The Freshmen Student of the Month for September is Riley Mann. His favorite class so far this year is English because he’s always enjoyed writing, Riley stated, “It is truly a refreshing course, for I can write about the current obstacles in my life… I find that it is a great way to channel how I feel about the world.” Along with that love of writing, he clearly is interested in leadership positions and working towards change. This is evident for he is registering to be a member of FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and has joined the student council. Riley also hopes to enter the executive student council through which he intends to make the school more eco-friendly, bring awareness to LGBTQ issues in our school (via personal experience as a gay teen), and improve the statewide education of LGBTQ history and sexual education. Following high school Riley plans to attend college as a major in Political Science as well as a potential minor in Journalism or Economics. His goal during college is to serve a large number of community service hours, specifically to increase funding for minority communities in America. Riley’s ambitions for after college are even greater, for he intends to intern for his local Congressperson- at least until he himself can run for office in the House of Representatives. Riley, like many others, is pained by the mess caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there was a positive outcome for his work ethic as he said, “Now, I have as much time as I need to decompress when I need it. I can manage my time the way I like to.” When asked for any advice for his peers, Riley listed staying safe, healthy, and being kind. He was adamant in including the statement, “WEAR A MASK!” and asked that you, “check in on [your] loved ones, and check in on yourself.” Riley advocated for self-care and making sure that you know you are enough. Finally he stated, “Kindness is not political, but rather a construct that can make people feel better about themselves. Practice this construct as much as you can, please, it can change the world.”

Angela Calvanese is this month’s Sophomore Student of the Month. Along with being a stellar student Angela plays both high school and club soccer. Also on her plate, she plans to play for the school’s lacrosse team this spring, has applied for the executive board of the student council, and has taken an interest in the key club. Pre-calculus has taken the lead in favoritism on Angela’s class roster for she stated, “I’ve always loved math and it’s easy for me to enjoy myself while doing the work.” Angela intends to hopefully pursue that love of math after high school. Her plan is to go to a college where she can major in a math-related field, minor in spanish, and play soccer. Furthermore, her work ethic this school year has been impacted positively by COVID-19 through an improvement in her time management skills. Not being in live classes and working with her classmates and teachers each day forces her to focus on getting her work done on time by herself. Overall, Angela’s advice for her peers this school year is to, “keep ourselves and others healthy so we don’t have to put our lives on pause.” 

September’s Junior Student of the Month is none other than Madelyn LaBonge. Maddie is a student athlete who plays for both the high school’s varsity soccer team and a club soccer team. Furthermore, she displays her leadership qualities as a member of the executive student council and the class of 2022 council, as well as volunteering at St. Luke’s in the spring. Señora Fuller has been teaching Maddie spanish since freshman year and is currently teaching her favorite class so far, AP spanish literature. Madelyn’s interest in this subject comes from her, “love [of] learning about other cultures and how languages differ.” Following her high school career, she plans to attend the University of Notre Dame and study biology with the intent of becoming a doctor. At first with the COVID-19 pandemic Maddie was challenged by the new learning environment; however, she has adapted and realized that her education is what she puts into it. The advice Madelyn has for her peers this year is to, “Make the best of every day and put 100 percent effort into this academic school year.”

Nicholas Symer is this month’s Senior Student of the Month. Nick’s favorite class so far this year is AP Stat which he explains by saying, “The curriculum is definitely something that I see as useful for myself and what I want to do in the future.” Those future plans of his are to hopefully attend his dream school, UPenn Wharton, where he will study finance and computer science. However, he has yet to receive the results from his college applications. There are many extracurricular activities and clubs in Nicholas’ repertoire to help him get there. For example, he is the Co-president of the Stock Market Club and the Global Tech Innovations Society, treasurer of FBLA, part of the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition, and enjoys algorithmic securities trading and playing chess. Overall, COVID-19 helped Nick become a more independent, self-reliant student because he has to, “religiously plan out all the work,” he receives in order to keep up. He also holds only himself accountable for his success now given the new learning environment. Nicholas’ advice for his peers this year is a list of suggestions, “Don’t procrastinate, set goals, and be lofty with them, take as many opportunities as you possibly can when it comes to extracurriculars that you enjoy, take leadership positions, don’t sell yourself short with CP classes, go for the AP’s.”