Wellington Rotary - Press - Student of the Month

The Wellington Rotary Club, the local organization chartered by Rotary International, a philanthropic and service organization, presented its Student of the Month awards to Samantha Gutierrez for February 2007 and to Olivia Matheson, for March 2007. Both students are from Palm Beach Central High School. Presentations were made at the monthly evening meeting of the club on Thursday, April 26, 2007. Attending the awards presentation and dinner were Samantha and Olivia’s immediate family who were extremely proud of their accomplishments both inside and outside the school environment. Both students’ acceptance speeches to the club demonstrated their ability and desire to help others while thanking the Rotary Club and school faculty for their nominations.

Both exemplary students were selected from numerous candidates at their school by its faculty as the students who “proved himself to be beneficial to the school, religious organization or the community as a whole” by performing some type of service or act(s) demonstrating the Rotary International motto “Service above Self”.

Prior to the awards dinner, Carl Rosenberg, the school’s Faculty advisor praised the students’ selections in his opening remarks by stating that “both of these students presented the spirit necessary to motivate their fellow students as well as support the community in anyway possible. Samantha and Olivia are involved in community, charity, religious, school, and neighborhood endeavors. Both display solid values and extraordinary character.”

Samantha is President of the Palm Beach Central High School’s FBLA, has taken part in projects outside of school such as the Ronald McDonald House, March of Dimes, Adopt an Angel, American Heart Association and is a student member of the Palms West Chamber of Commerce. Samantha is the Salutatorian for the class of 2007.

Olivia is a member of the National Honor Society and is active with The Race for a Cure, Walk for Diabetes, Homeless Feeding, Walk for Autism, Okeeheelee Nature Center, various books drives, and has been a missionary for Good Shepard United Methodist Church. She is also the swim team captain at her school.

The Wellington Rotary Student of the Month Award is presented monthly to “deserving students who are not necessarily the school valedictorians nor are grade point averages a deciding factor in the selection process” states Jay Broder, Rotary Student of the Month Chairperson.

Submitted by: Jay Broder, SOM chair

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