
OUR YOUTH OF THE MONTH AWARD recognizes hard-working pre-high school and high school students who attain high levels of scholastic achievement, community involvement and leadership, and daily demonstrate good citizenship both at school and at home. Students recognized for the month of February were Wyatt Walker from Sebastian Charter Junior High School, Janine Castro Ramos from Sebastian River Middle School, Gabriel Escamilla from Storm Grove Middle School, and Stefani Sanchez and Jake Rincon from Sebastian River High School.
Wyatt Walker is a leader in his class. He is often spurring others to get their work done and is strong and confident in a group. Wyatt keeps an eye on his peers and will go out of his way to help those who need it. He is respectful, kind, and likes fairness. Wyatt is curious by nature and has a deep desire to learn at a higher level. He is studious, respectful, a leader amongst his peers. He comes to class prepared, always participates, and works well with others. Wyatt has a great sense of humor, and working with him is great because he is inquisitive and wants to learn. He strives for excellence in everything that he does, in the classroom as well as on the court, taking on a leadership role with his teammates. He inspires the team members and helps build their enthusiasm. Wyatt has a strong work ethic and high determination. He is a big student of character and he easily earns this honor. He has an extremely bright future ahead of him. In accepting his award Wyatt thanked our club and his parents and teachers for “Shaping me. This is an honor.”
Janine Castro Ramos is an exceptional student She is incredibly hard-working and has wonderful class participation. She is a model student with a heart of gold. She sets a great example as a role model for her peers and fellow classmates in and outside the classroom. Janine is very mature, well behaved and extremely cooperative. She portrays every single one of the IB Learning Profile Traits, some of which includesknowledgeable, principled, balanced, and caring. Janine takes her education seriously; she made the straight A Honor Roll and she is consistently performing in the top of her class at our school (with a 4.5 weighted GPA). Janine is a member of the Yearbook Club and FBLA. She also spends her spare time volunteering. Not only is Janine an excellent example of a dedicated academic student, but she also portrays qualities of being a wonderful classmate. Janine is a self-advocate and is willing to ask for clarification and assistance when needed. She possesses all the qualities necessary for success both in school and in life. She has the drive, integrity and self-confidence to become whatever she chooses. She is self-motivated and everything she does exceeds expectations. She eloquently participates in class discussions. How Janine has achieved this high caliber academic performance is a true testament of her willpower, perseverance, and work ethic. She seamlessly navigates all her responsibilities and will undoubtedly find success wherever her journey takes her.
Gabriel Escamilla will enter high school already having 2 high school credits. He has earned all A’s and B’s in advanced level courses. He is a member of the SGMS Cross Country Team and placed 6th at the District Championships. He is also a meber of the Jazz band and enjoys Karate at the Vero Beach Karate Association. Gabriel is such a great young man. He is incredibly friendly and helpful, always offering to assist other students in class, help the teachers, etc. He works well with everyone and is seen as a leader by his all. In class he works diligently, collaborates well with everyone, goes above and beyond in and outside of class. His most impressive attribute is that he thinks outside the box – he continually asks questions and wonders about concepts that are at a very high level. He values his education and is taking steps to go beyond what a regular 8th grader can do. He is truly a role model. In Language Arts class he reads the daily quote to the class and provides his interpretation. The class listens. It has become a routine is about the natural role model that Gabriel is. Going above and beyond, Gabriel’s carefully selected words of wisdom guide each day for us. he is truly an example of the good in today’s youth. We need more like him and can’t wait to see what successes he achieves in high school and beyond. In accepting his award Gabriel thanked his school, our club and his coach who “helped me become who I am today.”
Stefani Sanchez is an IB Diploma Candidate with a 4.594 weighted GPA and ranked 10th in her class. Stefani is a brilliant writer who has mastered the art of interpretation and analysis. Her contributions to class discussions are always deeply intellectual and insightful. Stefani conducts herself with class and dignity. She is a member of the National Honor Society and is Digital Information Technology certified. She is a member of Masterminds, and the Varsity Tennis team. She also provides lessons to beginners. Stefani is a Peer-to-Peer Tutor for Fellsmere Elementary. She also is a math tutor for middle school students. Stephani helped organize handicap parking for the Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival, and distributed laptops to middle school students. She also volunteers for an organization that fosters cats. In her free time She loves to read and listen to music. In accepting her award Stefani thanked our club, her parents for their support and her teachers who are all “incredible.”
Jake Rincon is an IB Diploma Candidate with a 4.569 weighted GPA and ranked 15th in his class. He is a member of the National Honor Society, FBLA and Excel Clubs. Jake participates in Peer-to-Peer Tutoring at Fellsmere Elementary. Jake is a member of the Inaugural Pickleball Club, and the Crew Team for which he has been Captain since 2021. The team won State Champion in 2022 and 2023. Jake is enrolled in the culinary program and works at Ocean Grill and Service One Cleaning. In accepting his award Jake thanked our club for this opportunity, his family who are always there to support him, and his teachers that are there for him every day. He plans to attend the FSU Honors Program and major in meteorology.