Student of the Month
Patricia Cavero
September 18, 2023
To be Student of the Month, a teacher must recognize a student who is excelling in their class, their kind contributions, and being a good
role model to their fellow peers. As the school year started, many teachers already recognized outstanding students. One in particular is Desiree Perez, an English teacher here at Seaside High School. The student she wanted to highlight for the month of September was Mark Nava, a 10th grade student at Seaside High.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Student of the Month, Mark Nava.
​
“His determination to learn,” Perez stated as why she picked him for Student of the Month. When difficulty strikes, Mark always tries his hardest in class by asking questions and getting help from his peers and teachers. “Whenever he doesn't understand something he is the first to ask questions. He advocates for himself and his learning. This in a way, lets other students know that it's okay to ask for help and to feel comfortable asking for themselves,” she continued as she notes her perspective of Mark.
Mark Nava is also helpful towards his peers. He would set up friendly competitions with his elbow partner during class by who can come up with the best answer. This allows them to extend their understanding and create a fun learning environment. Being a student does not mean organically excelling on assignments but it requires having a growth mindset. “His understanding of the work and his strong grade in my class come from the effort he puts into understanding the content,” Perez explained.
Carina Casissa, an English and Journalism teacher at Seaside had Mark Nava last year. She described Mark as an exceptional student, “What I appreciated about him is that he was always engaged in his work and produced high-quality assignments that reflected his capabilities.” She expanded by saying an assignment that really stood out to her was an argumentative essay that he wrote where he created a really solid argument with concrete evidence. Mark always wants to do better in his assignments and oftentimes, his work is used as an example for other pupils.
Not only is he very willing to learn but also very determined and excited to try out for sports such as the Seaside boys’ soccer team this upcoming winter. Outside of school, Mark is part of a soccer club, “Monterey Condors.” “I am ready to try out for this year’s soccer team,” he exclaimed.
Mark is an excellent participant for this month’s Student of the Month due to his efforts and perseverance that was immediately recognized within his teachers. “Mark Nava is going to go to do some amazing things in life and I can’t wait to see how successful he will be,” Casissa commented.
