Congrats to our first group of Students of the Month for the 2020-21 school year! Scroll down to read our Q&A with each program’s Student of the Month selection.
August 2020 Students of the Month:
- Ben C. (Options-Carmel)
- Ethan E. (Options @ Growing Minds)
- James M. (Options-Noblesville)
- Fazal S. (Options @ BACA)
- Arianna S. (Options @ HYCA)
- Lillian W. (Options Indiana)
Ben C.
Options-Carmel
Grade: 12th
How has the first month of the school year been for you?
It’s not been bad having to adapt to everything so far & things could be a lot worse, so it has been a good start to the school year.
Do you have any hobbies, passions or ways you enjoy spending your free time?
I like hanging out with my brother and we just talk about cars. I’m a big fan of cars in general, old school cars. Personally, I have a 1994 Jeep that I will soon be working on, but cars are my passion. My favorite car is a Dodge Dart.
What have you enjoyed most about the Options experience?
It’s been a bumpy road along the way, and I struggled with some things, but it’s been a great experience overall and I keep improving.
What is your favorite subject in school?
I’ve enjoyed History like no other class and Steve is a great teacher for it.
Have you improved in any areas since starting at Options?
I used to be a crummy person and didn’t really think about other people, but I have really improved at expanding my understanding and knowing there are many perspectives. The friends and teacher support helped me get off to a great start a couple years ago when I was a freshman and I keep growing.
Do you have any current plans or aspirations for after you graduate?
After I graduate with my diploma from Options, I’m going to apply to positions at three different electric companies in the Line Man role so I can help the storm team and help people in need, like those currently in Louisiana where the hurricane hit. I have been considering this and going into the Air Force, and this is something I could see myself doing.
Ethan E.
Options @ Growing Minds
Grade: 7th
Do you attend Growing Minds in Columbia City or Fort Wayne?
I attend in Fort Wayne and this is my second year.
Do you have any hobbies, passions or ways you enjoy spending your free time?
I usually spend free time playing games, but I also like to tell other people interesting stuff like facts from books and things to get you thinking. I also like telling and making jokes. I just like to make others smile and see their happiness. I also enjoy playing difference computer games and watching stand-up comedy.
What is your favorite thing about Options @ Growing Minds?
I like that you get to come in person and see the staff, because that has helped me a lot. Everyone here is also really nice and the teachers understand when you need to take a break and take a minute.
What is your favorite subject in school? Why?
I would say science and math. I like science more because I enjoy learning about different things, and how they work and might be connected.
Have you improved in any areas since starting at Growing Minds?
I’ve learned to focus more, and I haven’t been good at writing, so the structure has helped me get better.
Do you have any current plans or aspirations for after you graduate?
I want to be a stand-up comedian. I like to try to take things that happened to me and turn it into jokes. I got into comedy when I was five and my mom says I told my first joke and I don’t remember it, but she was crying laughing.
James M.
Options-Noblesville
Grade: I’m in 10th grade now, but I’ve been at Options for a few years. My sister graduated from Options in 2018 so I found out about it through her and I started in 7th grade at the same time the Options-Noblesville middle school opened.
How has the first month of the school year been for you?
Pretty good so far.
Do you have any hobbies, passions or ways you enjoy spending your free time?
What’s “free” time? I work all the time (haha). I have two jobs, I work at McGavic Outdoor Power during the week and I also have my own landscaping business, so I mow other times throughout the week and on the weekends too. That keeps me really busy. It helps that at Options, a lot of the schoolwork is done during the day instead of having a bunch of homework dumped on us every night, so I can use time outside of school for other things like working.
What have you enjoyed most about the Options experience?
It’s great how much the teachers help and care. They’re awesome. At my previous school, it was like the teachers just gave us work & went to sit at their desk
What is your favorite subject in school?
I would probably say history. Anything with the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam War, always has interested me because both of my great grandparents and other family members have served in the military. Military stuff has always interested me when I was growing up and having Josh (Curry) to teach the subject, it makes it even better.
Have you improved in any areas since starting at Options?
