GUERNSEY – Guernsey-Sunrise High School seniors Jayden Butler and Alexis Elmore made it official May 4 as they signed letters of intent to attend the University of Wyoming.

Butler was joined by her parents Louis and Melissa Butler and Elmore was joined by her father, Frank Elmore, for the signing celebration.

Butler, who has been working at the Cobblestone Hotel for almost a year while finishing her studies in Guernsey, will be leaving at the end of summer for Laramie.

“I am going to UW and I am pretty excited,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting the signing to be in front of the whole student body of the high school. My brother is going to the University of Wyoming so I’ll get to spend time with him.”

Butler has grown up in Guernsey and has attended Guernsey-Sunrise schools all of her life. UW will be the second institution of learning that she will attend and will be a marked change from the small town and high school.

“Originally, I thought about majoring in musical theater, and I’ve been thinking about changing it to music education,” she said. “I want to have a stable job and have just a background of musical theater.”

Butler, who says that she’s always been a musical person, says that she was influenced by her mom.

“My mom’s been a singer since I was little,” she said. “When I say ‘singer’ I mean that she sings all the time in the car. And she likes karaoke. So, I kind of looked up to her and felt that if my mom had a good singing voice, I should have a good singing voice. When I did the musical sophomore year, that is when I really wanted to be on stage.” 

Butler, who has a passion for singing also has a talent for playing her clarinet and is also playing in the UW band.

Elmore, who just had some of her artwork recognized for its excellence is also leaving for Laramie at the end of the summer.

Although Elmore now lives on a ranch with her father south of Fort Laramie, she grew up in Hartville and attended Guernsey-Sunrise schools all of her life, which she says she really enjoyed.

“I’ve really enjoyed some of the teachers we’ve had here,” she said. “Mrs. Green has helped me quite a bit to grow as an artist.”

Elmore is planning on majoring in political science and also plans to carry art as a second major.

With her degree, Elmore said that she would like to become a medical malpractice attorney and the artsy side of things will be her passion and for her relaxation.

“I really just love art and nature,” she said. “If I had my choice of where to live, it would be in Oregon, among the trees in a tiny little house with a bunch of windows for my houseplants and surrounded by my art.”

Elmore said that when it’s all said and done, she would like to be known for someone who impacts the world with kindness and positivity in the midst of all of life’s challenges.

“I just recently wrote a story about me growing to be an old lady,” she said. “I hope to have all my house plants just overtaking my house and my art having made an impact, hopefully to even have a side business with it. I would hope people know me for that.”