Bobby Turner - 5/18 Academic Standout

Academic Standout Recognition- Bobby Turner

Presented May 18th, 2020

Written and Edited by Courtney O’Keefe and Emily Hudson

The KMS teaching faculty is proud to present this week’s Academic Standout: Bobby Turner! Bobby is a U19/U21 Alpine athlete, who comes to us from Westport Connecticut. Bobby was enthusiastically nominated by our faculty this week, with each teacher acknowledging this young man’s kindness, positive attitude, dedication to his studies, and his determination to improve his already strong academic skills. All agree that Bobby is a pleasure to have in any class, and is a student who adds value to any classroom lesson and discussion.

World Languages and Cultures Department Co-Chair and Global Citizen Program Coordinator Claudia Revenko-Bowen was the first to put forth her nomination for Bobby. Claudia Writes, “A while ago, I read that commitment can be defined by the little choices we make everyday that lead to our life goals. Throughout this past year, Bobby has shown a conscientious effort to learn, practice and improve, despite the many challenges that come with learning a foreign language. As an independent learner, he takes responsibility for all the tasks at hand, continuously willing to do what it takes to become more fluent and culturally aware of the world around him. Bobby, thank you for always being present with a positive outlook and a great attitude. Keep up the great work! ¡Excelente!”

Social Studies Department Co-Chair Courtney O’Keefe seconded Bobby’s nomination, reflecting upon his work in her Honors US History course. Courtney reflects, “I also would like to put forth a strong, and well-deserved, nomination for Bobby Turner for Academic Standout this week. I have the pleasure of teaching Bobby in my Honors US History course this year. Prior to the beginning of the school year, I was excited to hear that Bobby was going to be one of my students. I heard through the grapevine of his incredible kindness, quiet leadership, and dedication to his studies. It was definitely an awesome first impression of a future student, and I was incredibly excited to see him in action. From the very first class, Bobby lived up to, as well as surpassed, these qualities. He is an exceptionally hard worker, dedicated to the study of history, and one which focuses on both improving and growing his already strong academic skills with each and every assignment and assessment. He always is one to ask great thought-provoking questions. Often these questions would lead to great whole class discussion opportunities as well as additional historical exploration of certain topics being covered in class. He is only one of a handful of students I have this year which actively seeks out my aid with regards to his writing. He will reach out via hangouts and ask for me to take a look at his writing, asking for any guidance, input, and editing help to make his written responses stronger. It is always a pleasure to do this as not only are his written responses very good (I always look forward to reading them!), but it is great to see a student wanting to improve, wanting to put in the extra amount of effort, time, and work to produce an even better final product that they can be proud to say best represents themselves as a learner. Bobby is a quiet, yet supportive leader in the classroom. He leads by example, is always ready to help one of his peers with clarifying instructions or reminding of a due date, is usually the first to jump in to answer a question I pose in class (even if he isn’t completely sure of the answer), and he is always a source of support and encouragement for others. Lastly, Bobby is an incredibly kind young man. His high level of empathy and genuineness, as well as his thankfulness and positive attitude, are real assets to any classroom, especially now. From my perspective, he truly embodies the KMS Mission Statement and our school’s core values. I am very proud of all that he has accomplished this year in my classroom. And I hope he is proud too. Way to go, Bobby! Congratulations!!!”

Rounding out our nominations is Science Department Chair Terri Isidro. Terri comments, “Bobby Turner has been very proactive and responsible in Honors Chemistry when it comes to getting extra help and making sure he understands the material. What we are doing is very complicated, and Bobby not only seeks out help from me, but he also puts in time to figure out how to solve the problems. He has a good attitude in class too, always positive and participates willingly! :)”

A student worthy of the recognition! Congratulations, Bobby! We are very proud of you!