The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

The Bridge City Chamber of Commerce announced the Students of the Month for March at their monthly networking coffee on March 10, hosted by Comtex Wireless Bridge City.

Jonah Watts was chosen as the Bridge City High School Student of the Month and Matthew Kress was chosen as the Orangefield High School Student of the Month.

Bridge City High School Student of the Month, Jonah Watts is the son of Mark and Kayla Watts. Jonah is ranked 12 of 183 with a GPA of 4.33. Jonah’s awards and honors include:

• Honor Roll 2011-2015

• Honors and AP courses: Math, Science, English and Social Studies

• Dual Credit course: LEAP English

• Varsity Baseball 2011-2015

• All KOGT Baseball Team

• Varsity Baseball Bell Rivals Classic Tournament Team

• National Honor Society

Jonah’s clubs and organizations include: Varsity Baseball, Leadership Class, Student Council 2011-2015, Member of Ready, Set, Teach 2011-2012, and Ping Pong Club. Jonah volunteers at Bridge City Little League and numerous fundraising events with Student Council.

Faye Parish, Secondary Math Teacher, said, “It is a great pleasure to announce that the student of the month for the math department is Jonah Watts.

Jonah is an exceptional young man.

He has been on the honor roll every semester he has been in high school and is a very active member of the National Honor Society.

He is also a member of and very active in Student Council.

Jonah is a returning starter on our varsity baseball team.

He was recently picked on the Bell Rivals All-Tournament Team.

Jonah’s intelligence is obvious on the field as he consistently not only fields the ball but makes the correct decision on where to send the ball, something very important for a second baseman.

Jonah is one of the hardest working students I have seen in 40 plus years of teaching G/T math classes.

Jonah doesn’t just want to “make” the grade, he wants to understand how and why a problem works.

He diligently works until the calculus unfolds for him.

Jonah is a fine young man of good morals, consistently polite and eager to help.

Jonah is an excellent example of what a well-rounded high school student should be.”

Chad Landry, Head Baseball Coach, said, “I have had the privilege of having Jonah as a part of our baseball program for the last 4 years. It has been fun to watch Jonah grow from a quiet kid to the confident leader he is today. Jonah has great focus, vision, and drive. He is a determined student athlete that others look up to. I am extremely fortunate to have Jonah be a leader on and off the field. As a coach, he is exactly what you want in a player. Congratulations to him from all of Bridge City Baseball!”

Cheryl Royal, Director of Student Activities, said, “I have had the pleasure of teaching Jonah in Leadership 101 his senior year at BCHS. He proves himself to be an outstanding of National Honor Society, as well as BCHS’ Student Council. He is active in service projects and plays a vital role in implementing meetings and activities. Jonah Watts not only stand out academically, but he is also a standout in athletics. He has played baseball all four years and has been a standout on the field. He is a real team leader and is the epitome of good sportsmanship. He has maintained excellence on and off the field. Jonah is a true leader in every sense of the word.”

When asked about his future plans, Jonah said, “Although I am currently undecided about the college I will attend, I plan to pursue a degree in biochemistry or neuroscience.”

Orangefield High School Student of the Month, Matthew Kress, is the son of Matt and Charlene Kress. He is ranked number 6 out of 138 with a 3.95 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Matthew’s awards and honors include:

· Fellowship of Christian Athletes

· National Honor Society

· Academic Challenge Team

· Football, Basketball, Baseball, Golf grades 9-12

Matthew’s awards and honors include: Team Captain for football and basketball; Willie Ray Smith Award nominee; 1^st Team Academic All-State, All-District; 2^nd Team Academic All-State and co-MVP of the 24-4A Basketball senior year; Evadale Basketball Tournament MVP senior year; National Society of High School Scholars; Member of Who’s Who Among National Honor Students; and Scholastic All-District athlete his junior year.

Matthew’s community service: St. Helen’s Catholic Church and CYM Youth Group; Altar Server for 9 years; Volunteer in local soup kitchen; and Teen ACTS member.

Kimberly Spears, Family and Consumer Science teacher, said, “Matthew is a great student. He is well-rounded and excels at both athletics and academics. In addition, he is very kind to his classmates and respectful to teachers.”

Jennifer Rumsey, English Department chair, said, “I enjoyed teaching Matthew Kress in my AP English 3 class. Matthew is very intelligent and hard working. He’s able to balance being a varsity athlete with academic achievement. Matthew will be very successful.”

Fred Cascio, Honors senior English teacher, said, “Matthew Kress is a unique and welcome presence in my college English class. He is a hard worker, and his products are always noteworthy and interesting to hear and read. I look forward to his individual perspective in our literary discussions.”

Matthew will attend Texas A&M University and plans to get a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. After several internships, he hopes to return to the Golden Triangle to work at one of the plants.

Both students of the month received gift certificates and gifts from: The Classy Peacock, Walmart, Wellspring Credit Union, Tiger Rock Martial Arts, Central Office Supply, Sabine Federal Credit Union, Michele Michelle Salon and Spa, Little Caesars Bridge City, Comtex Wireless, Five Point Credit Union, and Jolie Moi.