March Newsletter
The Exchange Club of Sebastian, FL
Students of the Month
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 March were Emily Barry from Sebastian River Middle School, Jacob Young from Storm Grove Middle School, Lorianne Feliciano-Cruz from Sebastian Charter Junior High School, and Cooper Hammond and Shamika Lazarre from Sebastian River High School.
Emily Barry is a member of the yearbook staff and was immediately recognized for her commitment and work ethic. Not only has Emily taken the lead on producing the yearbook, but she seeks to motivate other students to do the same. Emily is a pleasure to have in class, always has a great attitude, and is always busy looking for tasks to do. She possesses the exceptional qualities of kindness, positivity, dependability, dedication, integrity, and commitment to excellence. Without her hard work as a member of the yearbook staff, it might not be ready for publication. With her leadership, we will create a beautiful 2019-2020 yearbook that our SRMS and our community can be proud of.
Jacob Young is a hard worker who overcame physical challenges at an early age. He is an A Honor Roll Student and was named Student of the Month for Role Model. Jacob placed 4th in the science fair project for physics. He has also received a certificate of achievement from the IRC School Board for EOC Algebra high scores. Jacob is a member of the Storm Grove Lacrosse & Swim teams, National Junior Honor Society, band, and jazz band. He volunteers as an Indian Guide, at Osceola Magnet Elementary School, for Science Night and the Vero Beach Garden Club. He plans to attend VBHS and then FIT to study Aerospace Engineering. He enjoys boating and fishing in the Indian River Lagoon, building and flying R/C airplanes and gaming and riding 4 wheelers on property.
Lorianne Feliciano-Cruz is an A student who strives to always do her very best. She asks intelligent questions and is continuously intrigued by science. At this year’s Indian River Regional Science Fair she earned 1st place in Chemistry, earned a special award from Florida Water & Pollution Control Operators Association, and earned the Broadcom Master’s Award (Certificate of Achievement and Invitation for National Competition).
Lorianne is an extremely positive and likable person. She has a huge heart for others and loves to see people doing their best. She always has a smile on her face. She has visited and volunteered at Grace Rehab with NJHS several times. It was heartwarming to see her interact with the residents there. Lorianne is a young woman who is going places. She will leave her mark on this world; she already has!
Cooper Hammond is an IB Diploma Candidate with a Weighted GPA of 4.457 and Class Rank of 14/401. He is a member of the National Honor Society, FBLA, Model U.N., and Student Council. Cooper was the founder of the Film and Book Analysis Club. He is a House Docent for the Laura Riding Jackson
Shamika Lazarre is also an IB Diploma Candidate with a weighted GPA of 4.378 and Class Rank of 17/40. She is a member of the Excel Club, National Honor Society, FBLA, and Art Club. She won the 1st in Best of Show at the Superintendent’s Art Competition in 2018 and the Congressional Art Competition Merit Award. She received the Merit Award for designing the Lions Club Peace Poster. Shamika also volunteers at Mission Service, and United Against Poverty. Shamika uses her talents and runs her own company which allows her to sell her artwork globally.
And from Nextdoor.com:
In the last few weeks, COVID-19 has drastically changed all of our lives. Nextdoor’s purpose—to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood to rely on—has taken on a whole new meaning.
From delivering groceries to at-risk neighbors to buying gift cards to your favorite local hangouts, we’ve been inspired by countless stories of neighbors helping neighbors on Nextdoor. And now we want to hear from you!
Join our #ICanHelpChallenge to share how you can help, and to encourage others to connect and help one another as COVID-19 continues to have an impact on our communities. We are in this together.
Here’s how to join the #ICanHelpChallenge:
- Take a selfie with a sign that says “I Can Help”
- Share how you are stepping up to help a neighbor
- Tag 3 friends and challenge them to participate with #ICanHelpChallenge and @Nextdoor on Instagram, Twitter, and Nextdoor
SCJHS Principal William Dodds and Advisor Tammy Cruz have been very supportive of this club.
