Caitlin (Wild) Krienkamp

Looking back and looking forward with Caitlin, who is expecting her first child this fall!

Questions

Favorite High School Memory My favorite high school memory is probably my senior trip to Cancun. I still sometimes flip back through my photo albums from that trip and laugh at the memories that we made. We probably did things that our parents would never want to hear about, but we all lived through the trip and came back sunburned and happy. Above all else, I was able to spend quality time with all of my best friends before we went our separate ways for college.

Favorite High School Class It is hard to remember all of the classes and teachers I had throughout high school, but a few do stand out in my memory. Mr. Seagrest taught several classes that I enjoyed. I don’t remember much of what we actually learned, but I remember the great field trips to places like Elephant Rocks State Park and also climbing through muddy caves. AP Art History with Mrs. Peters was also among my favorites. She took our entire class to Chicago, and we were able to tour all of the museums and also do a little shopping on Michigan Avenue!

Favorite High School Activity: Homecoming, Turnabout, and Prom were always the highlights of each year for me. I loved going shopping for fancy dresses, getting my hair done and then spending time with all of my friends. Lafayette’s Student Council always did a great job of decorating the school for dances and picking venues for the Prom. Not too many people can say that they have danced on the stage at the Fox Theatre!

In 2002, I spent my weekends: Most weekends were spent driving around looking for a place to hang out. I spent countless numbers of hours cruising around Wildwood with my friends. Parties were almost always broken up as soon as they started (thanks to good old Officer Wittis), so I mostly just remember driving around, gossiping, and singing in the car.

In 2011, I spend my weekends: Now I spend my weekends hanging out with my husband and friends. We still see so many of our friends from Lafayette. I was surprised that when we bought our home in Lake St. Louis, four houses in a row were owned by Lafayette graduates! So while I have made lots of new friends since I left high school, we also still spend tons of time with our LHS friends.

What I'm up to now

Since high school, I graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication. I went to work for a small regional bank right out of college, and now I manage a PNC Bank branch in St. Charles County. While working for the bank, I was able to attend Lindenwood University and received my Masters in Business Administration. I married my high school sweetheart Matt in 2008, and we are expecting our first child this fall!

Any other thoughts to add about LHS or the Class of 2002?

It always amazes me how close the class of 2002 has stayed. All of my friends who did not go to LHS are always in disbelief when I tell them that my best friends are still the girls who were my best friends in high school. It takes a really close knit class to be able to move away from each other for four years of college, and pick right back up where they left off. These lasting relationships speak volumes about the power of the friendships that were forged when we were at Lafayette.