Ryan Bianchi - 3/9 Academic Standout
Academic Standout- Ryan Bianchi
Presentation on March 9th, 2020
By Courtney O’Keefe and Emily Hudson
The KMS teaching faculty is proud to announce this week’s Academic Standout: Ryan Bianchi! Ryan is a 12th Grade U19/U21 Alpine athlete, who comes to KMS from Hingham Massachusetts. Ryan received several nominations from his teachers, as well as few of our administration, each commenting on his strong classroom leadership, his active participation in class, his positive impact on his peers, his ability to make bigger picture connections from what he is learning in class, and his strong work ethic.
Full-Term Math and Science teacher Allison Resnick was the first to put forth a nomination for Mr. Bianchi. Allison states, “Ryan is a pleasure to have in class. He is an active participant in class, helps keep everyone focused and on task, and always tries to make connections to the real world in order to better understand the content. Ryan's hard work has paid off, he received 100s on his last two tests with me. He has come so far, and I can't wait to watch him continue to grow over his next few months here. Ryan is very kind and considerate to both his peers and the adults around him. I am so pleased that he is receiving this recognition.”
Academic Director April Hayden followed shortly with her own nomination. April comments, “Even though I don't teach a full-term course, Ryan has impressed me lately in several ways. He actually reads and responds to both email and hangouts! I messaged him yesterday to come see me about missing assignments... He came right away, cleared everything up, and went away with a plan to finish up the other items later in the day. He was self-aware and had a great attitude. Also, just the day before, he put in a request for specific books for our rotating lending library. No student has ever done this before! Later on, I even saw him reading those books in the senior corner! In addition, Ryan exceeded my expectations by going to lunch with the Killington Active Seniors group on his own. He is set up to be their helper for the rest of the year and will try to recruit others to work with this group as well. He was psyched and very happy to help - not just because it was required for National Honor Society.”
World Languages Co-Chair Claudia Revenko-Bowen also offered her own nomination for Ryan’s work in Spanish. Claudia reflects, “The activist César Chavez once said that “a language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers.” In Ryan, I have witnessed this year not only the emergence of a foreign language speaker, but also the surfacing of an attentive learner who shows interest in the stories of conflict, challenges, and hardships that people from Latin America face. Becoming bilingual is not easy and it definitely takes a willingness to try and even fail at times. The rewards, however, are tremendously valuable. Ryan has been continuously stepping outside of his comfort zone and using Spanish more than ever before. He has been consistent in communicating with me while away, taking advantage of every chance he gets to use the language, practice, and improve. Great job Ryan!”
World Languages Co-Chair Robert Cavanna also put forth his own nomination for Ryan’s work in his Images of Food course. Robert states, “I’m going to throw my hat into the ring for Ryan. He has been exceptionally in Images with his insightful observations & he enhances the class dynamic as a result.”
Adding to the list of nominations is English Department Chair Shayna Miller. Shanya writes, “Ryan has been doing well in English and has been embracing an adventurous attitude toward trying new things with storytelling and stretching out of his comfort zone.”
Middle School Resource teacher Donna Reck also agreed with Ryan’s recognition. Donna adds, “Ryan has been assisting with study hall as an NHS tutor. He has been helpful to the younger students and will happily help any one who asks. He is on time for his sessions and turned in his logs.”
Director of Athlete Care Anna Terry rounds out the long list of nominations for Ryan. Anna states, “Though I don’t teach Ryan I interact with him regularly. The shift I have seen from last year to this year around how he handles himself in conversation and how seriously he takes his academics is profound. There are times the group I’m working with will start to discuss real life issues. Equality. The flow of money through generational wealth. Etc. Ryan has been a leader in those conversations. Respectful . Holding space and providing fabulous insight.”
A well-deserved recognition for this week! Great work, Ryan! You’ve made many very proud!
