Sophomore Mikey Vespignani’s passion can be shown through many aspects of his life, and clearly his teachers have noticed his constant energy in classes because they nominated him for Student of the Month. Vespignani states, “I try to be as motivated as possible in every subject I’m in. I guess passion went along with what I was trying to do.” Although he has had trouble in Spanish class, Vespignani continued to try and get past his struggles by, “advocating for myself most of the time and trying to get my work done as soon as possible.” He continues,, “I am having a really good year so far and my highs are that I made a lot of friends.” Vespignani’s passions include video games, specifically Mario as well as MOD, which is a type of computer science. In school, he is part of many choir activities and clubs. Vespignani states, “I’m a choir kid. I do this group called TNG and its after-schools. It’s an honors choir. I’m also in two of the school’s acapella groups. I made all eastern, which is everyone on the eastern coast singing in choir. I made all-state last year and I made regions this year which is a lot of fun. I love singing and I love choir.” He is proud to be nominated to represent the school as passionate. Vespigini states, “I feel like it’s an honor that they’re recognizing me.” For future students, Vespigini gives this advice: “Just be passionate about everything. Even if you’re judged, don’t care. Be yourself and everyone deserves to be loved even a little bit. So show others by smiling a little bit and be yourself.”
Maya Janssen, a junior at West Morris Central High School, was chosen for February’s student of the month. Maya demonstrates passion as she takes initiative towards her extracurricular activities such as orchestra, her acapella group, mixed choir, Central Theater, field hockey, culinary club, sign language club, WMR symphony and her band called the “The Patchwork.” Maya recommends to students that they stay focused on their goals and manage their time effectively. She also encourages them to learn and grow outside the classroom. Maya further advises students to to “prioritize their work and education, stay organized and never underestimate the power of hard work and perseverance. Additionally, I would encourage them to pursue their passions and interests, as doing what you love often leads to greater success and fulfillment.” She adds, “There will always be people there to help pull you through to success.”
Senior Noah Yocum goes through the day doing what he normally needs to do with a positive attitude, striving to be the best student he can be. Noah participates in 42747W/Legacy (a team for the robotics club) as the leader. He also works on other programming projects. He excels in robotics, tech and math classes and is always trying to become better for his future goals which is to finish out the school year and start college. He hopes to rebuild his resume in college and acquire more certifications for his field. Noah advises his fellow classmates to “Challenge what you think you are capable of and you will find new limits to break.”
