Rotary Honors Middle & Intermediate School Students

The Newtown Rotary Club honored three Newtown Middle School and Reed Intermediate School students as Students of the Month.

Ryan Burch was selected by his cluster teachers at Reed Intermediate School for his academic and nonacademic growth. His motivation during the last semester has sparkled, according to his teachers. This is demonstrated by his active participation in classroom discussions and his willingness to make himself available to classmates, both academically and socially. He is always willing to help anyone in need.

Ryan’s expertise in computers has allowed him to use the newest technology for his work and he shares this knowledge with others and is a member of the school Tech Club.

His teachers sum up Ryan this way, “Ryan is a young boy who has a passion for computers, but still makes time to be in the band. He is mature for his age and dedicates time for his education. He has a flair for history and is very analytical for someone his age. We feel Ryan represents what this award is designed for.”

Laura Koscomb is an honor roll student who is described by her teachers as enthusiastic, responsible, and cooperative; and is always willing to help her classmates in any way. Laura is quite musical and plays the flute in the middle school band, and is also a member of the school’s concert choir. She has also played the piano for five years.

Her aunt and uncle introduced her to horses and this is now her favorite hobby. She leases a horse and works at a horse barn once a week where she assists young children to tack up horses. Last summer she was the overall champion at a riding show at Brushy Hill Farm in Southbury. To raise money for the homeless, Laura became involved with a “Ride-a-thon” project. She rode 100 laps in one hour without stirrups and raised $160 toward a homeless shelter in Waterbury.

Thinking about the future, Laura looks forward to a career in science and working with horses.

Christina Ercole is a honor roll student who loves spending time with her family and always looks forward to family gatherings with her many cousins.

Active as homeroom alternate Student Council Representative, she is also a member of the travel basketball team, lacrosse, and softball teams, and enjoys swimming. Music is also of interest as she is a violinist in the middle school orchestra and has played the violin since the fourth grade. Her teachers describe her as conscientious, kind, and diligent, who always maintains excellent grades.

Last summer Christina was a teacher’s aide for the summer camp and in July served as a volunteer worker at the St Rose carnival. This year she spearheaded the “Toys-for-Cancer-Kids” drive in addition to volunteering other good ideas to the Student Council. At this time Christina feels she would like to pursue a career as an elementary school teacher.

Newtown Rotary believes that local students are exemplary and wish to publicize this fact to the towns people with their Student of the Month program.