Ryan Barcadepone, a sophomore here at West Morris Central, has shown determination in and out of classes. Whether it is keeping his high grades or putting in all of his effort in lacrosse practice, Barcadepone puts in a notable amount of strength in character. He states, “I keep my grades up, work hard, and stay on task.” During lacrosse, he states, “I practice a lot and work hard on the field.” Upon receiving this honor, Barcadepone expresses his pride and joy for his noticeable efforts; however, he did not expect to be awarded for it.. For future students, Barcadepone suggests, “Work Hard” as he has in Mrs. Galloway’s class which has shown to be more challenging than the rest of his classes. Yet, he has continued to try his best and keep persevering. Classmates have also noticed his determination as he is the freshman class president. Barcadepone continues to make the best decisions possible for his grade.

Mariana Guimaraes is new to the school. She is an exchange student from Brazil. Being new to America was a challenge. Mariana states, “everything was overwhelming.” Even though she missed her old friends back in her country, Mariana was able to make new friends and navigate through the school year with help. Marian not only shows her determination in wanting to gain more knowledge by experiencing a different country, but she also shows it by always challenging herself in and out of school in her classes and extra activities such as swim team and community service clubs. Mariana tries her best in all of her classes to get the best possible grades, and she goes above and beyond to ask questions when needed even though she is still learning English as the year progresses. Even though classes such as English and psychology are hard for her because of the vocabulary, she still loves to learn and get better because she wants to enjoy her time at WMC before having to go back home to Brazil. Marian offers advice to other WMC students: “Don’t be afraid of failure because everyone is here to try just like you, learning and pushing themselves towards opportunities.”

Sanchia Wilson is a senior and she is very serious about her school work. She always asks for help if necessary, and no matter how hard something is, she keeps going. Sanchia communicates with her teachers if doesn’t understand something she is doing, and she is very determined to find the answer and know what she is learning about. She is learning to do better with her time management even if it is a bit of a struggle at times. Sanchia does really well in math but struggles with biology. Luckily she has Mrs Gizas to help her when needed. She is involved in clubs and activities and hangs out with her friends and family, but mostly all of her time is spent on school work. Sanchia states, “no matter how hard anything is there is always a way to overcome that challenge. . .Education is a responsibility and teachers are here to help. Take into consideration the opportunities that are given and never give up what you want and if there are no trails to travel, set one that others follow.”