Great Students Abound at GHS

Geneva Community High School named its Students of the Month for each department for October. An award is earned by a student who stands apart, succeeds despite circumstances, or contributes in some special way to the school. Students were recognized with a certificate and an engraved medallion at a breakfast ceremony on Oct. 19. The awards are sponsored by Image Awards and Engraving, Geneva.

Kelly Whitley, Grade 12—Nominated by Matthew Hahn

Kelly Whitley is an obvious choice for Student of the Month in the Social Studies Department. After a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent her country in Singapore and Hungary, she returned to Geneva High School without missing a step. She has shown tremendous ability to juggle her demanding schedule, producing at a high level both academically and athletically, doing it all with an infectious smile. She has also recently become a registered voter, carrying out her civic duty. It is a pleasure to have Kelly in class.

Drew Dubsky, Grade 10—Nominated by Andrea Pfeiffer

I have selected Andrew Dubsky as my student of the month for several reasons. I have never met Drew before he chose to take Foods I class. From the beginning Drew has been one of the most likeable, happy students I have had in my classes. He is constantly volunteering his help with any additional task. He always has a positive attitude. He approaches this class very seriously, and seems to volunteer for the more difficult task to complete, such as measuring the ingredients for his kitchen table.

Most students shy away, but Drew is constantly up at the demonstrations table problem solving how to measure correctly. Recently during a "mystery lab," where students problem solve the directions to the lab independently, Drew identified a mistake on the lab, and his entire lab disagreed. Drew was right. It was a great teaching moment, to see my students challenge and solve problems for themselves! Thank you, Drew, for that moment! Good luck, and hope to see you in Foods II.

Mark Hartsuch, Grade 12—Nominated by Eric Hatczel

Why is Mark Hartsuch a student of the month nominee? "Why" happens to be the question and the answer. Every day that Mark walks in the classroom, he pushes the limits with "why." I am not trying to say that he is always challenging the people around him because he is trying to catch someone in the act of not knowing, but more, he is trying to figure out the reasoning behind the human behavior presented before him.

His curiosity to understand things is absolutely amazing. It doesn't matter if it is a news story to start the class, content from the day's lesson, or his unrelenting talk of music. Mark wants to explore every subject.

As exhausting as this may seem, his behavior pushes learning in the classroom to a whole new level. Due to Mark's quest to dive deeper into each topic, my job moves from being the teacher into being the director and the students take over by problem solving using the word "why." Students like Mark keep teachers moving forward because he shows us what young minds are really capable of.

Alex Howe, Grade 9—Nominated by Kim Luzell

Alex Howe should be recognized as Student of the Month. Alex shows consistent effort in class and is always willing to lend a helping hand. He volunteers on a regular basis to read aloud, answer questions, and to add incite regarding a variety of topics. In particular, his willingness to read Romeo and Juliet was very much appreciated. The text is difficult and it is always helpful to have a fluent and willing reader to help out.

Alex always has a positive disposition and is friendly to me and his classmates every day. I am thankful to have a student like Alex in class and wish there were more like him!

Abby Cushnie, Grade 12—Nominated by Becky Montalto

I have had the privilege of working with Abby in both English II and English III, and I can truly say she is an encouragement to me as a teacher. Abby stands head and shoulders above many of her peers with respect to work ethic. She is such a dedicated student. Abby consistently goes above and beyond what teachers expect of her, studying and preparing far in advance of due dates.

Abby always has a smile on her face and rarely complains about the demands of school, regardless of the difficulty involved. Moreover, she is a highly independent thinker and worker. Abby will ask for help but has a strong desire to do things herself first. Abby is a delight to have in class and an inspiration to her teachers and peers. She will be greatly missed after graduation, and I wish her success in all her future endeavors.

Ali Marten, Grade 12—Nominated by Madame Behlow

Ali Marten is my nomination for student of the month. Ali is a senior, enrolled in my French V Advanced Placement class. I have been lucky enough to have had Ali as a student in French II, IV, and again this year.

Ali brings a marvelous combination of an exemplary work ethic, a sincere love of learning, and a desire to always do her best.  As a result of those personal qualities, Ali is a real model for other students. She is always prepared for class, strives to do her best, but also doesn't hesitate to ask questions when she needs additional information. These personal qualities which have helped Ali in high school will certainly stand her in good stead both in college as well as in the work force, eventually.

It is a joy to have Ali Marten in Geneva's French program!


Taylor Nelson, Grade 11—Nominated by Al Ochsner

Taylor Nelson is my choice for Student of the Month. Often, I will nominate someone who may not necessarily have the strongest artistic skills, but has served as an example of the type of student you would want in your class.  Taylor is that type of student, and she has great artistic skills.

I've known Taylor as a little girl. Back in the day, she exhibited amazing potential in her drawing ability. She was one of the little children I helped introduce to art before I became a certified educator. So choosing her as "Student of the Month" is not just an honor, it makes me proud her.

Taylor serves not only as an example of the ethics involved in consistently doing quality, serious art work, but she also is a role model for how a student should treat their peers. She helps other students not as an authority, but by offering insightful suggestions when requested.  She treats everyone with dignity and respect.

