Newtown Rotary Honors Students Of The Month

Newtown Rotary recently honored six students of the month representing Reed Intermediate, St Rose, Newtown Middle School, and Newtown High School.

Fifth grader Katie McMorran, described by teachers as an “outstanding” student, is an avid reader and writer. Her latest piece, “The Evil Pie,” tells the story of an apple pie that takes over the house after being struck by lightning.

Katie is a member of the Newspaper Club and the Interact Club, a Rotary-sponsored community service organization. A member of the school orchestra, she has played viola since grade four. She is also a pianist and member of the Trinity Episcopal Choir, where she has performed solo.

Katie is currently auditioning for Fairy Tale Theater, a summer program at Richter Park. She is a past participant in Newtown’s SMART summer program for the performing arts.

Teachers describe sixth grader Tyler Davenport as “a wonderful student, person, and friend who has an infectious smile and who gives himself unselfishly both in and out of school.” Maintaining an “A” average, Tyler often offers to help a classmate if he sees them struggling or if they need a partner.

Tyler is very athletic. He plays lacrosse, baseball, and football. He admires his paternal uncle, who has played for the Panthers and Redskins. Tyler has also participated in Reed’s “Hoops for Heart” program, raising $80 for the American Heart Association.

Tyler is also a member of the Reed Math Team that competes together with the Newtown Middle School Math Team; recently he helped his team score a near-perfect score of 33 out of 36.

Teachers describe Newtown Middle School seventh grader Renee Rushefski as an “outstanding individual” who is constantly going above and beyond academic requirements.

Renee, an honor roll student, is a member of Student Council. She also plays in the school band and serves as a library helper. A member of the Interact Club, she assists her religious education teacher in teaching first graders every Sunday.

In addition, Renee is a Girl Scout Cadet and enjoys babysitting for youngsters in her neighborhood. Last Christmas, she and her family worked with the Knights of Columbus to deliver food to the less fortunate. She also works alongside her father during tax season, bonding returns, addressing envelopes and organizing tax returns.

Renee enjoys playing volleyball and golf. She critiques her skills each summer at athletic camps. She aspires to be a meteorologist.

Newtown Middle School eighth grader Erin Mukwaya is also an honor roll student. She is part of the school’s literary magazine, a member of the Interact Club and enjoys engaging in community service activities. She recently baked Irish soda bread for residents at the Dorothy Day House, a shelter in Danbury.

Teachers describe Erin as a “conscientious, strong student who always does her best.” In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and softball through the town’s Parks and Recreation department.

In the future, Erin would like to pursue a career in medicine and possibly become a neurologist.

Meaghan Dawley, an eighth grader at St Rose School, has enjoyed a recent academic turnaround. She regularly achieves high grades and is described as exceedingly mature. According to one of her teachers, Robin Ruiz, she is “extremely respectful and takes pride in everything she does!”

Meaghan has served at the altar for many years at St Rose of Lima church. She is also a very active member of the church’s youth group.

Maggie Boushell, a junior at Newtown High School, is a high-achieving student who recently participated in an independent study science project with an experiment entitled, “The expression Cytochrome P450 NADPH Reductase Complex in Differentiated Tissue as an Indicator of Biological Stress.” The techniques she employed are valuable in cancer research and other medical studies.

Her project was recently presented at the Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium and the Connecticut Science Fair. Next year, she plans to enter the Siemens-Westinghouse Science Math and Technology Competition as well as the Intel Science Talent Search.

Newtown Rotary is a firm believes that today’s youth are capable and encourage all to make a difference in their schools and communities. On April 3, Rotary is sponsoring a Blood Drive at Reed Intermediate School to benefit the Red Cross.