Pictured are December’s Students of the Month; Dr. Jonathan Greenberg, Superintendent, Perris Union High School District; Grant Bennett, Perris Valley Chamber of Commerce; Dorothy Wolons, President, Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce; Alejandro Ramirez Flores, Perris High School; Sabrina Adame, Perris Lake High School; Claire Garland, Paloma Valley High School; Martin Cuenca, Heritage High School; Councilman Julio Rodriguez, City of Perris; and Mayor Scott Mann, City of Menifee.
The Perris Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce kicked off the 2014-2015 Student of the Month program in September 2014. The students are nominated by their teachers and staff at their respective school sites and are chosen for their character, integrity, love of learning, ability to persevere and overcome challenging circumstances, community service, and how they make a difference on their high school campus.
December’s students and their families attended a breakfast sponsored by the Perris and Menifee Chambers of Commerce along with local businesses and organizations. Principals and teachers from each high school shared stories about the students and they each received certificates of recognition, numerous gifts, congratulations and encouragement from local, county, state and federal dignitaries.
Paloma Valley High School’s Claire Garland is described as an extremely humble and natural leader by some of her teachers. One of these teachers is Nick Donnelson. Mr. Donnelson stated he could not think of a more hard-working and dedicated student. She is a scholar athlete, meaning academics come first then athletics and he’s admired her for that. Claire shared that it was a struggle for her when she first moved to Menifee. Coming from a large city to the area was a bit of a shock. But after time she admitted that this place has changed who she has now become. Although she has not decided where she will be attending school, Clarie’s parents encourage her stating that it’s not about where you start, but where you finish.
Perris High School’s Alejandro Ramirez Flores is December’s Student of the Month. According to Principal, Mr. Hilton, Alejandro is an amazing student. He is the ASB President and is heavily involved with facilitating all of the school events yet still maintains straight A’s in all of his classes including his AP courses. Alejandro admits that this has been his hardest year adding ASB to his schedule but takes pride in what he does and enjoys what he’s doing. His biggest life lesson that he’s taking with him is that no matter how hard things get, our life is our most prized possession. Alejandro has applied to several colleges including Harvard, Stanford, Harvey Mudd and UCLA. He plans to major in astrophysics and astronomy.
Sabrina Adame is Perris Lake High School Student of the Month. Principal Dean Hauser explained the word used by a number Sabrina’s teachers is “transformed”. She started out as a student that struggled to pass a single class last spring and has transformed to one getting all A’s and one B+ in the first trimester at Perris Lake. Sabrina shared that her biggest lesson learned is that beating yourself up over mistakes only wastes time. She explained that in the last few months of her junior year she fell into a depression and had no interest in attending school, so she dropped out. However, after spending time with family where she received a lot of encouragement, she realized that it’s never too late to turn the tide, and has in fact turned it. She has always had a passion for the sea and plans to attend college and major in marine biology.
Heritage High School’s Student of the Month is Martin Cuence. Martin is described by counselor, Ms. Prendergast, as a phenomenal young man. He has great character both inside and outside of the classroom. He has a passion to change things that don’t seem right and is wise beyond his years. Martin gave glory to God and thanked Him for everything. He shared that he didn’t use to be a good student and was at a low point his sophomore year. He made the choice to turn things around and worked his way up to a 4.5 GPA. He’s learned that nothing can hold you back because as long as you put your mind to it, you can do anything. Martin has applied to Azuza Pacific and UC Irvine and plans to major in political science.
All of these students demonstrated a desire to work hard and have a drive to exceed others and their own expectations. The Perris Valley Chamber and the Menifee Valley Chamber wish them the best in their endeavors. If you wish to learn more about the Student of the Month Program, please contact founder, Sally Myers at (951) 506-8024.