Not just helpful and talented, Taylor takes her art to a higher level above just being accurate and well rendered. She expresses her feelings, symbolizes her ideas, as well as displays her skills as an artist in every effort. She conveys her creativity at a level not often seen in high school.

There is great joy in recognizing a promising ability as an art instructor in high school, but with Taylor, I can say I saw this way earlier. What makes this joy even greater is when that promising ability typifies the strength in character we hope to find at GHS.

Justin Davis, Grade 10—Nominated by Jason Dworak

Justin Davis is a senior in a sophomore body. He displays all the characteristics necessary to be successful at whatever he does.

On a daily basis, I witness Justin displaying qualities such as leadership, perseverance, determination and desire in order to better himself.

Having daily conversations with Justin is a pleasure. Justin always seems to have a level headed disposition about him that transfers over to others in class. He may not think or see it, but Justin is a leader, not only in class but at life in general.  I thoroughly enjoy having Justin as a student and look forward to seeing him grow and succeed in the future.

Sergio Mendez, Grade 12—Nominated by Jim Burger

I am pleased to nominate Sergio Mendez as the Math Department's Student of the Month.

Sergio is a quiet, polite and humble young man who takes his studies very seriously.   and other teachers have found him to be self-motivated and well-disciplined. He always strives to do his best and he has achieved one of the highest grades in the Algebra II class in which he is enrolled.

Sergio is able to grasp new concepts quickly, and yet, he is not afraid to ask questions about concepts that he may find unclear. He has consistently taken challenging courses and this semester as well as in the past as chosen to take a full course schedule without a study hall.  Other teachers have described him as having the quality of always seeking more knowledge and information, often beyond what is expected, a trait that teacher s are excited  to see in a student.

Sergio is a pleasure to have in class and I am proud to present this award to him.

Matt Mayorga, Grade 11—Nominated by Shawn Maxwell

I have had the pleasure of having Matt Mayorga in my percussion class for the past few years, and even though this year has just begun, I have noticed a big change in his maturity, skill level, and character.

Without fail, Matt is one of the first to show up for class and ask what is going on for the day. This has been the trend for the past couple of years. What really has made Matt stand out is his approach to the class. He is working harder than previous years and showing a marked improvement in his technical and musical skills.

Furthermore, Matt has been taking it upon himself to help some of the younger, less-experienced members. Mr. Mayorga's participation in the class has changed from passive to proactive.

Finally, he has been quick to ask for help when he realizes that he is struggling. Through my years of teaching, I have had talented students with bad attitudes, students with good attitudes but no talent, and everything in between. Nothing is more exciting for me as a teacher than when a student turns the corner and begins to mature either in character and/or ability, and that is why I am proud to have Matt Mayorga as the student of the month for Music.

Emily Schooley, Grade 12—Nominated by Jen O'Leary

The Industrial Technology Department has the pleasure of selecting Emily Schooley as our October Student of the Month for a variety of reasons.

Emily is a student who is dedicated to learning and doing her best, no matter if the assignment is designing paper airplanes or learning a new technique for drafting. Her board drafting skills are equivalent to those of someone who has been drafting for much longer and she has the ability to explain what is going on to another student.

I also have the pleasure of working with Emily in the Engineering Club, where she has taken a very large leadership role. She can take credit for coordinating the building and designing of two hovercrafts and is working on getting funding for the crafts through a variety of sources. Just listing all this, makes me tired!

Emily Schooley is truly Student of the Month material, and I can't wait to see how the hovercrafts turn out!

Meghan Viebrock, Grade 9—Nominated by Kevin Gannon

Meghan Viebrock is the science department student of the month because of her outstanding achievement in the first six weeks of class.

She is the complete package as a science student. Her homework is always done and completed in a conscientious manner. On a day that she had to miss class her brother stopped in to collect her assignment for her so she wouldn't fall behind. Her responses on assignments and vocabulary definitions are concise, complete and well written.

In class she is pleasant and purposeful, getting along with her classmates but making sure her assigned task is completed. Megan's projects and lab reports work show forethought, effort and review and revision. All these together have helped Meghan perform highly on her exams. She has earned all A's, and on the last one she earned the highest grade in the class. Meghan's homework is a perfect 49 out of 49, her class work is 54 out of 55, her lab work is 86 out of 88 and her test scores are 194 out of 201 possible points.

These achievements show consistent effort over the first six weeks of school as well as true understanding of the material covered in class to this point. For these reasons it is my pleasure award Meghan Viebrock the Science Student of the Month Award.

Brittany Reynolds, Grade 10—Nominated by Terry Emma & Chris Buttle

Brittany Reynolds is my student of the month for her hard work and leadership during homecoming activities. Brittany was always there to help out with preparations for the entire week's festivities, especially during cleanup after the dance when most students don't want to stay and help.

She was a big part of creating her class float, which won first place. Their float included Shrek and Donkey figures made of paper mache and was so amazing that the students chose to enter it into the St. Charles Scarecrow Festival.  Brittany was a part of making that happen and was there to accept the cash prize for second place in the whimsical category.

I am excited to continue working with Brittany in student council to watch her grow even further as one of our student leaders.