Lakers Seniors Mosley, Cotton, Burt, Kaminen Share Post High School Plans

Mackinac Island’s four graduates in the class of 2023 – Guyil Mosley, Ethan Cotton, Sean Burt, and Jack Kaminen – have turned their tassels and are preparing for what’s next. From trade school to colleges and universities, the graduates share their plans for the future and reflect on the memories they have made while at Mackinac Island Public School.

Guyil Mosley

Guyil Mosley, like most kids growing up on the Island, attended Mackinac Island Public School from preschool through 12th grade. Except, unlike most kids growing up on the Island, his journey through the school’s long blue hallway included frequent trips to the airport to catch a plane to Cheboygan to attend welding classes at Cheboygan High School. He got into welding because his brothers were doing it, he said, and now he loves everything about it.

While at school on the Island, Guyil looked back fondly on the field trips he got to go on when he was younger.

His favorite teacher was secondary science teacher Dan Duncan.

While not in school, Guyil spends a lot of time in Cheboygan and helping his parents, Louanne and Ben Mosley. He likes to play video games and ride his dirt bike in Cheboygan – something he cannot do on the Island.

After graduation, Guyil is looking forward to continuing his welding education in Onaway at the Industrial Arts Institute. Guyil won a Pulte Scholarship to attend. He wants to become a travel welder, though he has no specific destination in mind.

This summer, Guyil will work at Grand Hotel driving horse carriages, working closely with his father. Last year, he was an intern in the barn. He grew up with horses and even had one of his own at one time.

Guyil said he has loved everything about the Island, the home where his friends and parents are. For him, graduation came up fast.

“Don’t wish for it to be over,” he said, offering advice to the Mackinac Island Public School’s younger generations. “It comes faster than what [you] will expect.”

Ethan Cotton

Ethan Cotton is headed to Alma College after graduation. He is not sure yet in what he wants to major. He might study theater, journalism, or writing. The school has a nice theater program and a nice newspaper, he said. But perhaps most importantly, Alma College is a small campus in a small community, just like the Island where he grew up. Everybody knows everybody, he said.

Ethan has been involved with Mackinac Island Community Theatre for many productions, including its most recent production of “Little Shop of Horrors” as an Audrey II puppeteer. Ethan first became interested in the theater several years ago when he got to see the show “Wicked” in East Lansing. Ever since then, he has been hooked.

“I like being backstage,” he said. “I like the chaos of it.”

Ethan enjoys reading, writing, and theater, and was previously involved in robotics.

One of the biggest lessons he has learned from school, he says, is not to procrastinate.

“Don’t wait till the last day,” he said.

Ethan plans to work this summer at Destination Mackinac and Decked Out before leaving for school. Above all, when he leaves the Island and ventures out into the world, Ethan said he will miss the community theater the most and the people in it.

Sean Burt

When Sean Burt leaves Mackinac Island to attend Northern Michigan University in Marquette, he is going to miss the people and the teachers at Mackinac Island Public School. He will miss the beautiful Island views and scenery. He is also going to miss having a school without any stairs.

“I like having one hallway. It’s pretty easy to not get lost,” he said. “So, it’s going to be weird having a [whole] campus.”

At the same time, he is looking forward to a change of pace.

“I’ve been here 18 years,” Sean said. “I’ve kind of done everything.”

Sean grew up on the Island. He has worked at the Mackinac Island Butterfly House, but this summer he will work at Great Turtle Kayak Tours. When he attends Northern Michigan in the fall, he will follow in the footsteps of many family members in studying to become a teacher. His mother, Liz Burt, is an elementary school teacher at Mackinac Island Public School. His father, Allen Burt, is the city’s Department of Public Works Director.

He has always enjoyed working with kids, he said, and working in schools has been in his family for a long time. Sean could frequently be found at the school during open gym to volunteer for a few hours and watch the kids play.

One of his favorite memories from school happened to be during his senior year, when a scavenger hunt with teacher Justin Badik turned into a frenzied competition. Over the years, Sean has also played for the Esports team and the soccer team. Sean enjoys online gaming and getting out into the woods to camp and explore the many hiking trails around the Island. His favorite class, he said, was an online mythology class he just finished. An admirer of Greek mythology, he got to learn about world mythology.

While he is ready to move to larger town, Sean is grateful to have grown up in such a wonderful place.

“Don’t take what you’ve got here for granted,” he said. “I’ve come to realize how lucky I am to live here.”

Jack Kaminen

Jack Kaminen is the Mackinac Island Public School class of 2023 valedictorian. After growing up on the Island and attending the school his whole life, he said his favorite subject in school has changed over the years, and this year he relished classes like physics and forensics. And he appreciates the small class size the school offers.

A four-year member of the robotics team, Jack said he got to drive what he called the “best robot we’ve ever had.”

He is also a member of the school golf team. The team has grown in the past few years, he said, which means he gets to do more of what he loves. Not every high school golf team gets to golf the course at Grand Hotel, something Jack does not take for granted.

“For example, last week, we had a golf meet. And normally after that, we’d be done, and we’d just go home. Instead, we went out and played nine more holes at the Grand,” he said. “It’s been really fun.”

One of Jack’s favorite memories is from a field trip to Lansing in sixth grade, a trip that Jack had actually suggested when the school administration sought student input. They spent two nights in Michigan’s capital city, exploring, seeing a play, and visiting the zoo. He remembers it fondly.

In the fall, Jack will attend Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. Once he leaves the Island, he will miss not needing a car to get around. He is excited to get out on his own, even though it is also what scares him the most. While he is unsure of what degree he will pursue, he anticipates majoring in a science with a goal of becoming a pilot.

This summer, he will continue working for Mackinac Wheels as a bike mechanic. He also looks forward to hanging out with friends and getting ready for college.

“Always give 100%,” Jack said. “Unless you’re giving blood.”