The Rotary Club of Westerville, which sponsors a Student of the Month program, recognized recipients at a luncheon at Villa Milano held on Thursday, April 4. April students are Payton McCarthy, Westerville Central High School; Caden Crist, Westerville North High School; Jalil Jackson, Westerville South High School; and Justin King, St. Francis DeSales High School.
The purpose of the program is twofold: to recognize outstanding pupils who have distinguished themselves by serving their school and to expose them to the Rotary Club and its ideal of “Service Above Self.” Students selected join Rotarians for lunch every week for a month, and have the opportunity to interact with members.
Payton McCarthy, a senior at Westerville Central High School, has earned a 4.4065 grade point average (GPA). AP Chemistry and Honors Anatomy are her favorite subjects of study. She is a member of the Computer Science Club and the National Honor Society. She is also a KEY Club officer and girls varsity goalkeeper. McCarthy volunteers at Mt. Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital and at the Westerville Area Resource Ministry. She recently wrote and received a grant from the Westerville Education Foundation to bring Stop the Bleed training to her school. McCarthy has earned numerous academic and athletic awards, and was a Buckeye Girls State delegate. She plans to study Nursing at The Ohio State University.
Senior Caden Crist loves computer science and programming. He hopes to one day create his own startup and turn it into a Fortune 500 company. He is off to a good start, earning a 5.0625 GPA at Westerville Central High School, where Computer Science, Math and Physics are his favorite subjects. Crist has received a number of academic and athletic honors. Extracurricular activities include football, wrestling, Lacrosse, class officer, Leadership Summit, WALT member, Junior Mentor, Superintendent Advisory Committee, Student Section Leader, Safety Leadership Team, Astronomy Club and Warrior2Warrior tutor. He volunteers for Neighborhood Bridges and currently holds a part time job at Whit’s Frozen Custard in Uptown Westerville. He plans to study Computer Science and Mathematics in college.
Jalil Jackson is a senior at Westerville South High School. He holds a 3.2 GPA and Business is his favorite subject of study. This student athlete participates in track and football. He was named Student of the Month and has been listed on his school’s Honor and Merit rolls. He served as a Junior and Senior mentor. Jackson plans to study Business Administration at Wright State University in Dayton.
Math and Science are favorite subjects for DeSales senior Justin King, who has earned a 4.356 GPA. He has played the piano for 10 years and is a Math Club officer. King is active in the Young Life Youth Group and Corral for the Kids, and has volunteered with canned food drives, walks for the poor and support for the Ronald McDonald House. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Italian National Honor Society, and has earned Franciscan Sister and Provost scholarships. He plans to study Computer Science Engineering in college.