Theatrical and athletic excellence showcased

Friday, the Creston Hall of Fame brought in two new inductees as a part of the week’s homecoming festivities.

Historically, nominations for the hall of fame are for a graduate, former staff member and contributor. This year, there were only two inductees, both alumni.

Theater professional Beth Litwak, class of 1998, spoke first at the ceremony, comparing one’s time in high school as a gemstone on display.

“If you’ve ever seen a gemstone in a display case, it looks a little different than a gemstone that you hold in your hand. If you hold it in your hand, you’re just walking around with it and it looks kind of dim unless the sunlight catches it just right,” Litwak said. “When you’re looking at a display case, it’s on this black velvet sheet that absorbs light, and it’s sitting there just placed perfectly on it and the lights are placed in a way that refract the lights in the gemstone so you can see it more clearly.”

Litwak said it’s the teachers and staff that act as the lights, showing off the “brilliant parts of [students’] character.”

“My encouragement to you today is to see someone else that way,” Litwak said. “Look into your friends’ faces and see the brilliant parts of them that not everybody sees. Call those parts out then, so they can see themselves in different ways. Who knows where you guys will be in 40-odd years.”

Casey Bryant, class of 1986, has experienced athletic success as both an athlete at Creston High School, where he was voted Creston’s Outstanding Male Athlete, and head coach for Western Dubuque’s baseball team. In his speech, he said he learned to be a leader at CHS.

“I also want to thank all my former coaches for believing in me and for pushing me and teaching me how to lead,” Bryant said. “Honestly, a lot of my leadership back then was spent in trying to keep myself and my teammates out of trouble. Luckily, sports gave us enough direction and structure to keep us on track.”

Litwak and Bryant join numerous previous Creston graduates in the hall of fame, including last year’s Leslie (Lovell) Tyler, Deb (Oxenreider) Power and Larry Goodrich.

The 2025 Homecoming Queen was also coronated during the event by 2024 Student Body President and Homecoming Queen Candidate Zoey Vandevender. Lilly James, daughter of Brad James and Melissa and Kevin Lenth, was crowned by Vandevender, flower girl Beasley Fry and crown bearer Lane Kearney. Other nominees included:

Mahi Patel, daughter of Sonal and Jay Patel.

Isabella Spencer, daughter of Randy and Vanissa Spencer.

Ella Turner, daughter of Travis and Emily Turner.

Brynn Tussey, daughter of Nick and Alicia Tussey.