I’ve definitely become a lot more friendly and open. Before I started at Options, I used to keep to myself at my other school and not really talk to many people. I can really be myself and not need to disguise myself to fit in.
Do you have any current plans or aspirations for after you graduate?
I will probably go into the Army. Some people thing you might be doing it because you have no other choice, but I want to have a purpose for something, and I want to do something to give back & do my part. It is something that I’ve also been thinking about since I was little.
Fazal S.
Options @ BACA
Grade: 6th
How long have you been enrolled at BACA and/or Options @ BACA?
I started one month ago.
Do you have any hobbies, passions or ways you enjoy spending your free time?
I enjoy gardening with my parents and also mowing the law. I like watching Wild Kratts and Odd Squad on television.
What is your favorite thing about attending Options @ BACA?
I like being able to see & hang out with my friends.
What is your favorite subject in school? Why?
I like math because I’m good at it.
Do you have any current plans or aspirations for after you graduate?
I want to go to college after I graduate from high school. I want to be a doctor and specialize in gastroenterology.
Arianna S.
Options @ HYCA
Grade: 11th
What is your hometown?
Hanover, IN
Do you have any hobbies, passions or ways you enjoy spending your free time?
I like to play soccer and I really enjoy reading books.
What has your HYCA experience been like?
Overall, it has been very challenging and has pushed my limits, but it has made me a better person. I have a desire now to go further and gained the confidence to be better. I feel like it is from the environment and how there are such high standards for you and everything you do. They want things to be the best they can be, so with them pushing me and me seeing other people pushing through, it makes me want to be better. There are leadership positions here and that has forced me to gain confidence and lead others. I am currently Group Leader, so I oversee my academic group of 15 cadets and follow certain procedures during the day like marching.
What have you enjoyed most about the HYCA experience?
With all of the people here coming from different places and backgrounds, there is just so much diversity and that has been so nice to see. It has helped me realize to be more considerate to others and not everyone experiences things the same, so it has given me a wider outlook on life.
What is your favorite subject in school?
I really like science, and specifically chemistry. It is cool seeing the Period Table of Elements and just knowing everything is made up of those 100 plus elements, but everything is so much more complex than what we might think.
Do you have any current plans or aspirations for after you graduate?
By the end of my time at HYCA, I want to be Cadet First Sergeant, which is the highest-ranking cadet leadership. After HYCA, I am going to graduate from high school in a year & a half, go to college and be in some branch of military because I really like how the military works and its structure. Eventually, I want to be a crime scene investigator in a branch of the military. Before this, I wanted to be in forensic science in some way, but I have realized that I can also serve my country and have that honor as well to be helping the entire country while still doing what I love.
Lillian Wood
Options Indiana
Grade: 12
What is your hometown?
I’m located in Greenwood/Center Grove
Do you have any hobbies, passions or ways you enjoy spending your free time?
My main hobby is All-Star Cheerleading. I have been doing it for 16 years and love every single thing about it. I also love spending time with friends and family.
What do you enjoy most about being an Options Indiana student?
The thing I enjoy most about being an Options student is how it’s best fit for me. All of my teachers have helped me so much, and I feel like it’s what was best for me! The communication is amazing and everyone is so nice.
Do you have a favorite subject in school?
My favorite subject in school is English because it helps with reading, learning how to write properly, communication, etc. It’s good for real-life events.
Have you improved in any areas since enrolling at Options?
I have improved in math for sure. Math has always been one of my least favorite subjects, but I feel I personally have done so much better.
Do you have any current plans or aspirations for after you graduate?
After I graduate, I am going to work for my cousin’s business, hopefully to start my own in the future. My cousin is very successful in what he does. I am also planning on traveling to California to start doing videography/photography.
About Options Schools
Serving students in grades 6-12, Options Schools are free, public charter schools with brick and mortar campuses in Carmel and Noblesville & a new campus opening in Westfield in August 2021. Options also offers additional programs that serve students throughout the state of Indiana (serving over 90 school corporations). With a high-quality, individualized approach, Options was founded in 2002 and specializes in providing students with an inclusive environment and a student-to-teacher ratio of 15-to-1.
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