SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — More than 20 years ago a young girl from Harrold, South Dakota made national headlines and even appeared on a late night talk show, because she was the only graduating senior in her class.
So what is she doing now?
We caught up with her for tonight’s Eye on KELOLAND and found out she has somehow found herself in a similar situation once again.
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“Crazy world we live in,” April Kleinschmidt said.
Back in 2002, 18-year-old Kleinschmidt took New York City by storm.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting David Letterman, it’s something I’ll never forget I know that,” Kleinschmidt said.
KELOLAND News followed her to the Big Apple as she was going to be one of the guests on The Late Show with David Letterman, along with Jennifer Lopez and country star Patty Loveless.
“I was not nervous,” Kleinschmidt said.
This was her in the green room getting ready.
She thinks back to her interview with Letterman and remembers it well.
“Last Saturday in South Dakota our next guest celebrated her graduation from Harold High School as the sole member of the class of 2002, ladies and gentlemen please welcome April Kleinschmidt, April,” Letterman said.
“He was very respectful it was funny because of the situation but it wasn’t saying things in a way to make fun of the situation, and that meant a lot to me because he was wonderful fun to interact with and to be on his show and everything,” Kleinschmidt said.
David: Do you feel like you got a better education because you were the only person in the senior class or do you think you’d have done better at a school with more classmates?
April: I actually think I got a better education being the only one because if I didn’t understand something all I had to do is well wait a minute I don’t understand it, and they can’t be like well most of the class gets it so we have to move on.
She remembers Letterman asking a lot of personal questions.
David: What did you do to celebrate your graduation?
April: I went to Pierre and my boyfriend and I went out to eat and then we rented a couple of movies.
Don: What happened to that boyfriend?
April: I married him.
She’s no longer April Kleinschmidt, she’s now April Hoebert after marrying her high school sweetheart Michael Hoebert about six years after appearing on the Letterman Show.
The two now work here together at Hoven High School.
She’s the CEO and soon-to-be superintendent of the high school.
He’s a social science teacher.
They have three boys who account for three of the 105 students in the entire school. 16-year-old Xavier, 12-year-old Easton, and eight-year-old Becket.
The high school, itself, only has 19 students.
The real kicker to this story is how many seniors are graduating from Hoven this year, now if you’re thinking it’s one that would be way too ironic nope, the actual number is…..
“Ah there are two of us,” Chance Smith said. “Two, two.”
18-year-old Chance Smith and 18-year-old Madison ho*rner are the only seniors. If she’s class president then he’s obviously the vice president.
The two get along well. Even took a senior class trip together to Kansas City.
“I used to have a bigger class when I was younger, so it’s weird just having two kids,” ho*rner said.
Both Smith and ho*rner say because they’re the only two seniors, there’s some added pressure to that.
“There’s not a lot of people in the other classes either so they are definitely looking at us, so just be on your best behavior,” Smith said.
That’s something Hoebert talked to them about.
“To be good leaders for the underclassman, to set a good example for them, because especially because there’s only one or two of them the younger classman they really look up to them where as in a bigger class sometimes there’s a handful of students they look up to,” Hoebert said.
Hoebert says she loves the fact that she grew up in a small town and is happy to be raising their three kids here too.
“I think there is a lot of comfort in small towns, there’s safety, people watch out for each other, it takes a village type of mentality, it takes teamwork to have a small town to thrive is so important,” Hoebert said.
And who knows, someone might just end up on a late-night talk show, too.
Don: Do you still have his roses?
April: Yes they are dried and in a vase and in my house.
Smith and ho*rner graduate May 12th.
She’s going to Southeast Tech to become a vet tech and Smith is joining the Army National Guard.
Hoebert majored in special education and is still actively involved at her school as the director of special education.
