peter Singer.

“People don’t know enough about how we get our food. If we were more conscious about where our food comes from we could solve a lot of problems,” he said.

Marina Co

By Bella Loboy

Marina Co found a true sense of community within Homer after spending much of her childhood moving between a few different houses across town. Each neighborhood showed her something different about Homer, shaping the way she connects with people and the care she brings to those around her.


Her love for school began early when she would stay after class reading her short stories with teacher Krissy Post, who encouraged Marina’s curiosity and creativity. 

Later, that same curiosity helped Marina form close bonds with Homer High teachers Ms. Bishop and Ms. Borland. Through government and literature classes, she realized she was deeply interested in the intersection between politics and storytelling, how language can shape communities’ identities and democracy itself. 

“I grew up reading Greek mythology, the interplay of power and stories has always fascinated me,” she explained in a recent interview. “In a lot of ways, I think that stories and writing are powerful tools to explain and reflect on real world issues. In the future, I’d like to study both English and politics in order to use my own voice and writing to change the world for the better.” 

This fall, Marina will attend Yale University to study political science, English and economics.


On top of her classes, Marina also served as Homer High’s Student Council president, National Honors Society co-president, swim team member and a student reporter for KBBI AM890. Inspired by her parents’ background in film and art, she developed both a creative and academic side that defined her high school years, winning the Homer Council on the Arts 2026 Youth Artist of the Year for her work in visual art and film.

While highly accomplished, classmates often describe Marina by the way she celebrates others rather than her awards. As Student Council president she led with true thoughtfulness and sincerity making people feel included and heard. At graduation, May 18, Marina addressed her classmates one final time as Salutatorian, speaking to the community that helped shape her.

Ellen Barrett

By Annabelle Thrower


Ellen Olivia Barrett is an engaged and determined senior at Homer High School. She is a shining example of a model student involved in many things, including but not limited to Student Council and cheerleading; cheerleading at which she has been the captain of more than once. She is not only a good role model but an amazing leader. 

When asked what her favorite book was, she said “The Samurai’s Garden,” by Gail Tsukiyama,  her reasoning being ”I thought it had a very important message.” She shared said message as being accepting of others and not judging based on appearance or where they came from. Anyone that knows her can tell that she has taken that message to heart; she is a compassionate person who is undoubtedly a true leader due to her kindness and openness to others. This openness that she exudes will serve her well in her future. 

She has chosen to attend Centenary College of Louisiana where she was recruited for the cheer and stunt team. At Centenary she will major in biology as a stepping stone in exploring a career in forensic science. She chose said career path due to the fact that she is “weirdly observant” and pays “attention to a lot of small details.”


In the true fashion of a leader. she gave some advice to upcoming seniors: “Don’t overload yourself with doing a bunch of stuff, it piles up really fast, and you just want to have fun your senior year.”