Student of the Month Recipients

May 2015

Noelle Gauss was nominated by the entire social studies department. Noelle is an excellent student both in and out of the classroom. She not only loves to learn in school but understand the value of learning by being involved in her community. In addition to an impressive 3.67 GPA she keep herself very busy outside of the classroom playing the Ukulele, and writing (she is president and founder of the East Lansing High School) writing club. That is just the tip of the iceberg, Noelle enjoys being active in the Anime club, LGBT & Alliance, GLTY (Greater Lansing Temple Youth), and when she isn’t busy being an activist or running a club she works both part time as a journalist, tutor and teaching assistant, and also at the NCG cinemas. I do not believe multi-tasking, prioritizing, or learning how to engage will be problematic for Noelle as she enters college. Speaking of college Noelle is looking to attend Aquinas College in Grand Rapids and hopes to be a foreign language teacher in a foreign country or to teach English abroad as a second language.

Noelle’s favorite teacher is Marianne Forman who amongst other classes teaches English III, her compassion for her students, and ability to make learning fun is what distinguished Marianne as a memorable part of Noelle’s high school experience. Additionally a great role model and inspiration for Noelle is Laverne Cox, Laverne is an advocate for LGBT rights and is a hard working activist in the community for equality.

Chris Wallace takes school seriously as is demonstrated by his 3.87 GPA. He has always been academically strong taking higher level course work that challenges him intellectually while at the same time preparing him to succeed both in college and his future career. When he isn’t studying there is a good chance that soccer will be on his mind. He is a proud member of the awesome ELHS soccer team. When not playing soccer you may find him referring a game, or volunteering at the East Lansing soccer camp. While both education and soccer are important to Chris his interests are well rounded as he is also an active member of SADD (Students against destructive decisions), SGE (Students for gender equality), Young Life and The National Honor Society. Chris still finds a little time to work at the Aquatic Center when one of the many activities listed above are not requiring his time. His teachers indicated that his maturity, friendliness and natural ability to connect with his classmates is what makes him a notable young man, and a pleasure to have in class. Chris is undecided as to a major in college yet but is considering pre-med. U of M, Kalamazoo college, Albion or MSU are all still in the running. It is clear that Chris is a true gentleman as it was important for him to have me thank and recognize Ms. Palmiter for taking the time to nominate Chris for this student of the month award.

And this is just too good to not share – His favorite teacher? Karen Wallace, his French teacher of three years (aka Mom).

April 2015

Brianna Jacquel Hankins is very involved in both the Lansing community and at East Lansing High School. She is involved in several organizations including RAGE Student Ministries, ELHS Debate, Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN), Lansing Teen Court, and Young Women for Change. She has worked diligently in her schoolwork to maintain a 3.88 GPA and is determined to continue applying herself in her studies with the hopes of one day attending Harvard Law University and becoming a prosecuting attorney. In her spare time, you can most likely find Brianna curled up with a book or out in the community enjoying various theater productions. Brianna is an amazing role model to her peers and has a bright future ahead of her.

John Michael Adelman is a phenomenal student with an outstanding work ethic. Finishing up his senior year at East Lansing with an impressive 3.98 cumulative GPA, John has managed to stay extremely active throughout his time at ELHS. John is a school athlete, competing on both the cross country and track and field teams. On top of all this, John is a dedicated member to several organizations and clubs such as the Christian Student Union, Amnesty International, and the ELHS Ultimate Club. John is very rooted in his faith and plans to serve with NET Ministries for a year before attending college where he hopes to pursue a degree in Theology/Philosophy or Computer Science. He is a very well rounded person and serves as a great example to his fellow classmates.

March 2015

Erin Ruark was nominated by her Geometry Teacher. Erin is an excellent student both in and out of the classroom. She studies hard (aced her Geometry final – not many of us can say that!) – she loves to both read and write, is active in ISHALL, an accelerated English program offered through and at Michigan State University. Erin also plays the violin and can be heard singing in the chorus of East Lansing High School’s musical “The Wiz”. Erin has the opportunity to expand both her joy, and skill in writing through the writing club she is active in. When Erin isn’t busy, singing, writing, or reading you will find her active on a community project through dosomething.org

Anthony Petroff is also a math whiz. Taking Algebra 2 as a sophomore puts Anthony ahead of the curve in his math curriculum. He is an all-around outstanding student with a 3.89 GPA. Anthony is a quiet leader. He knows when to work, he knows when to make suggestions, and he knows when and how to step up and help others. An example of this is his ability to take a tough subject like Math, and using “texting” lingo help his peers remember difficult logarithms. By placing difficult ideas and concepts into “lingo” that his peers can understand he is helping them improve their understanding of Algebra 2. In addition to applying himself to his studies, Anthony is a member of Christian Student Union (CSU) and a member of the East Lansing Football team.