RV Senior Earns Student Leadership Scholarship from NJPSA

Mount Holly, N.J. – Rancocas Valley Regional High School (RVRHS) senior Mekenna Montgomery has received one of only 25 scholarships awarded by the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA) to high school seniors throughout the state. Accompanied by RVRHS Principal Joe Martin and her family, Montgomery accepted the $2,000 scholarship prize at an awards luncheon held at NJPSA on Wednesday, June 5.

NJPSA annually distributes Student Leadership Scholarships to select students who demonstrate leadership in school activities outside of athletics. Montgomery’s selection came as no surprise to the RVRHS students and staff. Montgomery is involved in clubs and activities throughout the school, and her involvement often includes a leadership role as either an elected official or as a mentor to younger participants. She also stepped up as a strong student voice in the district’s strategic planning process to create the Vision 2020 Strategic Plan. She participated in community forums to share ideas about what she appreciated most about RVRHS and how she would like to see the district evolve.

“I care so much about my high school because of what I have learned and experienced here that will impact my life forever,” said Montgomery. “By getting involved in the strategic planning process, I wanted to help influence the future of our district so that students would continue to have the same pride that I have in attending RV.”

At RVRHS, Montgomery has served as a captain for the school’s Red and White competitions; was elected to Student Council all four years; gave tours of the school to incoming freshmen, new students and foreign students for three years as part of Team MEGA; and participated in numerous other student organizations and activities, including RVTV, FBLA, French Club, Key Club and Varsity Club.

A member of Varsity Club for all four years of high school, Montgomery was elected community chair as a sophomore and president her junior and senior years. Through the club, she and her peers unite the school community in efforts to give back, from raising money for the Pat Tillman Foundation to collecting food for families in need over Thanksgiving and assembling Easter baskets for less fortunate children.

Montgomery’s passion for community service caught the attention of Guidance Counselor Donna Aromando, who recruited her to attend a leadership conference for service-minded students. Following this experience during her freshman year, Montgomery and the other RVRHS participants were eager to do more to have a positive impact on their school community. They developed an underground club, Devils Making a Difference, through which they secretly performed random acts of kindness for individuals throughout the high school.

“Mekenna thrived with this effort, because she is genuine and sincere about making a difference,” said Martin. He noted that her involvement in this group is a prime example of how she leads not because she wants recognition, but because she truly wants to enact positive change.

Montgomery’s contributions also include volunteering with community organizations, including St. Peter’s Vacation Bible School, St. Paul’s Soup Kitchen and the Littlest Hero’s Club, which helps create special experiences for local children with special needs or experiencing hardship.

Mongtomery says that a series of injuries have repeatedly sidelined her for lacrosse – a sport her two older sisters have gone on to play at the collegiate level. However, she said that her involvement in school and the community – especially through activities that help others – have helped her take the injuries in stride.

“I’ve gained perspective and realized that there is more to life than athletics,” she said. “When I step back and look at the big picture, I now think about what really matters to me, and that’s finding ways to make meaningful contributions and to help inspire other leaders.”

Montgomery shared this perspective as a keynote speaker for the RVRHS MLK Day of Service this year.

Montgomery will continue her education in the fall at the University of Delaware, where she will major in international relations and minor in leadership and French.

She is the daughter of Ken and Mela Montgomery of Hainesport, N.J.