L to R: Medina JSHS Assistant Principal Joel Reed, MTA President Joe Byrne, Molly Kroening, Seraphina Neroni, Brandon Bruckner, Scott Robinson of Orleans Community Health, and Marc Shurtz of Orleans Community Health.
The Medina Teachers Association, the Medina School District and the Medina Area Partnership are proud to announce the May 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.
Orleans Community Health has graciously sponsored the award for May. 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. Mr. Reed also presented the winners with a pen and pencil set. In addition, Orleans Community Health presented each of this month’s winners with a goody bag and a gift certificate to the Author's Note.
Nominated by Taylor Gross and Allison Woodburn from Oak Orchard Primary School, was first grader Seraphina Neroni. Miss Gross shared the following about Seraphina. She is a kind, caring, responsible, and hard-working student. Sera is always willing to help her teachers and classmates. She participates enthusiastically in every activity presented and has so many great thoughts and ideas to contribute during whole-group and small-group learning. Sera loves to read, write, and draw. Her creativity shines through in everything she does. She goes above and beyond to make sure whatever she has been assigned is her very best work. She does more than the teacher asks and helps her classmates do the same when she is finished with her own work. Aside from her hard-working nature in academics, Sera is a great friend to her peers. She goes out of her way to include everyone in play, and shows empathy and compassion towards others. She helps classmates make the right decisions by gently reminding them of the expectations when they forget. Sera shows so many character traits of a model student and provides not only a great example for other first graders, but also some amazing friendship, honesty and goodwill in the classroom. Mrs. Woodburn shared that Seraphina is intrinsically motivated to do well and works hard in school not for praise or prizes, but instead to increase her knowledge and understanding of topics. She has even previously asked students not to shout out answers because she doesn't want them to take away from her learning, which we all found adorable! She will definitely be a child who becomes a lifelong learner because she engages in every lesson taught, asks questions to learn more or clear up misunderstandings, and makes connections with her own life or with books she has read. Seraphina's writing stands out as excellent work that has creativity, imagination, humor, and unbelievable effort put into it. Seraphina's writing is so thorough and interesting, in fact, that it actually reflects that of an older child. She has extremely neat handwriting and writes really cute and humorous ideas in her writing pieces. However, above and beyond that, Seraphina's character and thoughtfulness stands out above others. Another student in our class was becoming a big brother for the first time, and she made him a card at home congratulating him on this new change in his life. This student was particularly uneasy about becoming a big brother because he was an only child up until now, and she encouraged him with kind words and even offered him some ideas of how he can be the best big brother. Later on in the year, another student was out sick for a long period of time. She, on her own, once again made a card for that student at home and then brought it to school and had all of her classmates sign it. We were not only so blown away by her creativity, but also with the empathy and kindness she independently shows others. She is willing to be partners with anyone in the class and goes out of her way to be patient and helpful with each and every person she works with. She is a wonderful student, but also the best role model for her peers academically, socially, and emotionally.
From Wise Middle School, Morgan Swift nominated third grader Molly Kroening. When Miss Swift indicated her reasons for nominating Molly, she shared that Molly is hardworking, respectful, and responsible like many other students in third grade. However, what sets her apart from other students is her perseverance and desire to learn new skills! She is a student that comes to school each day with a great attitude and a smile on her face. She may be quiet at times, but she is a trustworthy student that I know is always doing the right thing even when no one is watching. She takes pride in her classwork by taking her time to complete assignments. Molly has come a long way this year and has really opened up not only me, but the other students in class. She is not afraid to ask for help or to take extra time to truly understand challenging concepts. Additionally, Molly is a great friend to so many students in our class. She is always looking for ways to help others in need, whether she is helping them with class work, organization, or just to be a reading buddy. She is a reliable student and always there for her friends.
From the High School, Brandon Bruckner was nominated by Joe Byrne and Rachael Rutledge. Mr. Byrne and Ms. Rutledge shared the following about Brandon. He is in eighth-grade this year and does all the right things in the classroom. He has a very inquisitive mind and is always eager to share his thoughts and experiences in class discussions. He is always willing to help his classmates who may be struggling with their work, he never wants to leave them behind. While giving his best effort in school, Brandon is very proud to help at his family-run business. He has a talent for trade skills and starts the week by sharing his weekend projects. Brandon possesses all the qualities that will make him employable in the future and be successful with whatever career path he chooses.
Congratulations to this month’s winners! The MTA, MCSD, and the MAP will continue the student of the month program in the 2023-2024 school year.
