Scarlet Weinstein was surprised to receive the award of Student of the Month for Empathy. When talking about winning with a smile on her face, she states, “It’s cool. I got Ice Cream.” Weinstein continues, “I do like helping others. I like to put others ahead of myself.” Not only is she quick to give a helping hand, she is a hard-working student who puts in the extra effort needed to do the best she possibly can. Weinstein states, “I really try. I do the peer tutoring. That’s really good. I try my best.” She suggests, “Just try your best. Grades aren’t everything, but when you can, keep them up.”

Annabelle Ortiz is an active part of the WMC school community who is constantly showing empathy to classmates as well as teachers. Ortiz states, “I try to be really respectful towards my teachers and also show interest. I try to listen when they’re talking about something they’re interested in and not just space out. That could’ve been seen as something nice, a step forward after respectful maybe.” Not only does she show her interest in her teachers, but also with her classmates. Ortiz states, “I try to help people in my classes if I can if they’re not understanding the material.” An active participant in her educational classes, Ortiz also shows the same energy in her extracurriculars. A returning and active part of Unified, Annabelle makes sure to make everyone feel valued, no matter what. She is also a part of the girls soccer team as well as the school musical, and the honors group for All State and All Eastern Choir. Ortiz emphasizes the importance of empathy, in these activities and regular life. She states, “It helps connect you with people and people to connect back. Then you can build strong relationships like that.” In her personal life she makes sure to value all her friends, but also herself. It is important to surround yourself with people that help you. Ortiz states, “I try to listen a lot but honestly it goes both ways because I rant a lot. I like talking to them about what I’m worried about and we work together and they show me the respect that I try to show them. I’m able to talk about what bothers me and I hope that they feel that way too.” She gives advice to future students: “Try your best in whatever you do. Don’t compare yourself to people around you because I do that a lot and I was wondering how did I get this award when other people are doing more than I am. But it’s just the best you can genuinely be. If everyone is the best them that they can be then it would be great.”

Dylan Parkes, a junior at West Morris Central, is February’s Student of the Month because he exemplifies empathy. . Dylan does his work, he is there for his fellow classmates, and is always focused and engaged during school. He tries to have fun during his classes and make it enjoyable. Dylan says, “when it comes to academics, or really any goal, it is important to think about the fact that there are multiple ways to reach it, and figure out what works best for you. Without understanding a system that an individual can work by, I feel it can be harder to achieve their goals.” The most challenging part of the school year, according to Dylan, is to balance long-term goals and projects with a heavier workload. It is hard to stay focused on his objectives especially if it wasn’t related to academics while also dealing with daily activities and assignments, but Dylan powers through it.

Senior Kimberly Butynes appreciates the teacher’s acknowledgment of her dedication and her hard work she puts in classes. Kimberly was voted for empathy as she demonstrated the quality during school, always being there for her classmates and friends as she typically tries to do anyway, not just to be nominated and chosen. One piece of advice Kimberly would give to other students is to “just be yourself, enjoy yourself in classes because teachers actually love to see your actual personalities.” Kimberly is involved in theater and various clubs. She also swims competitively and works two jobs outside of school. Kim excels in English, Spanish and psychology. She finds math and science challenging but continues to work hard and have fun. Most importantly, she is kind to other students who might also be struggling in those classes. The hardest part of school for her is to balancing her workload. Kimberly’s goals are to enjoy her classes and the rest of the time she has left in West Morris Central as she often puts too much pressure on herself to be perfect. Her future goals are to graduate, attend college and have fun.