Westford Academy Names Five Students of the Month

Here are the December Westford Academy Students of the Month.

David Ellis

David Ellis, son of Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Ellis was named Student of the Month for December. Ms. Albu, David’s AP Biology Teacher, nominated him in the area of Academics.   Ms. Albu writes: On a daily basis, David consistently demonstrates a commitment to collaborative learning and altruistically expounds complex biological concepts in the rigorous AP curriculum to many of his classmates. With his wonderful sense of humor, he strives to be an inquisitive learner who clearly has a vivacious thirst for knowledge. Among David’s strength he as exhibited an exceptional aptitude for synthesizing recent research and crafting it into his own creative writing. His ability to apply course material to lab experimentation while drawing unique analytical connections have helped David to shine in AP level inquiry-based experimentation.

Trisha Kagalavadi

, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Ravi Kagalavadi was named Student of the Month for December. Mrs. Porter, Trisha’s Junior State of American Club Advisor, nominated her in the area of Co-Curricular.   Mrs. Porter writes: Trisha initiated and has been the principal leader of the Junior State of America Club that she founded this school year. The club has been a tremendous success and has fostered intellectual engagement and civic responsibility. Several members of the JSA have won awards at conferences for best speakers thanks to Trisha’s leadership.

Connor Huang

Connor Huang, son of Mr. & Mrs. Rick Huang was named Student of the Month for December. Coach Caitlin Klick-McHugh, Connor’s WA Swim & Dive Coach, nominated him in the area of Athletics.   Coach Klick-McHugh writes: Connor Huang, a junior swimmer on the WA Swim & Dive Team stands out for his improvement over the last three years. One of Connor’s best events is the individual medley, which requires swimmers to master all four strokes. Connor works hard to improve all weaknesses, while still finding time to focus on the 100-yard breaststroke, his specialty. Connor leads his lane each practice, no matter what stroke or distance. He is able to push himself and his teammates through some of the most difficult sets and practices, and sets the pace for his teammates to follow. At meets, Connor has already qualified for the post-season and will be an important part of his team defending its DCL Championship title. Connor does this while balancing a difficult course load at WA and while participating in other clubs and activities such as DECA.

Julie Becker

Julie Becker, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Becker was named Student of the Month for December. Coach Caitlin Klick-McHugh, Julie’s WA Swim & Dive Coach, nominated her in the area of Athletics.   Coach Klick-McHugh writes: Julie Becker, captain of the girls swim and dive team, stands out as the “Student of the Month” for her drive and commitment. Julie has an exceptional work ethic, and pushes herself and her teammates at every opportunity. At practice, Julie excels during some of the most challenging sets, and never shies away from difficult intervals or tough yardage. In meets, she competes as one of our top distance swimmers, often matching up with our opponent’s most talented swimmers. Julie was voted team captain by her peers as only a junior, and has done a nice job making our large freshmen class welcome on the team. She goes out of her way to be inclusive, and is always in tune with others. She is a valuable leader on our team, and is an obvious nomination for student of the month.

Jackie Joncas & Aveen Patel

Jackie Joncas, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. James Joncas and Aveen Patel, son of Mr. & Mrs. Tushar Patel were named Students of the Month for December. Mrs. Lori Ditto, Student Council Advisor, nominated them in the area of Co-Curricular. Mrs. Ditto writes: It is with pleasure that I nominate Jackie Joncas and Aveen Patel for Students of the Month. Without the efforts of Jackie and Aveen the 2014 Westford Academy Holiday Bazaar would not have been a success. From March 2014 right up until the day of the Holiday Bazaar they worked countless hours together after school receiving, recording, organizing, and going through all of the Holiday Bazaar applications. Being a Chair of the Holiday Bazaar is a large and daunting task and they handled everything that came at them

with ease, maturity, and professionalism. There was nothing asked of them that they were not either already doing or willing to do at a moment’s notice. Some of the other responsibilities included assigning vendors/clubs to the appropriate locations in the cafeteria, hallway, and gymnasium, coordinating tables and chairs for the vendors/clubs, electrical outlets, and fielding emails. They were also responsible for the advertising in local newspapers as well as submitting requests for advertising throughout the town through the Board of Selectmen.

In addition, Jackie and Aveen put together a list of duties to be carried out by the rest of Student Council the day before the event as well as the day of the Holiday Bazaar. Their organizational skills, leadership ability, and personalities are phenomenal. They are true leaders among their peers and well respected by adults both at Westford Academy and in the community.