Hard work doesn’t go unnoticed by the Elizabethton Lions Club.
During the organization’s regularly scheduled meeting at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in Elizabethton, the Club recognized Sydney Wright and James Arwood as recipients of the organization’s “High School Student of the Month” awards.
Providing an outlet for recognizing students from city and county high schools is important, according to Yolanda Vestal, who presented both with an award during the meeting.
“There are so many students in the school systems that are doing great and beautiful things, but they go unrecognized,” Vestal said. “The only people who know what they’re doing may be the principals, counselors, other students and that’s it. This is a way for us to recognize those that mean a lot to our community.”
The student of the month is selected by the counselor of a school within the county and is approved by the school’s principal. The criteria for the award, according to Joe Hoskins — student of the month chair and Lions Club member — is good citizenship, good grades, good behavior and how well the student gets along with his or her peers, teachers and administrative staff.
Arwood and Wright were both presented with a certificate, $20 gift card to Wal-Mart and free lunch provided by Beef ‘O’ Brady’s.
The goal of the Lions Club is to provide help to area children and often take part in various activities throughout the community to raise funds for different projects. Individuals looking to be part of the group can attend a meeting either on the second or fourth Thursday of each month at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s at noon.
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• Syndey Wright — Wright is a senior at Elizabethton High School and is the daughter of John and Tammy Wright and attends First Baptist Church.
According to the Club, Wright is an extremely hard worker and is well-respected by both the faculty and student body of EHS. Her hard work has resulted in an extremely well-rounded young woman. Wright is continuing her education at East Tennessee State University.
Wright takes part in various clubs, including Drama, Yearbook, newspaper, FCCLA and is a member of the swimming team.
She also is a recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English Writing Award, member of the top 10 percent of her graduating class with a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the 200-meter freestyle swim team that holds an EHS record. Wright plans to major in Radio, TV, and Film at ETSU.
• James Arwood — Arwood is a senior at Cloudland High School and has been a member of the varsity baseball and football teams during his school year. According to the Club, not only is James an excellent student and friend to everyone, but he is a leader at the school. Arwood is the founder of the Roan Mountain Youth Bible School Study that takes place every Tuesday night and is a Sunday school leader at his church. Along with his extracurricular activities, Arwood maintains a 3.5 GPA.