Ian Samuel Groce is an 18-year-old senior at Madison High School. He is known as a great friend of many and the son of Penni and Matt Groce. Although Ian is an only child, he says that his mom’s side of the family has “literally five thousand people,” which may be an exaggeration. He has lived in Madison his whole life but hopes to travel the world. Specifically, he wants to visit Ireland because he likes the rain, potatoes, and would like to see his Irish heritage. A fun fact about Ian is he can recite every nation in the world, which he proved to the entire class during his interview.
When Ian isn’t working and getting free ice cream at Dairy Queen, or spending time with those important to him, he can be found playing his favorite video games such as Minecraft, Stardew Valley, or Hydro Thunder. He is often known around school for being full of humor and a great contributor to the numerous activities he partakes in such as Choir, Band, Theater, Oral Interp, and The Maroon Newspaper. A character that best describes Ian is Fozzie Bear. He states, “I look just like him and he’s a goofy guy.” If he could say one thing to his younger self, he would say, “I know what you’re thinking, don’t.”
When asked about advice for underclassmen, Ian simply states, “Don’t panic”, which many seniors can attest to. After he graduates from high school, he wants to go to college for Media Communications and sees himself in 10 years living in an apartment in Minnesota, possibly near his favorite restaurant called New Bohemia even though he’ll miss his mom’s homemade mac and cheese. Ian finally emphasizes his favorite quote from Lord Of The Rings, which is stated by Gandalf: “So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”