Kaneland offers a selection of extracurricular activities to be a part of. Many join to have fun and get involved, including senior Ryan Koeppen.

Koeppen has been involved in many activities, and the musical ones are not an exception. For the past four years he has performed in the choral ensemble, Madrigals; he became president for the club during the 2014-15 school year. In the springtime, Koeppen has been in the pit orchestra which provides the music for the spring musical.

“Music gives you an opportunity to advance because it teaches you so many different lessons that you can’t easily learn in a classroom,” Koeppen said.

In addition to the school based extracurriculars, Koeppen provides Music Therapy to children at Delnor hospital outside of school.

Music is not his only interest. He will be a state competitor for the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering Competitive Team (WYSE) in April. Koeppen also competes against other schools in Mathletes.

Koeppen takes his academic involvement further by participating in the homework help at the Elburn Towne and Country Library as a math and science tutor.

“I have the opportunity to help others and help them be successful,” Koeppen said.

With such a full schedule, Koeppen has developed good organization skills. He keeps a planner that contains when and where all of his activities are and when his school work is due.

The busy schedule does come with challenges. There are time when Koeppen has had to make compromises and miss one activity for another. Staying organized, staying on his toes and staying ahead helps him combat running into those problems.

“Plan out as far as you can to fix those problems as fast as possible,” Koeppen said.

His busy schedule has prepared him for his life outside of high school. Back in December, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology accepted Koeppen’s application.

“I’ve gotten so used to being busy that it’s in my nature to always be doing something,” Koeppen said.