By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
When Chiefland City Commissioners honored their Students of the Month Monday with certificates, one sweet moment occurred at the start of the presentations that no one was expecting.
Commissioner Lewrissa Johns, who made the presentations, called the name of Chiefland Elementary School student Savannah Hill, but no one responded in the crowd and many thought she might not be present.
Within a few moments, the 2nd grader emerged from the back of the audience walking hand in hand with her dad, Joshua Hill and took her place between her father and the commissioner.
After a few moments, her father let go of her hand and Savannah stood with Johns and accepted her award as Johns read the words of CES teacher Sherry McElroy showering her with praise.
Commissioners rotate the duty of handing out Student of the Month certificates from one meeting to the next. Johns had taken over the duties from Commissioner Rollin Hudson who was late.
All five commissioners handle the presentations well, but as it turned out Johns was the mother figure needed for the moment. She walked back to gently encourage Savanna to come forward when she was acting a bit shy.
The combination of two adults, Johns, and her father, encouraging her seemed to make a difference. After arriving at John’s side, she listened to the words of praise from her teacher, Sherry McElroy, read by Johns.
“Savannah is a kind and caring student. She is a great role model for her classmates. She is extremely kind and thoughtful of others. She comes in each morning with a smile on her face and is ready to learn! She works hard in class and takes her schoolwork seriously. She has such a positive attitude and is a pleasure to teach.”
The second presentation was made to Leslie Reyes-Vasquez, a 7th grader at Chiefland Middle High School and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Reyes. She was nominated by the 7th-grade teachers. They spoke well of Leslie.
“Leslie is a model student. She gives 100 percent effort to her academic work. She listens attentively in class and does whatever she can to keep her grades up. She has an all-A average for the first semester. Not only does she excel academically, she is a role-model behaviorally. She is kind, polite, and respectful to adults and her peers. This honor is well-deserved, and Chiefland Middle is lucky to have Leslie as a student. We look forward to big things from her.”
Iziah Brown, son of John Brown and a 12th-grader at Chiefland Middle High School was nominated by the 12th-grade teachers. The teachers had high praise for Brown.
“Iziah is always polite and courteous to everyone he meets. He frequently does the morning announcements at CMHS and brings such cheer as he reads the daily events. He works hard academically and participates in a variety of activities at CMHS. He is always willing to lend a helping hand to adult or fellow student.”
Students are given a certificate a $20 Walmart gift card courtesy of Chiefland Rotary Club.
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City of Chiefland Regular Meeting January 10, 2022; Posted January 12, 2022
