Students of the Month

Students of the Month for March at Holyoke JR/SR High School have been named. They are eighth-grader Ashley Aranda, nominated by science teacher Ashley Clayton, and senior Brook Prottsman, nominated by the school’s positive behavior support team.

Aranda’s nomination letter read, “As a junior high student, Ashley is consistently going above and beyond the expectation to get the most out of her education, and is a great example of Rise to Excellence. In a recent class project about electromagnetic waves, Ashley put in a great deal of work to provide her classmates with creative and real-life examples of each type of wave. She was able to perform research and demonstrate her resourcefulness as she gathered materials from different places. As a result, she was able to construct a meaningful model over a difficult topic.   

What makes her even more worthy is the fact that this isn’t the only example of her willingness to do more than the basic requirements. Most recently, she spent time working on extra art pieces to enter into the Phillips County Art Show. This was not something she had to do, but rather, this is just an area in which she thrives and that she loves, so she went above and beyond the expectation to share her talents with show-goers. Consistently going beyond the requirements makes Ashley stand out among her peers and makes her worthy of recognition as Student of the Month.”

Prottsman’s letter read, “Throughout her time at HHS, Brook can always be counted on to bring her best, no matter what the project. Brook took the lead on the FCCLA chapter service project ‘Every 15 Minutes’ program. She coordinated planning meetings with members of the Holyoke First Responders and Emergency Management Team, she kept everyone on track leading up to the days of ‘Every 15 Minutes,’ and continued to stay in contact with the students and parents who participated in the program. Brook’s leadership, work ethic and positive attitude through a very difficult project helped make ‘Every 15 Minutes’ a memorable program and one that will hopefully make a difference for many of our students as they face difficult choices. She worked tirelessly to ensure that every detail was taken care of on time and in an organized manner. As a result, she was able to provide her peers with an impactful experience that will stay with them for a long time.”