Senior Thomas MacDonald was honored as April Rotary Student of the Month. He was chosen for his leadership skills and academic excellence. MacDonald was thrilled when he found out he had received the award. 

“I was very excited,” MacDonald said. “I actually found out when I was on spring break and it gave me something to look forward to when I got home. It’s a great honor and I was very pleased to accept it.”

Typically, Rotary Students of the Month are invited to attend a luncheon. However, the event was held through a Zoom call due to COVID-19 limitations. Although MacDonald did not get the typical experience, he was thankful for the opportunity to meet new people.

“It was a bit disappointing because I love to interact with new people and I think it would have been really nice to be able to shake hands with some community members I have not met before,” MacDonald said. “However, it was still nice to see some new faces and hear about what is going on in the community.”

MacDonald was asked to choose a person of significance to accompany him on the call. He chose English teacher Holly Michelli. 

“I chose Mrs. Michelli because she has played a huge role in my education and also my journey to college,” MacDonald said. “She is the person I always go to when I have good or bad news to share or need to ask for advice.”

MacDonald was grateful to be recognized by the Rotary Club and learned a lot from the experience. 

“The biggest thing I learned was that it is important to listen to people who have different perspectives and knowledge than yourself,” MacDonald said. “Also, you can learn something new from any situation if you just listen.”