Who should be named Pensacola News Journal's Student of the Week? Cast your vote
Welcome to the Pensacola News Journal's Student of the Week poll.
The best and the brightest of Escambia and Santa Rosa County high schools will be highlighted weekly, with readers choosing the student they believe is best deserving of the top honor. All of the students in the weekly poll are nominated by school officials who know better than anyone their academic achievements.
Merely being on the list each week is an incredible feat.
Each school district is allowed to nominate up to six students weekly but are not required to nominate a specific number.
This week's poll includes nine candidates for one top Student of the Week. To vote: Scroll to the bottom of this article.
The poll will be posted at pnj.com each Tuesday, and voting will end on Friday at noon each week.
Vote for the best of the best. Below are all the nominees.
J.M. Tate High School - Aneesa Gallegos
Aneesa Gallegos, 12th grade: Aneesa is a kind, gentle soul. She always has a subtle, sweet smile on her face and even though it is quiet and unassuming, her positivity shines through daily. Her teachers love teaching her and having her in their class.
Success Academy - Colten Glass
Colten Glass, 10h grade: Colten has good attendance. Colten does his work well, and assists other students when needed. He is a great student at Success Academy.
Pine Forest High School - Nilajah Lopez
Nilajah Lopez, 12th grade: Nilajah is very creative on her projects and contributes to class discussions. All of her artwork and article writing is a great contribution to the class. She is excellent. She is prompt, friendly, flexible, and always willing to help out. She has been a great asset to the library. Nilajah works hard in SGA to make sure everything gets done in a timely manner. She volunteers for tasks and always makes sure to help when anyone needs it. She participated in all after school activities with SGA and she always has a smile for everyone she sees. She was only in SGA for her senior year, but I know the class could have benefited greatly if she had joined sooner.
West Florida High School - Aldonjra Redmond
Aldonjra Redmond, 10th grade: When you say the name Aldonjra there are several words that are synonymous to describe who he is: overcomer, fighter, winner, and warrior are just a few. To know him is to love him. He is a mannerable, kind, gentle, humble young man who is a true inspiration to all who meet him. Although his sight presents obstacles, he finds a way every day to persevere and keep pushing. To know that he achieves academic success, drives and much more with just one eye is phenomenal.
Escambia High School - Kristiaun (Krissy) Watson
Kristiaun (Krissy) Watson, 12th grade: Kristiaun (Krissy) Watson is a dedicated and engaged student. She attends Escambia High School and is currently enrolled in English 4, US Government, Algebra 2, and has a Diversified Cooperative Training (DCT) Internship which provides hand-on experience working as a Dean’s Assistant in the Dean's Office. Krissy is a leader of the pack in English 4 class and even aids her peers in their learning offering firm guidance with a bright smile and support. She excels in all of her courses as a professional student. She is achieving her goal of attending Pensacola State College because of her utmost dedication to high academic performance, earning a 3.9 GPA. Krissy’s DCT Teacher, Ms. Riley boasted that “Krissy is an outstanding student. She has great attendance and she stays on task, she is very focus driven and she takes her education seriously. Krissy is a (DCT) Diversified Cooperative Training student which means she is allowed to attend school in the morning and work in the afternoon. Krissy is successful with balancing school and work. Even while working and attending school, Krissy continues to reach high academic heights as she continues to maintain above a 3.9 G.P.A. In addition to her great academic performance Krissy has a very polite and professional demeanor; she is simply a joy to be around”. In US Government, Krissy sits up front and is always on task. When something is unclear, she asks questions to make sure she understands. The class was assigned a Presidential Roller Coaster Project and Krissy was the only student to earn a 100%. She really does her absolute best and excels at everything she does. In Algebra 2, Krissy has maintained exceptional grades. She is responsible and always asks questions to get help on topics that are unclear to her. She is very helpful and contributes to a successful work environment. Overall, being nominated for Student of the Week is a commendable achievement and reflects positively on her academic performance and involvement in her school community. Her combination of academic courses and a CTE Internship demonstrates a well-rounded educational experience.
Northview High School - Jaquez Moorer
Jaquez Moorer, 12th grade: Jaquez is a very intelligent, polite, and highly successful student at our school. He is involved in multiple activities and has received many recognitions. He is a BETA Club member and is also a three-year member of the Atmore Rotary Club Academic All-Stars. Jaquez represents our school on the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council, and he serves as the Secretary on our School Advisory Council. He even plays on our Varsity Boys Basketball Team, Tennis Team, and was a player on our State Runner-up Football Team. Jaquez successfully participated in all of these activities while earning a 4.51 weighted GPA. He represents himself and our school so well. We are so proud of him.
Booker T. Washington High School - Katherine McDaniel
Katherine McDaniel, 12th grade: Katherine is an AP scholar and ranks in the top 10 of her class. She has served on Student Government for all four years of high school, leading the way in the annual 5K run and in beautification projects on and off campus. She has also served as copy editor of the yearbook for two years and is actively involved in Jayettes, National Honor Society, Rho Kappa, and the Wildcat Institute Advanced Placement Club. Katherine has also found time to volunteer at Scenic Heights Elementary School, Cordova Park, and the Council on Aging.
Navarre High School - Hezekiah Duenas
Hezekiah Duenas, 12th grade: This student is a prolific artist! Extremely talented! His submissions to our school art show deserve recognition!
Central High School - Ansley McLeod
Ansley McLeod, ninth grade: Ansley won first place in the High School Nonfiction category of the Emerald Coast Writers Annual Youth Writing & Art Contest.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Who should be named PNJ's Student of the Week? Cast your vote
