Jun 1, 2017

Student of the Week - May 31, 2017

Congratulations to Matt Fryer, who was named Student of the Week at this week's all-school meeting. Matt is a 10th grade Alpine athlete who comes to KMS from Hamden, CT. He was nominated for this award by History Department Chair Courtney O'Keefe. Courtney shared, "I have had the pleasure of having Matt in my U.S. History class this year. He is a respectful young man who is a great addition to my course. He is highly liked by his peers and his teachers and, when he gets going, can have a wicked sense of humor! This year I watched him and his academic progress closely, as requested by him on several occasions. There were times when he struggled, and times when he, himself, felt that he could have done better. It was at those times when I was able to talk with him about his work and offer suggestions on how he could improve academically going forward. I saw these improvements here and there throughout the year, noting them and encouraging him to push further. However, these improvements were nothing compared to the what Matt has been able to accomplished this last quarter; Matt has stepped up far beyond anything I have seen this year. His focus, work quality, and, most importantly, his academic confidence has improved substantially. His increased effort in making sure to give himself more time to accomplish his assignments, utilizing his free blocks and guided study halls more effectively, and taking time to polish his work has shown him to be both a student who cares about his academics as well as a student who cares about making himself better. He has increased his participation substantially in my class, whether it be asking a question when confused, seeking clarification when unsure, or adding to our class discussions to help others. A great example of this happened a few classes ago while I was explaining the concept of Keynesian economics and its relation to FDR's New Deal. It a concept that sometimes confuses students. As many students struggled with it and I struggled to break it down for them, I was surprised to hear Matt, out of nowhere from his place in the back of the room, chime in with an an easy to understand example that cleared up everyone's confusion. He nailed it perfectly and, basically, did my job for me at that moment. I was beyond impressed. After this class, Matt has engaged more on daily basis, really focusing on content and answering questions posed during class discussion. He steps up when he needs help, even emailing me to set up times to meet through the academic day. When we meet he is always ready with his questions and after I help him, he explains it back to me to make sure that he understood it correctly. Overall, it is apparent that Matt cares about his academics and wishes to improve to prove to himself that he can. I would like to point out that Matt has a clear goal of doing better in all his courses. He wants to get better grades and challenge himself because he knows that it will benefit him in the end and, I believe, he is starting to get the confidence to believe that he can achieve these goals. He's doing it and he is noticing it! Overall, he is a great young man who is starting to evolve into a growing and confident academic. Keep it up, Matt! There was never a doubt in my mind that you could do it!" Science Department Chair Terri Isidro agreed with Matt's nomination, explaining, "I second Courtney 's nomination of Matt Fryer. Matt has has done a great job in Biology this second semester. We have covered some rather complex topics but he is attentive and focused in class. He is supportive to his classmates and he follows directions and carries out procedures correctly in lab. Aside from his good efforts, Matt demonstrates natural proficiency in science. He is very bright, logical, and able to connect the dots in very complex scenarios. I'm impressed with the way he can wrap his head around difficult topics with no problem! Matt is a delight to have in class and I look forward to working with him on future studies." English Department Chair Alex Crivici commented, "I, too, would like to nominate Matt Fryer. As a teacher, I think that the most important tool that you can teach a student is the ability to believe in oneself. Through the majority of the year, Matt struggled with confidence and therefore refrained from participating in class, and his apprehension was also evident in his writing. Despite these obstacles Matt was able to work diligently and strive toward success. Within the last month, Matt has come to class ready to learn, engage, and participate with his peers. This rapid turnaround is in need of recognition and I only hope that Matt continues to flourish and grow through his time at KMS. Way to go!" Math Department Chair Steve Tuckerman added his thoughts as well, "Matt is doing better with me, also. Matt's grade for the quarter was 94%, which brought his end of year grade up a great deal. He cared and he tried this quarter."