At just 12 years old, seventh-grader Klara Fernandez already carries herself with a maturity that reflects the path she has traveled. Born in Marion and raised in West Frankfort, her school journey has taken a few turns before landing her at Benton, where she has found both a home in the classroom and a place to shine in activities she loves.

Klara comes from a large family, though not all of her siblings are still at home. Two older sisters have grown up and moved out, while Klara’s four younger siblings remain under the same roof, making Klara the oldest in the household. Klara knows what it means to pitch in and take responsibility.

Her mom stays busy as both a stay-at-home parent and a remote worker for Blue Cross Blue Shield. On Sundays, her mom brings her love of dance to others as an instructor at a gym in Christopher. Her dad runs his own business, Michael’s Automotive Perfections, working on cars with a mix of touch-ups, body work, and paint. Together, her parents have instilled in Klara both a strong work ethic and an appreciation for creativity.

For several years, Klara’s schooling took place at home. After attending part of first grade in West Frankfort, she transitioned to homeschooling when the pandemic hit. From second grade through fifth grade, she worked with the Abeka Academy program, a Christian-based curriculum that combined parent-led teaching with instructional videos. At first, Klara enjoyed the flexibility. But as the work grew more difficult, she found it frustrating when she should ask for help from the instructor. “It just got harder and harder,” she explained. By middle school, she was ready for a change.

That change came when her parents enrolled her at Benton. Klara remembers feeling nervous when she first arrived in sixth grade. She only knew two students from church events. “I was really nervous,” she recalled. “But after I came, I found out I knew some of the other kids too. I just didn’t know they went here.” Slowly but surely, she built friendships and discovered that Benton offered opportunities she had been missing.

Cheerleading quickly became one of those opportunities. Klara had been surrounded by dance since she could walk—her mother, after all, is her dance teacher. Over the years, she sampled many styles, from ballet to tap to freestyle, often making up her own routines to songs around the house. By fifth grade, she chose competitive cheer over gymnastics, joining Snow Power in Herrin. Later, when Benton offered school cheer, she eagerly tried out and made the team.

Her cheer journey hasn’t been without setbacks. While tumbling at Snow Power, she broke her elbow in a difficult landing, an injury that sidelined her for much of the season. “It was right before Halloween,” she said. “I couldn’t be in almost the whole season except the last month.” Even with surgery and recovery, Klara’s determination didn’t waver. She rejoined Benton’s cheer squad, shifting from flyer to front spot as she grew taller. This year, she proudly made the team again.

Cheer isn’t the only place Klara invests her energy. She runs cross country, sings in lab choir—the advanced choir class for seventh and eighth graders—and has appeared in community musicals through Pyramid Players at the Benton Civic Center. She performed in The Wizard of Oz and Honk Jr., experiences that connected her to theater friends and gave her the thrill of performing on stage.

Klara appreciates her teachers and has found encouragement in the friendships she has built. She also values the connections she has formed with the school’s resource officers, whom she knows through family ties and community relationships. Those connections, along with the supportive environment in her classrooms, have made Benton a place where she feels at ease. “I love this school,” she said. “I love a lot of the people here. I have a lot of friends, and a lot of them are Christians. That really helps me feel comfortable.”

Though Klara hasn’t yet decided what she wants to be when she grows up, she knows that her path could take her in many directions. College may be part of the journey, depending on the career she chooses, but she is open to possibilities, from law to trade skills to something yet undiscovered.

For Klara Fernandez, Benton has been a place to step forward with confidence. From overcoming the challenges of homeschooling to finding her voice on stage and her strength on the cheer mat, she shows what it looks like to grow, adapt, and thrive.