Shelby Graves - 10/17 Academic Standout

Academic Standout Recognition- Shelby Graves

Presented October 16th

The KMS teaching faculty is proud to present the Academic Standout for the week of October 14th. This recognition, formerly known as Student of the Week, is awarded to the KMS student which demonstrates exceptional dedication, skill, and focus in the field of academics. Please join us in recognizing Shelby Graves as our Academic Standout for this week! Shelby is a 9th grade U16 Women’s Alpine athlete who comes to KMS from Spofford, New Hampshire. Shelby received nominations from ALL her teachers this week, each proudly recognizing the hard work and dedication this young academic has shown with regards to her coursework as the new academic year has begun.

World Languages teacher Malena Agin was the first to put forth a strong nomination for Shelby. Malena writes, “Shelby is incredibly motivated in French class this year. In just a few short weeks into the course, she was already making connections between the target language and Spanish, which she studied last year. Now, as we move through new and more complex structures, Shelby continues to apply the same critical thinking in comparing French, Spanish and English. She is prepared, engaged, and most importantly, we are having fun. Congratulations, Shelby!”

Social Studies Department Co-Chair and Middle School Humanities teacher Ian Groezinger seconded the nomination for Shelby’s work in his Western Humanities class. Ian states, “Since the start of the academic year (this summer), Shelby has been submitting high-quality work. She articulates her responses well by giving thoughtful answers that really show the "so what." In addition, Shelby has been great at generating and contributing to class discussion.”

English teacher Nate Clifford also put forth a strong nomination for Shelby. He shares, “Shelby Graves has continued to impress since the beginning of school when she started taking unsolicited notes in English, explaining defensively how this is how she processes information best to her stymied classmates. She performs her work on time and often communicates with questions on assignments. Her exuberant contributions to class have often inspired fascinating narratives and connections from the rest of us, leading to an especially profound understanding of our texts on the best days, and often hilarious tangents on the other days. Whatever the day, Shelby brings a passion and interest to our class, which is joyful and infectious. For that, we are all grateful :)”

Shelby’s Academic Advisor Emily Hudson also chimed in with her support of Shelby’s recognition. Emily reflects, “As Shelby's advisor, I have noticed a huge academic shift from last year. I have noticed that Shelby is holding herself more accountable for missing work and approaches me frequently to tell me what assignments she is missing and her plan to get those assignments turned

in. She also updates me when she receives high grades on tests and exams. From these interactions, you can see the confidence brewing inside her. From an advisor's perspective, it appears that Shelby has really stepped up to the challenges of high school and is putting in a lot of effort to stay on top of all her work. “

Rounding out this impressive list of nominations is Science and Math teacher Brendan Bucksbaum, who nominated Shelby for her work in both his Biology and Algebra I classes. Brendan states, “two years ago when I began teaching at KMS, Shelby was one of my first students. During the first few classes back then, it became abundantly clear that Shelby was pure wild energy! Over the course of last year and the summer, Shelby has been redefining herself. Now this year, though what seems like a dramatic metamorphosis, but was really a slow transformation, Shelby has become a focused laser capable of cutting through any material with ease. I, for one, feel privileged to see all her hard work pay off. Shelby, you deserve this. Congrats, Shelby!”

A well-deserved recognition this week! Way to go, Shelby! Be proud and keep up the strong academic work!