Sebastian Exchange Club’s Young Citizenship Award honors pre-high school students who demonstrate good citizenship daily at school and home. It does not necessarily seek to salute star scholastic or athletic performers. Instead, the program is designed to recognize and encourage honest, hardworking, helpful, and fair youngsters.
In practice, the Young Citizenship Award provides classroom teachers with an effective tool to further motivate promising students. It also provides Sebastian Exchange Club with an enjoyable opportunity to supply the encouragement that can be so vitally important in shaping the characters of youngsters at an impressionable time in their lives.
Sebastian Exchange Club is proud to present the November Young Citizenship and Youth of the Month award recipients:
Joniah Holson – Sebastian River Middle School
Joniah is a mature young lady who truly values education and learning and is not afraid to ask for help if she needs it. She is not only an Advanced IB Student, but she also is the Vice President of the school’s National Junior Honor Society and a member of the cheerleading team.
She is a leader and a team player in the classroom, blending in where she needs to for the particular lesson. Joniah puts forth her best effort in class every day. She is caring, respectful, conscientious, and always ready to learn. Joniah serves as a role model for her classmates to look up to and be inspired by. She has drive, integrity, and self-confidence. Simply put, she possesses all the qualities necessary for success both in school and in life. She is the epitome of a model student!
Torilynn Roux – Sebastian Charter Junior High School
Torilynn is focused, conscientious, responsible, creative, clever, and funny. Tori is an incredibly hardworking and detail-oriented student. She works amazingly well with all the students in her class and is always willing to help out when needed. She pays attention to details, is creative, and is a perfectionist. Torrilynn is an achiever and leads with a calming demeanor. In the classroom, she leads discussion; as creative director of the National Junior Honor Society, their fundraisers are unfolding, and bulletin boards are bursting with flair. She is also a masterful writer and excels in all subject areas. In 7th grade, she had an excellent Science Fair project which qualified her to compete in the Indian River Regional Science & Engineering Virtual Fair. There she earned 3rd place in the Plant Sciences category.
The Youth of the Month Award recognizes hardworking high school students who attain high academic achievement, community involvement, and leadership. This proven program not only rewards outstanding young people but also provides an incentive for other youngsters to strive for equally high levels of achievement.
Ayla Guven – Sebastian River High School
Ayla is an IB Diploma Candidate with a weighted GPA of 4.5 and ranked 7th in her class. She is a National Honor Society Member and holds Digital Information Technology Certifications in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. She is a member of the Chick-Fil-A Leader Academy, Peer to Peer Counselor in the mentoring program to help elementary students. Ayla has interviewed veterans to record their stories in the Teens Listen program. She has volunteered for the Night to Shine prom for special needs students. Ayla works at Walgreens and loves to spend time with her family and friends going to the beach, and fishing.
When accepting her award, she thanked our club and her mom and gramma for always supporting her in this “tough” IB Program. Ayla has applied and been accepted to USF and UNF.
Justin Land – Sebastian River High School
Justin is an IB Diploma Candidate with a weighted GPA of 4.51 and class rank of 6th. He is a member of the National Honor Society, an AP Scholar, and a member of the SRHS Excel Club. Justin is Executive Captain of Band Crew of Sebastian River High School Marching Sharks and Pride of Sebastian Band, 1st Chair Saxophone in Wind Ensemble, and scored four superior ratings at the Florida Band Association Solo and Ensemble Festivals. He is also a member of the Varsity tennis team.
Justin has worked in the Invertebrate Zoology Lab at the Florida Museum of Natural History and interns at ProAquatix Ornamental Fish Farm, adhering to strict biosecurity protocols. Justin is employed as an Event Specialist at Magnolia Manor, setting up weddings and managing logistics during events.
When accepting his award, Justin thanked the Exchange Club, school advisors, and his family for their support. He has applied to UF, Auburn, University of Miami, and UNF.
The Exchange Club of Sebastian is a service organization striving to make our community a better place to live, with emphasis on the prevention of child abuse. Consider attending a noontime luncheon meeting any Wednesday, except the first Wednesday of each month, to find out more about Exchange. Visitors are always welcome.
