Andrew Ganuza
Andrew is a senior at MHS. He gives much credit to coach Kurt Taylor and the football staff for encouraging and supporting his turn-around. Andrew told me, “Deciding to continue playing football changed me by giving me a greater perspective on life.” Starting with his junior year, he made terrific improvements in his academics and GPA and now will be attending college after MHS—at Montana State Northern, where he hopes to play football.
Andrew’s physics teacher says of Andrew: “He really matured and learned how to take on new challenges. Being part of a team is very important to him. He’s a sincere young man, willing to learn and doesn’t hesitate to ask for guidance and support.”
Our football coach, Kurt Taylor, says, “Andrew didn’t come out for football until his junior year—playing football really transformed his life—he became an immediate and outspoken leader on the team. He went from being an unmotivated student to a person who really wanted to better himself—physically in the weight room and on the football team, but also academically. He found a “self-being” and bought into really bettering himself in all areas.”
Cameryn Halliday
Cameryn is a junior at MHS.
Here are a couple of comments from two of Cameryn’s teachers:
“ This young lady has really stepped up and taken her education more seriously this year compared to years past. If you look at her previous grades, you can see that she has made improvements each year from 9th grade to 10th grade to currently. She is a joy to have in the classroom & even though she is repeating Geometry with me this year, she never complains about having to do it again. She knows what she needs to do & she’s definitely willing to put in the hard work & effort it takes to get it done!” — Kristy Gilmore
“Yes I agree and she has gotten involved with MHS band, Marching Band and drama. Always a great attitude and caring young lady.”
Dapri Miller
Dapri was nominated by our ROTC instructor, Captain Kip Briggs.
Dapri participated in three sports at MHS—football, basketball and tennis. He hopes to attend Lane Community College this fall, where he can play basketball for the school and study nursing.
Captain Briggs explained that Dapri participated in ROTC early in high school, but was a reluctant participant and didn’t do well. But Captain Briggs persisted, telling me, “…after he (Dapri) left the program we continued to talk and our relationship grew. I think he just needed someone to show interest in him as a person. He started working harder in his classes and came back to us for his senior year (because he couldn’t get into manufacturing as he told the class at the beginning of the year). He is now one of the hardest working students in the entire school. I am very proud of him!”
His physics teacher says: He’s a unique learner, who often figures out how to solve complex problems in different ways. He’s tough on the exterior, but possesses a soft heart. Over the past two years he has matured and become more selfless.”
Angel Solis
Angel, a junior at MHS, explains his turn-around as a student, saying: “I figured it out—that I had to buckle down and start focusing academically—particularly using my time well.”
Angel’s chemistry teacher says of him: “ He has learned to push himself academically. He asks excellent higher-level thinking questions. He is kind to other students and really is helpful assisting other students who struggle in class. He’s a cool kiddo—and he brings the entire classroom up to another level.”
His physics teacher says, “He was willing to drop learning habits and develop new habits. He shows an interest beyond academics to extra-curricular activities. He realized that he could become a ‘learner,’ and really embraced a growth mindset.”