Four students were welcomed by Westfield/Mayville Rotary Club members recently after being named the club's November Students of the Month.
The high school seniors were introduced by Dan Smith, Westfield/Mayville Rotary Club vocational service chairman, and club members Crystal Schrantz and Phyllis Crochett.
WESTFIELD ACADEMY AND CENTRAL SCHOOL
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Pictured are Westfield/Mayville Rotary Club November Students of the Month. Seated are Julie Rater, Sherman Central School and Patrick Bennett, Brocton Central School. Standing are Ralph Bohall, Westfield Academey and Central School and Sam Snyder, Chautauqua Lake Central School.
Ralph Bohall, who will graduate with a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation, has been enrolled in graphic design, drawing and watercolor painting. He also is enrolled in web page design and video game design, We the People, Regents physics, World of Technology and additional graduation requirements.
Enrolled in Jamestown Community College English courses and calculus, he will have earned 17 college credits by the end of the school year. In addition, Ralph has been on the Honor Roll consistently, earning his Academic Achievement honors patch, the first Academic Achievement aAcademics pin and the academic all-star pin.
Ralph was selected for Rochester Institute of Technology's Computing Medal for his work in graphic design and video game design.
In the Westfield community, Ralph volunteers his time as the statistician for the girls' varsity basketball team and worked at the Haunted House for Hospice.
The son of Robert and Laura Bohall of Westfield, Ralph will attend the State University at Fredonia to pursue a degree in video game design or computer programming.
SHERMAN
CENTRAL SCHOOL
Julia Rater is ranked eighth in her class of 33 with a 95 average. She qualified in and participated at the national level for the food science and technology career development event in the Future Farmers of America organization. She took a silver award, both individual and with her team at the national competition and first place at the state level for the same career development event.
She is president of Student Council and is vice president of the Fellowship of Christian Students. She has won several drawing and graphic design competitions, including grand prize of the Chautauqua Alcoholicism and Substance Abuse Council poster contest and the front cover of the Positive Choices Coalition's calendar. She also has started her own photography business.
Julia participates in numerous sports, including volleyball, basketball and softball. She also is actively involved in the FFA Organization, Fellowship of Christian Students and Student Council.
Outside of school, Julia works on her family's organic dairy farm, her church's youth group and volunteers through Student Council. She enjoys horse riding and taking part in rodeo, taking and editing pictures and doing graphic design work.
The daughter of Mike and Grisel Rater of Sherman, Julia would like to further her volleyball career at JCC and then attain her bachelor's degree in graphic design.
CHAUTAUQUA LAKE
CENTRAL SCHOOL
Sam Snyder will graduate with an advanced Regents diploma with honors. He is ranked in the top 10 percent of his class. A member of the National Honor Society, he has received numerous academic awards, including the Mayville VFW 8647 Americanism Award, Rochester Institute of Technology Computing Medal, Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award and the 2012 Student Sage Award.
Having earned several college credits, he was named to the JCC part-time student's Dean's list last year. Sam also is involved in Student Administration and the High School Bowl team.
A member by nomination, Sam is a peer leader in the school's Sources of Strength program offered by the University of Rochester, in which students train to be effective in fighting teen drug abuse, violence and suicide. Sam also is a member of the Medical Explorers Post 222 at Brooks Memorial Hospital, in which he is able to job-shadow hospital staff and receives job mentoring.
Sam has competed with the varsity track team all four years of high school and as captain for the last two, has competed on varsity soccer, for which he received the "Hustle" Award and received the Rookie of the Year Award his sophomore year.
Outside of school, Sam has volunteered many hours for community services as swim instructor for the Turner Gym learn-to-swim program, the ICE Festival and as an emergency room assistant and children's events at Brooks Memorial Hospital, as well as being a peer tutor. He is employed during summers as a sailing instructor and as an independent bellhop in Chautauqua Institution.
The son of Stephen and Amy Snyder of Mayville, Sam plans to attend a four-year college, possibly Middlebury, Amherst or Colgate University to begin his studies for a career in medicine.
BROCTON
CENTRAL SCHOOL
Patrick Bennett has a current cumulative average of 88.11 and is ranked in the top 15 percent of his class. A member of the Rotary Interact Club since his sophomore year, he and his fellow peers completed various projects throughout the years and helped in the neighboring communities. Several of those projects included various bottle and can drives, the Brocton Arch Restoration benefit dinner and the Preventative Angels Project, for which Interact club purchases gifts for families during the holidays.
Further, he has been a member of Brocton's Envirothon team for the past three years and, in his junior year, his team took second place overall against numerous high schools in the county.
Patrick participated in football, volleyball and golf in his freshman and sophomore years. He was a high school band member in which he played saxophone from fifth grade through his junior year. During his junior year, he wrote for the school's newspaper, Brocton Review, for which he was named assistant editor in his senior year.
Outside of school, Patrick enjoys camping trips with his friends, visiting nature sites, volleyball, playing different musical instruments and traveling.
The son of Kent and Eileen Bennett, Patrick has been a crew member at Arby's in Fredonia since April and plans to attend JCC with an undeclared major.