The Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties is pleased to announce the following Students-of-the-Month for January 2024: Luke McNeill (Gatewood), Eric Dolan (Greene County High School), Tucker York (NGA), Jane Monachello (LOA), and Kai Trott (Putnam County High School).
December students Ridhdhi Sukha (LOA) and Nathan Shuman (NGA) were also recognized.
Luke McNeill is a senior at Gatewood Schools. His parents are Robbie and Carrie McNeill. Luke is an honor student, a member of the National Honor Society, president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) All-Scholastic Team Member, a member of the Anchor Service Club, and a member of LakePoint Community Church in Eatonton. He also serves on the Farmers & Merchant’s Bank Junior Board of Directors.
Luke is a Gatewood varsity football and soccer player and a member of the varsity boys track team. Luke earned the 2023 Scholar-Athlete Award for the varsity football team and was also chosen as co-captain of the varsity football team with the presentation of the 2023 Captain Award.
Luke has shot competitively in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) with the Lake Oconee Shotgun Team for six years, where he has earned nine National awards between 2020 and 2023.
Luke has offers from multiple universities to shoot for their Clay Target teams, but he is undecided as to where he will attend at present, as he is still visiting those schools to find the best fit and path to medical school. He plans to be a specialized surgeon. Luke selected Tyler VanDusen as his teacher of the month.
Eric Dolan is a senior at Greene County High School. Son of Angel Brown and Scott Blackwell, Eric has lived in Greene County since kindergarten.
Since then, he has taken an interest in flying for the United States Air Force. To get ahead with pursuing his dream of being a fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force, Eric joined the AFJROTC program at Greene County High School and is the previous Corps Commander.
In addition to this, ERIC is a previous member of the Civil Air Patrol, a current member of the BETA Club, a current member of FFA, a current member of the Greene County High School track team, and the founder of the Greene County High School student council.
Eric also has an interest in politics and intends to participate in local and/ or national politics after retiring from the Air Force. In ten years, Mr.
Dolan sees himself being a fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force. Julie Benkoski is Eric’s chosen Greene County High School teacher of the month.
Jane Monachello is a senior at Lake Oconee Academy. Her parents are Joe and Eileen Monachello. Jane has attended LOA since third grade and is an active participant in many school extracurricular activities.
She is the manager of the football team, a co-captain of the varsity basketball, and was a member in 2022 when the team won the GHSA single-A public state championship. Jane also takes work-based learning and has two jobs she reports to weekly.
After high school, Jane plans to attend the University of Georgia and pursue a degree in business management because she hopes to be an entrepreneur after college. Ms. Kourtney Kelley is Jane’s chosen teacher of the month.
RidhdhiSukha is a senior at Lake Oconee Academy High School and is the December student of the month.
Her parents are Bhavana and Dinesh Sukha. A high school honor roll student, Ridhdhi is a member of the National Beta Club, and Student Government Association, and a secretary for the Teen Advisory Board at Greene County Library.
She enjoys hiking, knitting, and playing piano in her free time.
Ridhdhi also volunteers for the R.E.A.D. program by Intermountain Therapy Animals. Ridhdhi considers her love for stories as her most positive attribute.
James Baldwin is the person Ridhdhi respects the most. She respects him because of his thoughtfulness and boldness in standing up for himself after high school.
She plans to attend the University of Georgia and pursue a degree in Applied Biotechnology. Ridhdhi sees herself as a laboratory technician in eight years. Ridhdhi selected Amy Reber as her teacher of the month.
Senior Tucker York is the son of Brandi Webb of Greensboro and Ryan York of Gainesville. He is the grandson of Steve Webb of Greensboro and Carolyn Copelan of Greshamville. He has attended NGA for three and one-half years.
Tucker has participated in varsity football, varsity basketball, and a One-Act Play. Tucker helped coach the Little Patriots Football team this year.
He is also an assistant coach for the Middle School boys basketball team. He was elected secretary of the senior class. He is currently attending the College and Career Academy in Culinary Arts. Tucker plans to attend Culinary School after graduation. Tucker chose Lizzy Holt as his teacher of the month.
Nathan Shuman is the son of Brandy Lee of Greensboro and Steve Shuman of Union Point. He is the December student-of-the-month. He has attended Nathanael Greene Academy for 14 years (K4-12th).
Nathan has participated in varsity football for one year and varsity basketball for four years. He has been a member of the Beta Club and serves as this year’s treasurer. Nathan has earned honor roll status throughout his school career. Nathan will be one of the assistant coaches for the middle school basketball teams. He plans to attend Northwest Lineman College after graduation. He wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. Sherri Mauldin is Nathan’s chosen teacher of the month.
Kai Trott is a senior at Putnam County High School. Kai’s parents are Lorraine Gallagher and Gary Trott.
Maintaining an A honor roll, Kai has held positions as the National Honors Society president and Beta Club secretary. He has been a member of the Cross-Country team and was a founding member of PCHS’s men’s volleyball club, all the while maintaining a position at the Overlook Restaurant for the past 2 years.
Kai’s highest priority place to volunteer is TPAC’s after-school arts program, giving back to a program he attended when he was younger.
Kai respects his mother over everyone else due to her determination to improve the lives of her family and community despite the countless difficulties she faces.
Upon graduation, Kai will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology, studying Computer Engineering. He chose Karrie Frey as his teacher of the month.
The Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties wishes to congratulate these outstanding students and teachers.