Student of the Month - Crafty

Our middle school has over 1500 students in 3 grades. That's about 500 kids per class. Crafty is a 7th grader and she has survived and thrived during her first year. So much so that she was chosen to be a Student of the Month for April.

This is a huge honor for these kids. Each month the teachers nominate their best, most respectful students and then the faculty votes for 4 kids in each class, two boys and two girls. All of my children have longed for this honor, but Teach was the first to receive it. Princess was honored her 8th grade year during the month of April and Prima Donna received this award in 9th grade, also in April! (That seemed a little weird to me... April seems to be our month!)


We got a letter a couple of weeks ago notifying us of the Awards Breakfast and asking us to bring a picture for the display case and to plan on talking about her for one minute. Actually, getting her to smile for a picture was incredibly hard! But the words came easily. She is such an awesome girl and very deserving of this recognition.

They fed us donuts and sweetbreads. There was a small bowl of pineapple and another one with strawberries, but it was definitely geared to the middle school appetite. We got our food and sat down. Alli, one of the other girls in our carpool was also being honored as an 8th grader. We visited for a few minutes as we inhaled carbs.

I wasn't even surprised when Crafty was the first person called up to receive her reward. She is so funny! She just hates to be up in front of people. Thankfully, I had written a short little blurb about her so I didn't get up in front of everyone and freeze. I think I'll include it at the end so you can remember how awesome she is.

They even took pictures for us! And now a few words about my amazing Crafty.

Crafty is a sweet, happy girl who makes friends easily. She has 11 brothers and sisters and she is number 8 of the bunch. Like her older siblings, she is an excellent student who loves school and she tries hard at everything she does. She was a member of the MathCounts team this year and she plays the clarinet in the Concert Band.

Outside of school she is also very busy. She has been a Girl Scout since she was 5 years old and she recently completed her Silver Award that will be given at a special state-wide ceremony in May. She is also the Beehive President in our church ward where she is very active with the girls. She is an amazing dancer and she is on a performing Jazz team and she has had her pointe shoes for a couple of years now. She loves theater and singing and she regularly participates in our church choir. She also loves reading and working with her hands and creating crafty things. She plays basketball and volleyball and she a member of the TAB student board at the South Jordan Library.

A fun story about her is that she was born in 2000 during the Summer Olympics in Sydney. It was the middle of the night when my doctor arrived to deliver her. As the doc scrubbed up and we anxiously awaited her arrival, he glanced up at the TV. “Hey, I know that guy!” the doc enthused. “He grew up in my home town. He was an annoying little guy, but a good kid.” That guy was Rulon Gardner, the Greco-Roman wrestler who won the Gold Medal.