Student of the Month

By: Kathryn Russo

Class of 2011

The student of month requires possession of certain qualities such as initiative, leadership, commitment, responsibility, enthusiasm and originality, as well as a plethora of others. Students that exhibit these qualities are usually noticed by the teacher, but they are hardly ever nominated.

            Teachers go about deciding student of the month by attending a committee in which they assess all the students nominated and choose the student that displays the most qualities of the requirements given.

Unfortunately, for many months there are little or no nominations brought in by teachers. Every month the same teachers, such as Mrs. Kathleen Frattasio, seem to nominate kids that show exemplary progress or qualities. Mrs. Frattasio has won seven class of the month and extracurricular activity awards in the past year. Does this mean that Mrs. Frattasio lucks out and has a student of the month in all of her classes? Or do other teachers have good kids but don’t nominate them?

Maybe teachers would be more proactive in nominating kids if they knew how great it would look on a student’s college application, or if the student of the month committee did some more advertising about the subject. This committee should send out memos to teachers throughout the school urging them to nominate kids and letting them know that it’s okay to nominate children for good deeds. Instead of having the winners take pictures with Mr. Steve Imbusch and Mr. Ed Connor, the winners should have their pictures taken with the teacher who nominated them. By doing this both the student and the teacher would be recognized for their efforts.  A social aspect, such as a kid getting made fun of because they won student of the month, might make a teacher hesitant about nominating someone as well. However, this idea should not worry teachers. Many high school students see winning student of the month as an accomplishment, not as something to poke fun at.

            Students of the month recieve a certificate and are able to add the impressive achievement to their college résumés. Most students who exhibit responsibility, leadership, and the overwhelmingly desire to do well are most likely recognized by the teacher. The unfortunate part about this circumstance is that most teachers do not recognize the student on a school wide scale.