The Sunrise Rotary Club of Davis recently honored 10 Davis, Da Vinci and King high school students as Students of the Month for March. They are:

* Tsetsen Anuurad, nominated by world language teacher Naoko McHale, who wrote, “Tsetsen is an amazing student. She is fluent in four languages — English, Mongolian, French and Japanese. She is currently enrolled in Japanese 5AP and French 5AP classes. Tsetsen’s speaking and writing levels in Japanese are excellent. She can talk about various topics both in formal and informal speech styles, and she writes essays, using very sophisticated expressions.

“I am often impressed by her depth of knowledge of different aspects of Japanese culture, too. Tsetsen appreciates and values each culture, and that has made her a well-balanced person who looks at the world with different perspectives. Tsetsen is also one of the most reliable, responsible and appreciative students I have ever had, and I am so fortunate to have her in my class.”

* Marissa Henriquez, nominated by Da Vinci teacher Rebekah Rottenberg, who wrote, “Marissa has recently emerged as a shining star in a dark night sky. In our most recent project in environmental science, the class was charged with developing an alternative energy project as a way to study and understand climate change. Marissa wanted to do an aquaponics project. I was skeptical, knowing the amount of equipment and set-up that would be required. But Marissa was confident and prepared a proposal that I couldn’t turn down.

“She then worked tirelessly to set up two tanks in my classroom in order to compare the growth of lettuce that was fed with fish waste compared with lettuce that was fertilized with a store-bought fertilizer. Marissa was an inspiration to her group who previously knew very little about aquaponics, and to the class, as everyone watched the tireless effort and meticulous care Marissa put into setting up the experiment.”

* Eli Inkelas, nominated by Scott Stephen Bell, a teaching vice principal at Da Vinci Charter Academy, who wrote, “Eli is a gentleman in both the 19th and 21st century definitions of the term: he is kind, courteous, industrious, creative, artistic, intelligent, musical and curious.

“Eli is a leader in and out of class. He is the first sophomore to co-chair lead our Parent Night Recruitment team. He coordinated a team of 10 students, four parents and eight members of staff in our annual recruitment effort. Acting as a strong peer leader, or guiding his teams to success, always makes a powerfully positive impression.”

“Always willing to help out a classmate, Kaitlyn is the perfect role model for her peers each day as she participates in meaningful class discussion not only as part of a class assignment, but also to help further the understanding of those around her. Her hard work over the years and dedication to softball has earned her acceptance to Stanford University!”

* Daniel Medina, nominated by social studies teacher Pete Haws, who wrote, “Danny is a very good student, but it is his leadership and participation that set him apart. He communicates extremely well, often asking tough questions or giving insightful answers. He is confident yet respectful as he takes positions and participates in class. He is attentive and hard-working. He is engaged in his learning and helps to elevate class discussions and activities making him an asset to the class.”

“Tara is patient and compassionate — qualities that lend well to supporting a student who has difficulty with a noisy and unstructured environment. The student looks forward to seeing Tara each day and benefits greatly from his interaction with her. I appreciate all that Tara does for this student. I know this experience will have a lasting impression on her.”

* Allyson Weir, nominated by music teacher Thomas Slabaugh, who wrote, “It is quite rare when you have a student who excels in everything they do, all the while being committed to numerous activities and sports at DHS. Ally is just such a person. In addition to her commitment to the DHS Band program, she is the kind of person who is constantly making sacrifices in order to provide assistance and guidance to her fellow students as a member of the Student Council and as a member of the DHS Jazz Band. Whenever I need something done in a timely fashion, I can count on Ally to complete the task despite the toll it takes on her and her personal schedule.

“A typical day for Ally goes something like this: She attends challenging classes at DHS, serves a team captain and plays lacrosse, heads directly to the band room for an after-school practice or sectional, or heads to the band room to prepare sheet music for every member of the Pep Band.

“When asked why she is still in her field hockey uniform, she states it is because she has not had time to change yet and didn’t want anyone to be without music for the Pep Band game that evening. After rehearsal begins, she quickly will change her clothes and head to the game, usually ending sometime around 9 p.m. After the game, she heads back to the band room and collects the music and materials and stays to organize it in preparation for the next game.

“When queried, she will note that she forgot to eat dinner in the rush to get things done. Such personal sacrifice, always performed with a smile, is a hallmark of this award and I can find no one more deserving then Ally.”

There are three Rotary clubs in Davis, which meet at noon Mondays, 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 7 a.m. Fridays. Members provide service to their community and internationally. For more information about Rotary, contact Dennis Lindsay of the Sunrise club at [email protected], Samer Alassaad of the noon club at [email protected] or Steve Boschken of the Sunset club at [email protected]

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