April 16, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County High School continued its monthly observance Thursday of recognizing a teacher, student, and parents or guardians of the month.
Each received a certificate from the school and a gift card for a meal from DJ’s Pizza and Steakhouse in Alexandria. A different restaurant offers a meal gift card to each month’s honorees.
Math teacher Sara Young was selected by the administration as Teacher of the Month while Sophomore Alyssa Crook is Student of the Month, voted on by the teachers. Guardian of the month is Sherry Daniels and this honor was based on a winning essay written by her niece Aleaha Miller, a 17 year old Junior at DCHS.
DCHS Assistant Principal Thomas Cagle said Ms Sara Young is very deserving of the Teacher of the Month Award.
“Ms Young is one of our teacher leaders here at DCHS. She is on the instructional team. Sara is a level 5 teacher and has been a mentor and helper to me since I have been here as a teacher. She does so much for the students here. Sara is part of the Tiger Boutique where we do the clothing donations for the students who are in need. She is also in charge of the special needs prom. Ms. Young does so many wonderful things for our students and for the administration here this is just a small way for us to tell her thank you for all the things she does,” said Cagle.
“This is an honor and I am so thankful,” said Sara. “ This is my 10th year as a teacher and I have been here at DCHS all 10 years. I teach math. I have taught Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Statistics. I also teach a service learning course. This course allows general education students to pair up with students with special needs in CDC. The general education students work as a peer buddy with them and help them work on social skills, life skills, and educational skills that are identified as needs for the student with special needs,” Young continued.
“We are currently getting things ready for the special needs prom which is coming up on May 6 and we are very excited about that and I want to thank the community because without the support of the community we couldn’t have the special needs prom or the Tiger Boutique, especially this year when we have gone solely off of donations without a fundraiser. Again I want to thank the community for all their support to make this possible,” said Young.
Alyssa Crook, the 16-year-old daughter of Randy and Amber Crook, said she is excited to have been named Student of the Month. “It was surprising. I wasn’t expecting it. Alyssa, who lives on a farm with her parents and younger brother and sister Benjamin and Abby Crook, said she loves farm life and enjoys raising sheep. As a student, Alyssa is also active in the FFA and 4-H having recently attended both the state FFA Convention and 4-H Congress. After she graduates, Alyssa said she plans to go to college and become a veterinarian.
“Alyssa was nominated for her efforts, specifically through 4-H and all the wonderful things she has been able to do for the 4-H program this year,” said Cagle. “She is a model student. Alyssa is quiet but works hard and earns good grades. She is just an excellent student and is a great example for the rest of our students here at the school. She exemplifies the characteristics we want from our students and we look forward to seeing how she grows and what she does after she leaves DeKalb County High School” , said Cagle.
As for parent or guardian of the month, Cagle said Sherry Daniels is a great example of what the honor represents
“Sherry Daniels is Aleaha Miller’s aunt and Aleaha stays with her. Aleaha wrote an essay just describing the many different ways Ms Daniels has been able to provide for her throughout her life. Her essay was very well written. Aleaha is a very good student here at the school. She couldn’t be here today for the award presentation because she is on a science club field trip but we couldn’t be more proud to be able to honor her and her aunt through this essay and contest,” said Cagle.
When asked about how she felt being named guardian of the month, Daniels said “It is an honor. I am really happy and proud that Aleaha thinks of me in that way. I try as hard as I can with her and her brothers, taking care of and raising them as I have for almost 13 years,” said Daniels. “Aleaha is a very good student and niece. She is on the A-B Honor Roll and tries her hardest. She is on the tennis team and is involved with everything to do with music and singing including the musical plays and she also works at Kilgore’s Restaurant. I love her and thank her for nominating me. I also want to wish her a happy birthday, which she just celebrated,” said Daniels.
“These awards are a way for us to acknowledge students who are performing exemplary each month. This isn’t always going to be for your straight “A” student. It’s for those putting in the effort to make DeKalb County better each and every month. Every teacher can nominate a student and all teachers vote on the student nominated. Teachers are voted on by the administration. The parent of the month award is determined by student essays. Students can write an essay each month and nominate their parent for a chance to win. In the essays, students can highlight things the parents are doing in their life outside of school that we may not know about,” said Cagle.