Bees were flying everywhere. The windows had been rolled down and wearing no protective gear, Simon Welge, senior, and his father, Martin Welge, drove nervously home after buying their first beehives. By the time they arrived, they had both already been stung. During his first real encounter with bees, Simon was terrified. Despite the fear, he was curious to learn more. So it was no surprise that when Martin decided to pick up beekeeping, Simon was right at his side.

“He’s had more experiences than he would have if he held back, one of those would be beekeeping,” Martin said. “He didn’t shy away from getting involved with it when I think a lot of people would. It’s not the first thing most people would choose.”

Simon began attending Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association (EMBA) meetings where he began to learn more about beekeeping from experts who had many years of experience. He said one of his favorite parts about beekeeping is the community of people surrounding it, consisting mostly of older people who have plenty of stories and experiences to draw from.

“I can look back and reflect on what I’ve done over the year,” Simon said. “You just learn so much from the bees and the people that it makes it worthwhile.”

Simon’s friend, Madi Janysek, senior, believes that his ability to think innovatively and learn about new things is applicable to many areas of his life other than beekeeping. Simon has taken up many hobbies such as acting and 3D printing in his last few years at KHS.  

“He’s not going to be afraid to meet new people and go out there and try things from different perspectives,” Janysek said. “He’s going into a really competitive program [in college] and he’s going to try to come out on top of that. I have no doubt that he’s going to work very hard towards any goals he sets for himself.”

Although he won’t be able to take his hives with him to college next fall, Simon said he strives to apply the same ideology of participating in anything that sparks his interest that drew him to beekeeping. He doesn’t have a set plan but instead is focusing on continuing to expand his interests.

“Junior and senior year [I tried] a bunch of new different and crazy things. That’s something I want to continue with. It’s how you build character, it gives you stories to tell people. I don’t ever want to get into the groove of just doing the same thing day after day.”