Student of the Semester: Grace Pagley
By Mackenzie Sheridan
Dedication, participation, and hard work are the defining traits of those who are selected for the title of “Student of the Semester.” Grace Pagley, an exemplary student, has been rewarded this title by her 10th-grade teachers for the spring semester. Grace represents what it truly means to be a student of the semester.
Many factors contribute to an individual’s drive to do well in school. Grace states, “My strongest trait as a student is my never-ending drive to be successful. I have worked to build this by creating a certain mental strength that allows me to keep working hard for a long time. Always pushing and never giving up has also led me to the success that I have reached. If I do give up, I will never be able to let it go, so I always go back to whatever was giving me trouble and figure it out to move on.” It is her drive to succeed that leads Grace to greatness.
On her path to greatness, Grace states that “I am motivated to study and work hard because I love when I do good at something. I enjoy being challenged and seeing the results of what I worked hard on,” she explains. “I am also motivated by other people around me to keep pushing myself to the max in order to get better at something.”
That success comes in the classroom. “Grace has a positive attitude and she strives to be the best,” notices Mr. Mularski. “I love her kind and polite demeanor.” Grace’s positivity is one of her best attributes in the eyes of Mr. Vecenie, who shares, “ She’s a hard-working student who is a pleasure to talk to on a daily basis.”
To help Grace succeed, her parents are there to support her. “My role models are both of my parents because they are extremely hard workers. They love to always do their best at everything they do for me and for the people around them. They are incredibly kind, caring, and supportive which makes me want to be like them towards others.”
Examining Grace’s extracurricular successes, she uses her skills to ensure greatness in all of her activities. “I am involved in all-star/competitive cheerleading, track, Peer Leadership, National Honor Society, treble chamber singers, and Shenango varsity cheer,” she states. Beyond all of her extracurricular success, Grace also displays exemplary classroom success.
Mrs. Leali certainly values Grace’s talents. “Grace is a hard-working, positive, and kind young woman. [She is] a strong asset to our program.” Ms. Guy agrees, noting that “Grace is always prepared, positive, and ready to go! She makes thoughtful and insightful contributions to class and is a great role model for her classmates. I have really enjoyed having her in class.”
To find optimal classroom success, “I think a good teacher is made up of kindness, care, a slight strictness, and dedication. A good teacher needs to be interested and engaged just as the students are asked to be in class. Being kind and caring is also important when being able to help people. There needs to be some strictness though as a balance when students need to be dealt with accordingly if acting up.” Grace recognizes that any great teacher needs a proper balance between compassion and amenability to help their students succeed like Grace.
From great teachers to great classes, Grace shares that “My favorite class this year has been chemistry. This is something that I have never really learned about, and it is always great to get to learn about new topics. I find it very interesting to learn about how everything around us exists on a molecular level.”