Rotary Club holds party to honor all Students of the Month

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@youmvi.com

The Monessen-Rostraver Rotary Club makes it a point to salute students from the Monessen School District who are shining stars among their peers.

Club members Lori Byron of the Mon Valley Independent and Dr. Leanne Spazak, a club member and superintendent at Monessen School District, said the club typically honors seniors and eighth graders from Monessen’s high school and middle school who are students of the month with a meal in the district board room. 

The youths are presented with certificates and network with club members as they share a little about their educational experience and future goals. Meeting the youths gives Rotarians a chance to learn about the academic passions of young people, helps club members get to know students who have the possibility of applying for Rotary scholarships and gives members a chance to plant the idea of some day joining the club into the minds of young Monessenites.

This school year, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions at schools and regarding gatherings — and because the club is conducting some of its operations virtually to curb the spread of the virus — the Rostraver Monessen Rotary hasn’t been able to sit down with the students of the month at club meetings to recognize them for being stellar students.

So on Thursday, Byron, Spazak and Rotary Club Secretary Michelle Watson, in conjunction with the Mon Valley Independent, gathered with seniors and eighth graders at the high school for a pizza party.

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