Katherine Wang, center, is honored as Rotary Student of the Month at the the March 10 meeting of the club. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.comRotary’s motto is “Service above Self” and to support this the Rotary Club of Los Alamos honors one student each month of the academic year. Los Alamos High School (LAHS) student Katherine Wang is the newest young person to receive this recognition.
She was honored during the regular club meeting Tuesday at the Manhattan Project Restaurant.
Rotary students of the month are first nominated by their teachers who are asked to select those who:
- have given positive contributions to their high school and in the community,
- have a good attitude towards learning,
- are good citizens, are respectful of their peers and teachers,
- and have good grades, attendance and classroom participation.
Rotary also selects students based on demonstrated spirit of service and exemplification of the Rotary Four-Way Test. The test includes four questions: is it the truth, is it fair to all concerned, does it promote good will and better friendship and will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Wang has made service part of her life and is also a well-rounded student. Her grade point average is 4.857 and she is involved in several community services, activities and athletics. She volunteers as a tutor at Saturday School, a program associated with the National Honor Society.
Other services include serving at the First Baptist Church as a pianist, assisting at League of Women Voters’ events as a student timer and moderator, and volunteering at the Betty Ehart Senior Center. Wang also is on the LAHS Girls’ tennis team, and is a member of the Hilltalker speech and debate team. Wang is a regular contributor to Teen Pulse in the Los Alamos Monitor and writes stories about local teens, foreign exchange students, and fashion.
Wang shared with Rotarians that one of the challenges facing today’s youth, which is the dangerous consequences resulting from children and teenagers who cut themselves off from the world around them and lack interpersonal connections with family or peers. During her training as a Child Evangelism Fellowship summer missionary, Wang learned to help children by putting her life aside and simply listening.
In an essay, Wang wrote, “No matter which VBS (Vacation Bible School) or Bible Club I was teaching, there was always at least one child who needed to be heard. Reaching out to children when they are younger later encourages them to ask for help from others. As a result, the community is able to tackle teen issues such as academic pressure, youth violence, and familial conflict more effectively. Ultimately, communal trust is established and youths everywhere find themselves living in a brighter and better society.”
