Newtown Rotary Presents Students Of The Month For January

Newtown Rotary President Paul Lux presented the January Students of the Month with their certificates of achievement.

The first student to receive an award was Kristen Campbell, a fifth grader at Reed Intermediate School. Her teachers Petrice DiVanno and Lil Martenson say that Kristen is a conscientious, self-directed student who earns excellent grades. She is always willing to help others and always does it with a smile on her face. Kristen’s skills and nurturing nature are especially evident when she works with students with special needs.

A recent article in The Newtown Bee captured the essence of Kristen’s affinity for helping others despite the personal cost to herself and to model the Rotary’s motto, “Service above self.” Kristen learned of the Locks of Love program, which provides hair prosthetics to disadvantaged children under the age of 18 who suffer from medical hair loss, in 2001 when her aunt, Sherry O’Marra, was diagnosed with breast cancer. After personally witnessing the side effects it had on her aunt, Kristen decided to grow her hair long, have it cut and donate it to the nonprofit organization.

Kristen’s dedication, commitment, and talents also impact other groups. She has been a member of the Junior Girl Scouts for six years. She has been participating in dance classes since she was 3 years old. In her free time she likes to knit.

Arianna Papaj, a sixth grader at Reed Intermediate School was chosen as a Rotary Award recipient by her teachers Karen Lane and Janet McCabe. Although she recently moved to Newtown from Stamford, she is very well known and liked by all in the cluster.

Arianna plays on the Newtown Girls Basketball team and is also a member of Olympic Development Premier soccer. She is a very dedicated athlete and also enjoys dancing for fun. Arianna hopes to become more involved and to join clubs as she becomes more familiar with what is available in Newtown.

In her cluster, Arianna is known as a very generous person who immediately volunteers to lend a helping hand when needed. She is hard working and very self-directed. Arianna admits she is a little bit shy at first but brings a great deal to class discussions when asked questions. She works well with others and becomes the mediator when there are disagreements. She willingly offers to help others and displays a kind and giving nature.

David Kreshpan is a seventh grader at Newtown Middle School. He loves skateboarding, riding his dirt bike, listening to music on his iPod, and helping his parents outside in the garden. David plays the violin in the NMS orchestra.

Unite for Sight is a nonprofit organization that works to improve eye health care and to prevent blindness. Originally founded by a former NHS student Jenn Staple, David has now founded his own chapter and through his efforts has collected more than 75 pairs of eyeglasses for the cause. David will be attending the annual Unite for Sight conference at Yale on Saturday, April 1, and will officially meet all of the doctors that will be traveling to Ghana carrying with them all the eyeglasses that the school and community have so generously provided.

His teachers, Shari Oliver, Kathy McGivern, Betsy Stevens and Val Leone, comment, “Dave has worked very hard recently improving his academics and has made great progress in all areas. He epitomizes the purpose of the Rotary Club, which is service above self by helping others. Whether it be lending a pencil or reiterating directions, he is always willing to help out his classmates and he brings his great attitude and sense of humor to all subjects. In the future he would like to be a lawyer because he wants to help people.”

Timo Roehrs is an eighth grader at Newtown Middle School. His teachers Nadia Paplia, Susan Musco, Ray Shupenis and Sue Lang are pleased to honor Timo with this award. They state, “Timo is an exceptional young man. In the time we have come to know Timo, we have come to understand him as both a conscientious, mature worker and a kind, sincere human being. It is with great joy that we recommend Timo Roehrs for the Rotary Award.”

Timo stands out because of his consistently positive interactions with others. He is kind to everyone he encounters. Timo is always the first to offer a smile, a kind word, or a helping hand when needed. These important qualities have earned him the respect of his peers and teachers. His good natured attitude proves to be a strong asset for him academically as well. His peers gravitate toward him because he takes life and school seriously.

Timo has participated in Boy Scouts for many years and his rank is Star Scout. It is a personal goal for him to become an Eagle Scout. He and his troop have been very involved in community service efforts.

At school, Timo is a member of a very successful math team. Most recently the team placed second in a meet. Timo enjoys playing the trombone and is a member of the NMS band. He enjoys tennis and would like to pursue a career in that sport some day.

Angela Viestra is a senior at Newtown High School and was introduced by her science teacher, Karolyn Baumgartner, who stated that the qualities of a good student are eagerness to learn, love of the subject, and good work ethic. She stated that Angela embodies all three. Ms Baumgartner said, “When I had Angela when she was a freshman she was a ray of sunshine, always with a smile on her face.”

In her senior year she has taken honors physics and also participated in the Senior Project, an independent study class designed to allow seniors to follow their interests in authentic learning. For her project she worked with a Newtown veterinarian and researched the topic of arthritis in dogs.

Not surprisingly Angela wants to be a veterinarian and will be attending Southern Connecticut State University entering the prevet program this coming fall. She is not only an excellent, well rounded student but also plays softball, works part time for the Newtown Park and Recreation department, and holds a green belt in karate.