From The Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville Rotary Daybreak Club has named its Don Haisten Students and Teachers of the Month for October from Clay-Chalkville High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School.
The Student of the Month is Clay-Chalkville senior Gabrielle Kirk, who is a current member of the National Honor Society, class president and student athletic trainer. Kirk is also a member of the theatre club and officer of her high school sorority.
She has been recognized as an Alabama Power student, MVP of the athletic training team and is in the top 2% of her class, and voted “Best All-Around Award.”
Kirk has chosen history teacher Michael Campbell, as her Teacher of the Month. She had this to say about Campbell: “Mr. Campbell teaches history in a very advanced way, and he holds students accountable for their responsibilities. However, although he holds us to a collegiate level, he understands that we are high school students, and he is understanding of high school responsibilities. Homework isn’t a stranger; however, the amount of the classwork he gives and the way he constructs his class are very organized. He has a good balance between individual work and class interaction. Another thing about Mr. Campbell is that he is a very understanding person, and he is very reasonable. He’s also a comedic person, and tries to relate to his students and make us comfortable. I respect Mr. Campbell, and he is literally one of the best teachers I’ve ever had.”
The Student of the Month from Hewitt-Trussville is senior Matthew Antkowiak, who is a member of Alabama Boys State, Student Council Association, National Honor Society, and HTHS leadership team. Antkowiak is also a member of the Hewitt-Trussville Cross Country team. In May of 2020, Matthew started Free Lawn Care, a nonprofit designed to provide free lawn care service to elderly and disabled members of the community.
Matthew has chosen Kurt Kristensen as his Teacher of the Month. Kristensen is a Science teacher at Hewitt-Trussville who is known for his passion for teaching and for pushing his students to excel in and outside of the classroom.
The program is sponsored by Jim ‘n Nick’s Bar-B-Q. Each honoree received a gift card from Jim ‘n Nick’s Bar-B-Q. The Club currently meets at 7 a.m. on the first through fourth Wednesday mornings of each month, mostly by Zoom. For more information on the Trussville Rotary Daybreak Club, or to help with one of our projects, email Diane Poole at dianepoole1225@centurytel.net.