Spotlight on: Rory Clanton
September 2024 Senior Student of the Month
The Student Council decides monthly student and teacher awards with a specific category each month. The category for September 2024 was leadership.
The Senior Student of the Month awards go to two seniors per month who are nominated and voted on by Student Council members in grades 9-11.
The High School Teacher of the Month award goes to one teacher per month who is nominated and voted on by Student Council members in grades 9-12. All Teachers of the Month become eligible to become Teacher of the Year in June.
The September 2024 Senior Students of the Month are Rory Clanton and Anjali Saugh. The September 2024 High School Teacher of the Month is Caroline Lampert.
Read a Q&A with Rory Clanton below.
Q. How do you feel about being named Student of the Month for leadership?
A. I feel honored and thankful that my leadership and hard work has been recognized by my peers and teachers.
Q. What do you think makes a great leader?
A. I’ve always tried to help the people on my [cheerleading] team when I can. You can’t be a leader if you don’t share your input and try to guide others in the right direction.
Q. Can you share an example of a situation where you took the lead to help others or improve something at school?
A. As a captain, I really pay attention to everyone during my practices. If they need help, they know they can ask me questions because I always try to help them the best I can.
Q. Who has been a role model or inspiration for your leadership style?
A. My mom. She’s always been very independent, and growing up around someone like that made me also independent. I feel that this has made me more comfortable making my own decisions and using that to help or guide others.
Q. What is one piece of advice you would give to other students who want to develop their leadership skills?
A. Voice your opinions, share your ideas. If you stay quiet, you won’t achieve as much as you hope to.
Q. How do you balance your leadership responsibilities with your academics and other activities?
A. School should always come first. I try to get all of my homework done during my study halls, and then I can really focus on my sports and other activities after school.
Q. What are your goals after high school, and how do you plan to continue using your leadership skills?
A. My goal is to start out at a community college and get a better idea of what I want to do.