Ten new houses. Four new schools. Ten reasons to make new friends.
One more move wouldn’t have been a big deal, except this time it was during her senior year.
Jessica Peters, senior, said she had been at MHS for three years and was just getting used to it, when her mom had a surprise for her.
“She sat my whole family down and told us we were moving,” Peters said.
Her family was moving to Champagne, Ill., right in the middle of her high school career.
Peters said her first reaction was anger. She didn’t think she had a choice. She was 17.
“I didn’t want to be the new kid at a new school again,” Peters said.
She said moving always brought her grades down too. This time Peters said she was expecting the worst.
A few weeks later, though, while helping her brother and his fiancé move, Peters came across a different option. Her brother’s future in-laws offered her a chance to stay with them.
“At first I wasn’t sure if they were serious,” Peters said, “so my brother went to talk to them.”
Peters’ brother returned with the offer confirmed.
He also talked to their mom about it. Finally, Peters’ mother gave her a deadline for her decision.
“She’s all about us making our own decisions,” Peters said.
Peters chose to stay, making Matt and Rhonda Liesenfeld’s house her new home so she could finish her senior year with the rest of her friends.
The choices didn’t end there, however. The Liesenfelds needed legal documentation to act as presiding guardians, Peters said. With it, they could take her to doctors’ appointments and sign her papers for school.
Traci Peters, her mom, said because her daughter was not 18, they needed a way for the Liesenfelds to be allowed to legally take care of her when she clearly was too far away to do so.
“I have never and will never transfer guardianship,” Traci Peters said.
Traci Peters said, however, she did sign a document notarizing the Liesenfelds’ permission to act as temporary guardians for emergencies and similar occurrences. She said the note is one of the ways she is providing for her daughter while living in a different state.
Traci Peters said words cannot express how much of a challenge this experience has been for her.
“The reason for the move was to better provide for my family,” Traci Peters said.
Traci Peters’ was in the military, so she was used to moving. She said her daughter was a different story.
“I knew before I even had the family meeting that she would probably want to stay,” Traci Peters said.
When the Liesenfelds offered to keep her daughter, Traci Peters ultimately couldn’t say “no.” She said she felt comfortable leaving her daughter in their care.
“It’s a blessing to have them there for me as well,” Traci Peters said.
Although this experience hasn’t been an easy one, Traci Peters said she still speaks to her daughter often and texts her even more frequently.
“I miss her,” Traci Peters said.
Fran Kremer, guidance counselor, said transferring students are common, but they usually move with their parents.
“This case was rare,” Kremer said.
She said most transfer students are results of their parents receiving promotions or a new job, so in that sense, Jessica Peters’ story was not unheard of. It is uncommon, however, for students and parents to separate completely, she said.
Kremer said in this case they did have an opportunity for Jessica Peters to stay and finish her senior year.
“As long as the environment you’re leaving the student behind in is a stable, supportive one, I think they can be successful,” Kremer said.
