Homepage

In the photo from left to right are MTA President Joe Byrne, Adrianna Fearby, Caroline Dresser, FFA Treasurer Alysabeth Murray, Iyla Martin, FFA Secretary Ashley Brown, FFA Advisor Jackie Jurek, and MCSD Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Julie Webber.

The Medina Teachers Association, the Medina School District, and the Medina Area Partnership are proud to announce the October selections for Students of the Month.  This award is a combined effort of these organizations to recognize students who go above and beyond to help teachers and fellow students succeed and enjoy school.  

Medina FFA has graciously sponsored the award for October.  This month, students are being honored with this article and a yard sign from the MTA to celebrate their achievement. The yard sign was presented by Joseph Byrne, President of the Medina Teachers’ Association.  Dr. Webber also presented the winners with a pen and pencil set from the school district.  In addition, Medina FFA presented each of this month’s winners with an FFA mug containing candy, a pencil, and an FFA pin.  

Nominated by Allison Woodburn at Oak Orchard Primary School, was Iyla Martin.  Mrs. Woodburn shared the following about Iyla. Iyla consistently demonstrates what it means to live out our Mustang Mission of being respectful, responsible, honest, safe, and kind. She is a wonderful example of the character and positive qualities we hope to see in every Mustang. Iyla gives her very best effort on every assignment and approaches her learning with a positive attitude. She genuinely wants to learn, grow, and do her best each day. She is an active participant in our classroom and can always be counted on to pay attention, answer questions, participate thoughtfully in discussions, and stay engaged in her learning. She takes pride in her work and works hard even when something may be challenging. Iyla is also incredibly helpful and thoughtful toward others. She is always willing to lend a helping hand to her teacher or a classmate, and she is a kind and caring friend to everyone. She treats others with respect, includes others, and consistently shows compassion through her words and actions. Her kindness is not something she does only when someone is watching, it is simply part of who she is. One of the qualities I admire most about Iyla is her strong sense of character. She is honest, trustworthy, responsible, and consistently makes good choices. I can count on her to do the right thing, even when she does not receive a reward or a reminder to do so. She is intrinsically motivated to learn, succeed, and be a good friend and classmate. She understands that doing the right thing is important simply because it is the right thing to do. Iyla also comes to school each day with a smile and a positive attitude that makes our classroom a better place to be! Her enthusiasm, kindness, and willingness to help others have a wonderful impact on our class family. She is the kind of student who quietly leads by example and shows her classmates what it looks like to be a responsible, respectful, and caring Mustang. For all of these reasons, I am very proud to nominate Iyla Martin for MTA Student of the Month. She truly embodies our Mustang Mission each and every day.

From Wise Intermediate School, Ms. Gates nominated one of her fifth-grade students, Caroline “Cece” Dresser. When Ms.  Gates indicated her reasons for nominating Caroline, she shared that Cece has been such a kind, thoughtful, and wonderful student to have in our classroom this year. She is smart, works hard, and is always willing to participate and share her thinking.  One thing I have really noticed about her is how she treats the people around her. She is very kind and makes an effort to include others. She is the type of student who notices when someone could use a friend or someone to work with and makes sure they are included. She helps make our classroom a place where everyone feels welcome.  Cece has also been doing a great job with her classroom job as our breakfast helper. She takes the job seriously, remembers what needs to be done, and gets it done each morning without needing a lot of reminders. I can count on her to take care of her job, and I love seeing how proud she is to help out in our classroom.  During lessons, she is always engaged and thinking about what we are learning. She asks thoughtful questions, raises her hand, and is not afraid to share her ideas. I especially love when she asks a question that gets the rest of us thinking too. It shows me that she is really listening and wants to understand, not just get the answer.  She has also made such a great start to 5th grade. She comes in ready to learn, works hard, and is respectful and kind to both her classmates and teachers. I have really enjoyed getting to know her over these first few weeks, and I look forward to seeing all that she accomplishes this year! 

From the Jr-Sr High School, Adrianna Fearby, a junior, was nominated by Mrs. Ali.   Mrs. Ali shared the following about Adrianna. Although I have only recently had the pleasure of getting to know Adrianna, she has already made a lasting impression on me through her kindness, maturity, and genuine desire to make others feel good. I first learned about Adrianna after receiving some beautiful handmade gifts she created simply to brighten the days of others. Adrianna made pens, keychains, and lanyards and left a basket of them in the counseling suite for teachers, staff, and fellow students to enjoy. There was no assignment or recognition attached to this gesture, she simply wanted to spread kindness. I left Adrianna a thank-you card, and she later came to meet me personally and introduce herself. When I asked what made her think to do something so thoughtful, she explained that she loves making crafts and that it was “just a nice thing to do for people to enjoy.” According to Mrs. Parada, Adrianna often does thoughtful things like this throughout the school year. I was equally impressed by Adrianna's maturity. After spending a few minutes talking with me, she shook my hand and told me how nice it was to meet me, then went to Mrs. Hargrave and did the same. Since then, she has returned to share craft ideas that she thought my students might enjoy and even offered to come into my classroom to teach and work on crafts with them. I believe it is especially important to recognize students like Adrianna. Quiet, respectful students who stay out of trouble and consistently do the right thing can sometimes “fly under the radar.” Adrianna may not seek attention for her kindness, but that makes it even more meaningful. Adrianna is truly a gem. Her kindness, thoughtfulness, and innate ability to interact with others with maturity and respect are qualities that deserve to be recognized and celebrated. She is a wonderful example of how one student's quiet acts of kindness can make a school community a better place. Adrianna truly embodies the qualities reflected in Medina’s Portrait of a Graduate.

Congratulations to this month’s winners! The MTA, MCSD, and the MAP will continue the student of the month program throughout the school year. Be on the lookout for the next honorees in the coming months. Look for posters in the windows of Medina businesses identifying them as proud supporters of this program. Who will be the next outstanding Medina student to be honored???