Student of the Week - Adam Stiefel

Congratulations to Adam Stiefel, who was named Student of the Week at Wednesday's all-school meeting. Adam is an 11th grade Freestyle athlete who comes to KMS from Peterborough, NH. Adam was nominated for this award by Social Studies Department Chair, Courtney O'Keefe.

Courtney shared, "I would like to nominate Adam Stiefel for Student of the Week this week. I have had the pleasure of having Adam as one of my students in my Cultural Anthropology course this year. It was apparent from our very first class that Adam LOVED Anthropology. The exploration of different cultures, their practices, and their world views and belief systems have fed into Adam's natural curiosity of the world and the people within it. His desire to understand others, his genuine openness towards learning new and exciting aspects of the world, has driven much of his motivation and participation in this course. Throughout the year, Adam has approached what we've been studying with an open mind, a willingness to understand, and the courage to both reflect and evaluate his own personal belief systems and world views. As a result, Adam has become more mindful and reflective- two qualities undoubtedly needed in the world today. His most recent work reflects both his excitement and passion for the subject. He has often worked ahead, choosing to continue working on assignments during his free periods. He has utilized many of these opportunities to consult me about his work, using the time to ask questions and to share his opinions and ideas in conversation. His most recent assignments have been analytical, reflective, and show his personal engagement with the subjects being learned in class. It should also be mentioned that I have also had the opportunity to see Adam in action with regards to his other courses, specifically English. His most recent English assignment was to write a Sonnet on two competing themes for a current Shakespeare Unit. For this, Adam produced one of the most brilliant pieces of creative writing I have ever read from such a young student. His ability to reflect upon as well as write about the competing themes of triumph and loss with such clarity and creativity blew me away and showcased Adam as both an intelligent and creative young academic. I am proud to offer this nomination for Student of Week for him. Excellent work, Adam!"

Science Department Chair Terri Isidro agreed with the nomination, "I would like to second Courtney in honoring Adam this week. As his advisor, I know he has had some challenges academically this year, but this spring he has really stepped up and worked to make a strong finish to the academic year. It's great to see him challenge himself to perform with as much excellence in the classroom as he shows on the slopes."

English teacher Nate Clifford agreed, "Adam has singlehandedly taken over my class these past two weeks. The talented young man has a gift for theater that is unparalleled in my three years of teaching. I have never heard text come to life in such a myriad number of ways. When we worked with Shakespearean Sonnets, Adam not only rose to the challenge of thematic composition but also structurally created the exact number of syllables and rhyme-schemes to fit the perfect Petrarchan format. His talent and sophistication with language and sound is simply astonishing. Pure fire. But don't take my word for it. Ask anyone in our eleventh-grade class who have witnessed his uncanny transformation between lords, monstrous servants and grand-standing fathers. Indeed, after day one, the other students actually asked if Adam could read the text, because they understood it better from his performances. Adam carries a breadth of emotional wisdom and tonal acuity that any performer would die for. He has the rare gift of a Victor Frankenstein, bringing life to the inanimate, underscoring emotional truths beyond his years, creating worlds from paper and ink."

Language Department co-chair Robert Cavanna added his thoughts about Adam as well. He shared, "Adam has shown great maturity this year. I'd like to echo Terri's sentiments with regard to Adam's commitment and work ethic, especially this spring. He has made great strides this year and is a completely different student for his efforts. Great job!"

Congratulations on a job well done, Adam!