Newtown Rotary Honors June Students Of The Month

Fifth grader Kaitlyn VosWinkel was selected by her teachers Gina Swanson and Kelly Marcoux to receive the Personal Achievement Award because they said, “She really defines the term, ‘good kid.’”

Kaitlyn comes to school every day with a smile on her face, no matter how early, and even on Mondays. When Kaitlyn is not smiling she is concentrating on her work.

Early this year she set high reading goals for herself and met then with great success. Her reading confidence has catapulted her into demonstrating quality classroom literary discussions as well as gaining her higher grades on the annual reading assessment.

Kaitlyn loves to play basketball, soccer, and lacrosse and will begin playing field hockey soon. She plays clarinet in the Reed Band and is a member of the Pottery Club at Reed. She is also a Newtown Pop Warner cheerleader. Her teachers’ final reflection about Kaitlyn is: “We are truly proud of you and feel blessed that you are part of our lives.”

Ayesha Dholkia is a sixth grader at Reed Intermediate School. Her teachers are Al Finelli and Matt Brown. Ayesha demonstrates skills and conduct in school, at home, and in service to her community that separates her from others her age and make her worthy of this honor.

Ayesha is a straight “A” student because she uses each class day as an opportunity to learn. She holds herself to the highest standards and consistently looks to her teachers for constructive criticism and areas of growth. She adds to class discussions in a patient and respectful manner while being a role model for how to state and support personal opinion.

Ayesha is a member of the Patriot Press, the Reed student newspaper, and looks forward to continuing writing for the newspaper at the middle school next year. She also participates in the GATES program at Reed. Ayesha has also represented her school as a member of the Math Team and Reed Singers.

Outside of school, Ayesha continues to broaden herself by playing piano. She also enjoys a good game of backyard soccer.

Ayesha and her friends collected used eyewear and delivered them to Len Crafters as part of a program called Sight Night, which redistributes eyeglasses to those in need. Her teacher’s sum up Ayesha this way: “It is our pleasure to recognize Ayesha for the quality she has brought to our classroom and the quality she will bring to the future.”

John Knapp is a seventh grade honor roll student from the Green Cluster at Newtown Middle School. John loves animals and swimming. He participates in recreational soccer. He enjoys singing in the school choir and working in the Interact Club, which recently sponsored a footwear fundraiser to benefit children in Haiti.

John played the role of Neal in a school production of Sleeping Pretty. He loves school, particularly all the clubs that NMS has to offer. His favorite subject is math because it is fun to learn. With his church group John has participated in providing dinners during the winter months to area shelters.

His teachers comment, “John is a well rounded student who excels both academically and as a member of the school community. He played the leading role of Woodstock in the NMS production of You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. John is considered a kind and compassionate individual by both his peers and teachers.” Mr Cruz, Mrs Bowen, Mrs Kurkul, and Mrs Puma are proud to recognize John as their Rotary Student of the Month.

Lauren Johnson is an eighth grade honor roll student from the Green Cluster. Her teachers Mrs Connolly, Mrs Cavallaro, Mrs Muco, and Mr Shupenis state: “Lauren has an exemplary work ethic. She is a lovely young lady.” She has been very responsible as Student Council representative, for not only her homeroom but for the other cluster homerooms without representation. Lauren befriends all students and is always prepared for class.

Lauren has many interests both inside and outside of school. She is a member of the eighth grade chorus and has participated in volleyball intramurals. She enjoys Babe Ruth softball. Taking tap and jazz lessons is also a favorite activity. Lauren is regularly involved in church activities, most recently in collecting cans for the Newtown Food Pantry. She also baked food items with Mrs Beck and the NMS Student Council to benefit an animal shelter. In the future Lauren would like to attend the Culinary Institute of America.

Joe Lenzen is currently a junior at Newtown High School. His goal is to start up a business in recording or computers. He plays guitar in a rock band and would like to go on tour with the band. He has volunteered with the Homeless Food Drive and has interests in music, computers, history, and accounting. Over the summer he is working with his dad completing home renovations.