Bridgeport High School students of the month for October are Jenna Soltesz and Koby Kiefer.  

 

Soltesz is the daughter of I.J. and Cheryl Soltesz. She ran varsity cross country all four years and was co-captain her junior year and captain her senior season. She qualified to compete in the state championship cross country meet her sophomore, junior and senior years. Currently, she is beginning her fourth season on Bridgeport High School’s swim team, serving as one of the captains. Each year so far, she has qualified for the state swim meet swim meet, competing in the 100 butterfly, 200 individual medley and relay events. In the spring, she plans to complete her fourth season on the BHS track and field team, running the distance events. She has participated in the state track meet the past three seasons and was a member of the stat champion 4X800 relay team her sophomore year.

 

At BHS, Soltesz is a member of and serves as the recording secretary of the National Honor Society. She is currently first-chair trombone in the BHS Jazz Band, which she has been a member all four years of high school. In the fall, she was selected to represent her senior class as a princess on the homecoming court.

 

Soltesz is very involved at Bridgeport United Methodist Church, where she actively participants in youth group, sings in the choir and provides childcare. Additionally, she has spoken at worship services at the main church as well as BUMC’s outreach ministry at Maplewood Senior Living Community. She is vice-chair of the West Virginia United Methodist Conference Council on Youth Ministry, a group of youth who organize statewide youth events. She has been a member of the council since middle school and has held various positions on the executive board.

 

In the summers, she works as a lifeguard at Bridgeport City Pool and teaches swim lessons. After high school, Soltesz is going to attend the Honors College at West Virginia University, where she plans to study industrial engineering.

 

Koby Kiefer is the son of Jim and Kristi Kiefer of Bridgeport. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, Key Club, DECA and Drug Free America Club. A member of the Harrison County DREAM Team (Harrison County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition), Kiefer participated in the community underage drinking/drug seminar (Immaculate Conception Parish Center) and the Community Drug Rehabilitation Seminar (All Saints Parish Center).

 

The kicker and punter for the BHS football team, Kiefer punted in the play-offs and championship game as a freshman. In addition to being named the BB&T All-County kicker his sophomore and junior year, Kiefer was selected as second team All-State kicker as a sophomore and first team All-State kicker as a junior. Kiefer also received the Frank Loria Academic Athlete of the Year award in 2016 for the highest GPA of county award winners and as outstanding kicker by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

 

Kiefer also plays baseball for BHS and was the designated runner as a sophomore and starting second baseman as a junior, helping lead the team to its fourth state championship title. As a short distance runner for the BHS track team, Kiefer qualified for the state track championship as a sophomore in the 100, as well as the 4X100 and 4X200.

 

Kiefer was selected during his sophomore year to represent BHS at the Hugh O’Brien Leadership Convention (HOBY) in Charleston. He was also sponsored by the Bridgeport Lions Club to attend Mountaineer Boys State, where he was elected as the county commissioner of Kanawha County Cabin.

 

Kiefer is an active member of All Saints Catholic Church Parish in Bridgeport. He has participated in the Easter Vigil reenactment of “Stations of the Cross,” portraying Jesus. He is currently a Eucharistic minister and has recently become a member of the Knights of Columbus.

He plans to continue his athletic career as a punter at the collegiate level while majoring in business administration and economics.