By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
The Board of Education Monday night at Dowagiac Middle School recognized six February Citizens of the Month.
Sister Lakes third grader Scott Hassle, Union High junior Nick Krizinski, DMS eighth grader Erin Stanton, Justus Gage Young 5 Adrian Lee, Patrick Hamilton fifth grader Michael Crider and Kincheloe second grader Lauren Smith received "Chieftain Hero" T-shirts, engraved plaques or framed certificates from the school board.
McKinley second grader Joy Roddy was unable to attend the ceremony.
Scott Hassle
Scott, son of Scott and Nicole Hassle, has one brother, Collin, in second grade, and one sister, Allison, in seventh grade.
Scott is in Debbie Loyd's class. He was introduced by Principal Marcy Hendress.
He is a very good student academically and gets along with everyone.
Being a conflict manager at school has given him even more skills than he had before when it comes to solving problems.
At home, Scott likes to jump on the trampoline in the summer and to dig holes in the snow in the winter. He also likes snow boarding.
Scott plays indoor and outdoor soccer, baseball and football.
Scott's favorite subjects in school are science and social studies.
He loves to learn about animals. In social studies, he likes to learn about different countries.
When Scott grows up, he wants to be a farmer like his dad. Everyone in his family farms.
Nick Krizinski
Nick, a junior, is the son of Frank and Judi Krizinski. He was nominated by his English teacher, Rich Frantz, who states, "Nick Krizinski is a renaissance man in training. His interests are wide and extend beyond his school, his community and his peer group. Nick has a thirst for knowledge and experience that is truly rare in today's student. Nick refuses to be one-dimensional. He does not limit himself to one pursuit. He is a student, an athlete and an arts enthusiast. Perhaps most important, Nick is a compassionate young man who feels a strong duty to better his school and his community. For these reasons and so many more, I nominate Nick Krizinski to be student of the month."
Frantz said Nick's experiences encompass golf, opera, foreign movies and literature by James Joyce. He was presented by Principal Paul Hartsig.
Erin Stanton
Erin, 14, is the daughter of Mike and Melissa Stanton. She was introduced by Principal Mike Frazier.
She has one brother, Mike, a junior at DUHS, and three sisters, Danielle and Caroline at Bob Jones University, and Christy, a sophomore at DUHS.
Erin is a member of the eighth grade black team.
Erin thinks she was nominated because she always tries her hardest and is her own person.
Erin plays basketball and volleyball at school and plays softball in the summer.
She is president of Student Council and vice president of Honors Club.
She is a percussionist in band and likes to be with her friends and her youth group at church.
She thinks she would also like to go to Bob Jones.
Her favorite class is history. She would like to be a pediatrician.
She likes all of her teachers, but Tim McCoy, who nominated her, is "awesome." He nominated her for her strength of character and how she excels in and out of the classroom.
Adrian Lee
Adrian, a student in Sarah Proctor's morning Young 5's class, is the son of Julie Schoff and Lawrence Lee. He works hard at school and makes good choices every day. He helps at clean-up time and is a very good listener on the carpet.
Adrian's favorite activity at school is centers. He loves to play at the house and to work at the yellow table with Mrs. Collins. Adrian enjoys practicing his name every day.
Adrian has an older brother, Donovan, in second grade at Justus Gage. He also has two younger sisters, Kenya and Triana, both at home.
Principal Bob Franz introduced Adrian.
Michael Crider
Michael, 11, is in Bryan Henry's room. He is the son of Robin and Mike Crider. Michael has one brother, Brandon, and one sister, Brandy. Principal Lin Mallory presented him.
Social studies is one of Michael's favorite subjects. He is interested in geography and USA Studies Weekly.
For fun, Michael likes to hang out and go sledding with his two close friends, Merissa and Jacob.
He also enjoys playing SIms on PlayStation and swimming in the summer.
Michael loves to eat his mother's fried chicken nuggets and fries.
"I would describe Michael as an extremely well-behaved and diligent-working student who is an exceptional role model for his peers," Henry says.
Lauren Smith
Lauren, 7, a second grader in Brenda Wagner's class, is the daughter of Julia and Everett Smith. She has an older sister, Emily, in seventh grade who plays volleyball. Principal Dan Smith joked that she was selected for her last name.
Lauren likes to draw and paint. When she is at school, Lauren likes to do math – especially addition. She likes to go to physical education class because you get to run in the gym. She also likes to go to the library to listen to the stories and to watch movies.
When she is home, Lauren likes to play house or work on the computer with her sister. She also likes to watch SpongeBob on TV. Lauren enjoys the Cass County Fair and plans to show a goat there this summer.
Lauren is also a good writer and likes to write about her friends and to use her imagination.
When she grows up, she wants to be an artist so she can make her own pictures for other people to see.
Joy Roddy
Joy is in Shannon Hatch's class. Mrs. Hatch says Joy is a very hard, conscientious worker. She strives to do her best when writing in class.
Joy gets along very well with her peers. She enjoys being helpful.
Joy always has a smile on her face and her behavior has improved tremendously in the last few months.
Joy lives with her mom, Lisa Roddy. She has four sisters. Two, Telayah and Nastassia, attend McKinley with her.
Kay Tularak is her principal.