Vinal Technical High School Students of the Month January Winners

The new year brings a new group of all-start students the Students of the Month award! These four students represent the strong character and academic focus that exemplifies the modern technical school student, and serve as great examples for the greater student body. This month's decision was very difficult, with well over 20 students nominated for the Student of the Month award. Narrowing down to only four students is a challenging decision, and as a Vinal staff we'd like to say that we are extremely proud of all students who are nominated! Without further ado, here are the four award winners for January. As a note, this article is a collaborative effort between the Students of the Month committee and all the faculty and staff at Vinal Tech.

9th Grade: Stevie Ricci

Stevie has excelled as a student-athlete this Fall and into the winter season. She is a starter on Vinal's Girl's basketball team, and as a freshman has gained the recognition of her peers, opposing coaches and game officials for her "Hustle"! In Health she has a near 100 average and assists other students with topics and organization. On the field and court she is a true leader even as a freshman. She quarterbacked the first Vinal Tech "Powderpuff Football" team this season against Wilcox Tech, calling the plays in the huddle and serving as a point person on the field. Stevie has a great high school academic and athletic career ahead of her and she exemplifies it by her commitment and leadership skills in the classroom and the myriad of sports she plays. She is both a role model and motivator for her fellow student-athletes.

10th Grade: Imane Chiby

Imane is a well rounded student who is committed to excel. She maintains a 4.0 GPA while participating on both the Yearbook Committee and Vinal Tech Girls Basketball Team. She went outside of her comfort zone this year and joined the basketball team despite having very little experience with the sport. In academics, Imane is ahead of the curve in earning her required three credits of math for graduation because of her work ethic. She mastered 20% of the topics in Algebra II during the second quarter, which is ahead of the greater student average. All of this hard work and effort has placed her firmly as a stand-out student, and one who more than exemplifies Vinal Tech's standards of excellence!

11th Grade: Ryan Douglas

Ryan has one of the busiest and most impressive schedule and resume of any current Vinal Tech student. Active in sports and student government, Ryan participates in Scouting and an Architecture/ Engineering Mentoring program, just to name a few of his extracurriculars. To top this all off, he also just began an Engineering WBL job. Ryan handles all of these challenges admirably while still ensuring that his classroom obligations are completed beyond expectations. He recently impressed a visiting college recruiter by asking if, as a junior, there is something else he should get involved in to improve his college acceptance chances. Ryan's “go-getter” attitude makes him a prime model of what a Vinal student should aspire to be!

12th Grade: Kiara Jacobs

You will never see Kiara without a huge smile on her face! Her upbeat attitude consistently spreads to those around her, making her a stand out student that seems to spread joy and positivity wherever she goes. She encourages other students to try their best and is always supportive of them, serving as a great student to lead the way in both shop and academics. She is a driven young lady who works very hard to achieve her goals, always accepting and using teacher critique and making sure to do her very best. Part of being a Student of the Month means not only achieving academically and in shop, but also as being a good person and school citizen. Kiara displays this high quality and strength of character everyday and serves as an example of what true kindness looks like!