Morgan Zetts, left, watches a mix-up at the Telstar Boys Varsity basketball game at home on Dec. 8. Rose Lincoln/Bethel Citizen

BETHEL — “We’re holding a trophy right now,” said Morgan Zetts with a huge smile.

Telstar basketball captain Morgan Zetts of Bethel will pursue nursing when she graduates in 2024. Rose Lincoln/Bethel Citizen

“Last year we won Winter Carnival… we were juniors and we beat the seniors. It was awesome. My class is very competitive. No one likes to lose. That whole week brings us all together … It’s so fun.”

She said the week of competition was a high school highlight for her. She and her classmates got to write, “Class of 2024” in sharpie on the trophy and are hoping to write it again this February with a senior year win.

Zetts who describes herself as an “extrovert” is also a leader, an athlete and a scholar.

She and Makenzie Eliot have been student council co-presidents since middle school. Zetts is in the National Honor Society and has been class president for three years, as well.

Basketball

Zetts said both her parents played basketball at Telstar and she has been playing since she was three.

She is hopeful about her senior season after a few difficult years. Her freshman year they didn’t play because of COVID and sophomore year they had just six players, “we barely had any subs. Last year we got Mr. Newell. He became our coach, he is awesome. We had nine kids. This year we have 14 … we have all returning players.”

They added a junior varsity team and dropped to Class D because of enrollment.

As team captain, she worked closely with Coach Alec Newell and Assistant Coach Bri Douglas. Some of the younger players didn’t know the fundamentals or the rules, so Zetts, who has played year round, helped coach the others. On Sunday, Dec. 10 the Telstar team logged their first win against Dirigo.

She also works with younger players when she coaches for Bethel Recreation basketball for eight weeks each winter.

Besides Newell, Zetts said teachers Tim O’Connor and Elke Blauss have been mentors for her. On Halloween, she and five or six of her classmates surprised their Art Teacher Tera Ingraham by showing up at her house. “Miss ‘I’ has been like my mother at Telstar. Everyone in my grade goes to her. We can talk to her about anything and she’s always there to push us and help us.”

Nursing

Zetts said she has always wanted to be in the health field. She applied to seven colleges with University of New England as her top choice. She will study to be a nurse and is currently taking a Certified Nursing Assistant on-line class.

Zetts said she has taken almost every science class at Telstar and said, “I’ve probably spent the most time with Miss Blauss [of all the teachers].”

Her cousin, aunt, and many family friends are nurses so she has had lots of role models. Her cousin is studying to be a nurse practitioner, so she may go that route. Or she is also considering being a traveling nurse or a pediatric nurse.

“I love people and I love helping people,” said Zetts, in response to why she chose nursing.

Zetts is one of eight children. She is the oldest on her dad’s side and is the middle child on her mother’s side. Her parents are divorced; she lives in both their Bethel homes.

“I can’t imagine not having that many siblings. I love it. There is never a time where if I need someone to hang out with, need something to do, with there’s always someone to do it with. I’m never bored at home. There’s always something going on,” she said.

She and sister Addison, a freshman this year, played soccer together in the fall and will play basketball together this winter. “They are always at all our games,” said Zetts of her siblings.

“I’m excited for me and all my friends that have worked so hard to get here [to graduation]. But nervous to leave here because I’ve lived here for 18 years now, so it’s a little bit scary and also sad to leave everyone that’s helped me,” said Zetts.