Tonopah’s Jenna Klapper makes dean’s list at University of Montana Western

Jenna Klapper, daughter of Tonopah Justice of the Peace Jennifer Klapper, made the dean’s list at the end of her freshman year at University of Montana Western, where she is majoring in education.

According to her mother, she is home for summer, working at the Nevada Department of Transportation.

“She was an outstanding student, earning the prestigious Superintendent Award at graduation,” Jennifer Klapper said in an email to the Times-Bonanza.

Jenna played volleyball, basketball and softball all four of her years at Tonopah High School, earning multiple recognitions and awards. “Her passion has always been softball,” Jennifer noted.

Jenna stays active in extracurricular activities in college. “At the University of Montana Western, I am part of a club named ‘The Dawg Pound’,” Jenna said. “The Dawg Pound is a club focused mainly on school spirit. We make posters, shirts, and everything in between for the university athletics. I also participated in intramural volleyball. While my team didn’t get very far into the tournament bracket, I still had so much fun,” she said.

Asked what she likes about Montana compared to Nevada, she said, “I love Montana’s outdoors. There is so much to do and so much to see. There are so many trees, lakes and wildlife. I have really enjoyed my time in Dillon, Montana so far, but Nevada is definitely my home.”

So does that mean she plans to come back to Tonopah to teach after graduation?

“It would be a dream to come full circle and teach history in Tonopah,” she said. “I would love to give back to the community that gave so much to me as a kid. I still have many choices to make and things to learn, but teaching in Tonopah would be amazing!”