The Exchange Club of Sebastian is honored to announce their February Students of the Month: Tanaya Rackard from Sebastian Charter Junior High School, Jackson Summerall from Storm Grove Middle School, Aubrey Ford from Sebastian River Middle School, and Michael Hill and Paige Sharek from Sebastian River High School.
Sebastian Exchange Club’s Young Citizenship Award
The Sebastian Exchange Club’s Young Citizenship Award honors pre-high school students who demonstrate good citizenship daily at school and at home. Its purpose is to recognize and encourage honest, hard-working, helpful, and fair youngsters. In addition, the Young Citizenship Award provides classroom teachers with an effective tool to further motivate promising students and provides the Sebastian Exchange Club with an opportunity to supply students with encouragement that can be vitally important in shaping the characters of youngsters at an impressionable time in their lives.
Tanaya Rackard of Sebastian Charter Junior High School
Tanaya Rackard is a tremendously successful and outstanding student in advanced classes. She is calm among even the most chaotic circumstances and laser focuses on getting the job done. Tanaya is a helper, a learner, a watcher, and a motivator. She is dependable and wise beyond her years. Tanaya does not back down from a challenge but goes above and beyond and pushes herself to be the best version of herself. She has a unique perspective on life, quick wit, and joy for learning.
Jackson Summerall of Storm Grove Middle School
Jackson Summerall is a hard-working student with a great attitude and positive ways. He is outgoing, strives to do his best in classes, and earned all A’s. He rises to challenges, is bright, bubbly, curious, and always helpful to peers. Jackson is on the school’s flag football team, band, and volunteers at his church. In addition, he enjoys surfing, snowboarding, and traveling with his family. He plans to attend Vero Beach High School and wants to be a pilot and pursue a career in aviation.
Aubrey Ford of Sebastian River Middle School
Aubrey Ford is an amazing young lady with high character. She exhibits all the IB character traits in her everyday life. Her peers respect her, and she serves as a robust role model. Aubrey displays the characteristics of a model citizen every day. She is an inquisitive leader, consistently hard at work while in class and striving to do her best. She has been ambitious with her IB project, and even though she has encountered some hurdles, she is still trying to push through and complete the goal she set early on. Aubrey has been working incredibly hard this year to maintain an “A” average in all her classes.
Youth of the Month Award
The Youth of the Month Award recognizes hard-working high school students who are leaders, attain high scholastic achievement, and are involved with the community. The proven program rewards outstanding young people and incentivizes other youngsters to strive for equally high levels of achievement.
Michael Hill of Sebastian River High School
Michael Hill is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidate with a weighted GPA of 4.357 and a class rank of 29th. He is a member of the Jr. ROTC, National Honor Society, SRHS Swim Team Captain, and a member of the TCSC Swim Team. He has earned passing scores in four IB and AP classes which earn him college credit, and he is an AP Scholar. Michael has earned his FAA UAS Safety certification and FAA Part 107 Commercial UAS license certification.
In accepting his award, Michael said, “It is truly an honor to be here.” He thanked The Sebastian Exchange Club, his family and teachers, and his friends for “bringing out the inner me.” Michael plans to attend either FSU, Georgia Tech, or Virginia Tech to study computer science and work in cyber security.
Paige Sharek of Sebastian River High School
Paige Sharek is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidate with a weighted GPA of 4.473 and a class ranking of 13th. She is a student council member, Secretary of the National Honor Society, and National Technical Honors Society. In addition, she has earned passing scores in three IB and AP classes, for which she earns college credit.
Paige is a co-creator of the H.E.Y. Club (to help smaller organizations), assists the Little Birthday Angels with parties for homeless children, volunteers with the Firefighter’s Fair, and at American Legion dinners. Her interests include traveling, drawing and painting, reading, singing, and aerospace engineering. In accepting her award, Paige thanked the Sebastian Exchange Club for all the work we do in the community. She plans to attend Florida Institute of Technology or Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Local Community Activities
The Exchange Club of Sebastian participates in many local community activities in addition to the Student of the Month program. Their pillars of service are The Prevention of Child Abuse, Youth Activities, Americanism, and Community Service.
Its major annual fundraiser, The Sebastian Exchange Club Foundation’s Blue Water Open Charity Offshore Fishing Tournament, will occur this year on June 3-4. Over the years, this event has raised over $850,000, all of which has been poured back into the community.
Should you share these interests, you are welcome to attend a Sebastian Exchange Club luncheon meeting at noon at Cap’t Hirams Resort any Wednesday, except the first Wednesday of each month. For more information on the Blue Water Open, go to www.bluewateropen.com.
