The Falcon Exchange Club honored its first Youth of the Month recipient in a ceremony in January. Erin Welsh, a senior at Falcon High School, received a plaque and a $50 savings bond.Welsh is ranked fifth in her class, with a grade point average of 4.283 out of a 4.0. She also has received awards in theater, voice music, science and social studies. In addition to her academic achievements, Welsh is active in her church and participated in its summer service project. She also babysits at no charge for low income families.Welsh plans to major in English education and theater in college.February’s recipient was Naomi Willoughby, a senior at Falcon High School. Willoughby maintains a GPA of 3.4 and has received numerous academic awards. She is a member of the Health Academy at FHS and attended the National Youth Leadership Forum on medicine in Phoenix, Ariz. Willoughby also volunteers at Memorial Hospital and is working on becoming a certified nursing assistant and an emergency medical technician. Willoughby’s future goals include medical school, where she plans to specialize in obstetrics or emergency medicine.The Youth of the Month program recognizes high school students who exhibit outstanding academic achievement, community involvement and leadership skills. Falcon High School senior class counselors nominate students who meet the qualifications. The selected students are then asked to prepare an essay based on a subject selected by the National Exchange Club. The essays, along with student biographies, are forwarded to the Falcon Exchange Club’s youth committee, and they select the winner. Each winner’s essay is submitted to the district level for a chance to compete for a $750 scholarship. That winner goes on to compete at the national level for a $10,000 scholarship, which is awarded at the national convention in St. Louis, Mo., in July.The Falcon Exchange Club will recognize a winner for the months of March and April at their regular meeting on March 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Heritage Grill in Latigo Trails. For information on joining the Exchange Club, visit www.falconexchangeclub.com.
