Student of the Month is an award given to seniors to qualify them for applying for Student of the Year. Student of the Month represents students who challenge themselves inside and outside of the classroom, in order to positively impact S.H.S..
This January’s Students of the Month are seniors Avery Moran and Gavin Staats. These two students demonstrated strong academic ability along with a balanced lifestyle outside the classroom.
Throughout her time at S.H.S., Moran has taken a variety of accelerated and AP courses such as accelerated Chemistry, accelerated English 1 and 2, AP Language and Composition, AP Literature and Composition, AP United States History, AP Psychology, and AP Music Theory, all while maintaining a GPA of 4.17. Moran also took on many leadership roles as she has been a class officer all four years, and was vice president of the junior class. Moran is an active participant of student council, the fall play, spring and summer musicals. Morab is also a speech team actor, a member of Group Interpretation, and Madrigals and Chambers.
Outside of class, Moran is a member of the girls tennis team where she was a captain. She is a participant of the IMPACT program and enjoys volunteering for many organizations such as The Penguin Project, Sacred Heart Church, and Feed the Children.
After high school, Moran plans to attend a four year university to double major in journalism and film and television. Following, she intends to obtain her master’s degree in journalism.
Staats has also taken accelerated math and science courses, as well as AP Pre-Calculus. Staats has kept a 3.6 GPA while staying an involved student at S.H.S. Staats has previously been WACC Student of the Month, and takes a leadership role in his WACC class as crew leader, giving guidance to his fellow students.
Outside of the classroom, Staats is a member of the cross country team and the tennis team. He also is a member of FFA and the ping pong club. He enjoys volunteering as landscaping crew for Christian Church of Sterling, assists with building maintenance, and is a participant of Camp Unite.
After high school, Staats plans to attend Sauk Valley Community College to get certified as an electrician.
Both Moran and Staats demonstrate great academic ability, leadership, and involvement in S.H.S., meeting the standards for Student of the Month.