On March 4th representatives from the SRHS Excel Club attended and presented their club accomplishments to the SCJHS Jr. Excel students. Projects included relief package collection for Grand Cay K-12 School in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian, letters to veterans, and a blue jean drive for underprivileged kids. They also explained about the rigorous IB Program and encouraged those attending SRHS next year to become involved in the Excel Club. It was an excellent presentation where lots of questions and answers were exchanged before adjourning. Many thanks to Alex, Tamika, Patrick, and Anvar for taking your personal time to attend this club meeting!
April Birthdays
Andrew Rich 04/02
Alicia Hjalmeby 04/15
Rene Van deVoorde 04/20
Marilyn Waldis 04/22
April Anniversaries
Bill Middleton 6 Years
Randy Tremblay 6 Years
Paul Reeves 14 Years
Adam Preuss 22 Years
Community Involvement
During this time of uncertainty, we should reflect on our community and those businesses and individuals who contribute to make it so special. Here are just a few recent “positives” thanks to the generosity of local folks.
At Sandy’s Grille in Sebastian even though Sandy shut down her restaurant, she has dedicated her kitchen and food to help out the hungry with Love to Serve, Inc.
The majority of the food is going to feed the HOPE for Families Center Homeless Shelter. Plus 4 elderly families that can’t leave their homes.”
“I just had a wonderful Covid compliant experience! Not only did I meet a wonderful couple who praised my efforts, ran across a soft shell turtle kicking sand on me, burned about 500 calories and got a dandy dose of Vitamin D! What I was doing? Get yourself a pair of grabbers and a plastic bag and pick up some roadside trash! Feel great, try it!” – Resident, Wabasso
“At Roseland McDonald’s I mentioned I will buy anyone struggling a meal once a week. I believe I have missed several people. My hours Fri and Sun off rest of week I am night mgr Please come back” – Frank Nolan
Teens for Jeans Campaign
At the February 4th meeting members worked on decorating collection boxes for the 9th annual Teens for Jeans Campaign which mobilizes young people to collect jeans for teens experiencing homelessness across the country. (Pillars: Community & Youth). A total of 70 pairs of jeans were collected at SRHS and delivered on February 29th for this cause! Meetings are held on Tuesdays of each week immediately after school at 2:00 p.m. School Advisor Jaime Sturgeon has been instrumental in launching this club at SRHS. Contact Kathy Burns, Margie Duffell or Terry Gardner if you are interested in helping with the SRHS Excel Program.
Indian River Club: The club held its 4th Annual Toss Out Child Abuse Charity Cornhole Tournament on March 7th at Walking Tree Brewery. Thirty sets of partners teamed up, some arriving early to warm up and hoist a few limited-edition craft beers made especially for the tournament. A total of $3000 was raised for the prevention of child abuse and other local youth-oriented activities. Congratulations Indian River Club for your successes!
Fellsmere Club: Due to the Covid19 Virus the 2020 Shrimpfest & Craft Brew Hullabaloo scheduled for Friday, March 20th through Sunday March 22nd was cancelled. Watch the website at shrimpfestfl.com for any rescheduling possibilities.
This is a joint effort with the Rotary Club of Sebastian and will raise funds to support youth sports and organizations throughout north Indian River County.
Front: SRHS Excel members Anvar Ashrapov, Tamika Lazarre, Alexander Ortiz-Velez and Patrick Welch with Ms. Cruz (center back) and her students at the March SCJHS Jr. Excel meeting
SCJHS Principal William Dodds and Advisor Tammy Cruz have been very supportive of this club.
On March 4th representatives from the SRHS Excel Club attended and presented their club accomplishments to the SCJHS Jr. Excel students. Projects included relief package collection for Grand Cay K-12 School in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian, letters to veterans, and a blue jean drive for underprivileged kids. They also explained about the rigorous IB Program and encouraged those attending SRHS next year to become involved in the Excel Club. It was an excellent presentation where lots of questions and answers were exchanged before adjourning. Many thanks to Alex, Tamika, Patrick and Anvar for taking your personal time to attend this club meeting!
Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month. If you are interested in helping with this Junior Excel Program please contact Kathy Burns, Margie Duffell or Terry Gardner.
Margie Duffell
