PCHS – Jack Minchey, Jr., Lorraine Gallagher, Kai Trott, Karrie Frey

GREENSBORO, Ga. — The Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties is pleased to announce the following Students-of-the-Month for January 2024: Luke McNeill(Gatewood), Eric Dolan (Greene County High School), Tucker York (NGA), Jane Monachello (LOA), and Kai Trott (Putnam County High School). December students Ridhdhi Sukha (LOA) and Nathan Shuman (NGA) were also recognized.

Luke McNeill is a senior at Gatewood Schools. His parents are Robbie and Carrie McNeill. He is an honor student, a member of the National Honor Society, president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) All Scholastic Team Member, a member of the Anchor Service Club, and a member of LakePoint Community Church in Eatonton. He also serves on the Farmers & Merchant’s Bank Junior Board of Directors. He is a Gatewood varsity football and soccer player and a member of the varsity boys track team. He earned the 2023 Scholar Athlete Award for the varsity football team and was also chosen as co-captain of the varsity football team with the presentation of the 2023 Captain Award. He has shot competitively in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) with the Lake Oconee Shotgun Team for six years, where he has earned nine National awards between 2020 and 2023. He has offers from multiple universities to shoot for their clay target teams, but he is undecided as to where he will attend at the present time, as he is still visiting those schools to find the best fit and path to medical school. He plans to be a specialized surgeon. He selected Tyler VanDusen as his teacher-of-the-month.

Eric Dolan is a senior at Greene County High School. Son of Angel Brown and Scott Blackwell, he has lived in Greene County since kindergarten. Since then, he has taken an interest in flying for the United States Air Force. To get ahead with pursuing his dream of being a fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force, he joined the AFJROTC program at Greene County High School and is the previous Corps Commander. In addition to this, he is a previous member of the Civil Air Patrol, a current member of the BETA Club, a current member of FFA, a current member of the Greene County High School track team, and the founder of the Greene County High School student council. He also has an interest in politics and intends to participate in local and/or national politics after retiring from the Air Force. In 10 years, Dolan sees himself being a fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force. Julie Benkoski is his chosen Greene County High School teacher-of-the-month.

Jane Monachello is a senior at Lake Oconee Academy. Her parents are Joe and Eileen Monachello. She has attended LOA since third grade and is an active participant in many school extracurricular activities. She is the manager of the football team, a co-captain of the varsity basketball and was a member in 2022 when the team won the GHSA single-A public state championship. She also takes work-based learning and has two jobs she reports to weekly. After high school, she plans to attend the University of Georgia and pursue a degree in business management because she hopes to be an entrepreneur after college. Kourtney Kelley is her chosen teacher-of-the-month.

Ridhdhi Sukha is a senior at Lake Oconee Academy High School and is the December student-of-the-month. Her parents are Bhavana and Dinesh Sukha. A high school honor roll student, she is a member of the National Beta Club, Student Government Association, and a secretary for the Teen Advisory Board at Greene County Library. She enjoys hiking, knitting, and playing piano in her free time. She also volunteers for the R.E.A.D. program by Intermountain Therapy animals. Ridhdhi considers her love for stories as her most positive attribute. James Baldwin is the person Ridhdhi respects the most. She respects him because of his thoughtfulness and boldness in regard to standing up for himself. After high school she plans to attend the University of Georgia and pursue a degree in applied biotechnology. She sees herself as a laboratory technician in eight years. She selected Amy Reber as her teacher-of-the-month.

Senior, Tucker York is the son of Brandi Webb of Greensboro and Ryan York of Gainesville. He is the grandson of Steve Webb of Greensboro and Carolyn Copelan of Greshamville. He has attended NGA for 3 1/2 years. He has participated in varsity football, varsity basketball, and a One-Act Play. He helped coach the Little Patriots Football team this year. He is also an assistant coach for the middle school boys basketball team. He was elected secretary of the senior class. He is currently attending the College and Career Academy in culinary arts. Tucker plans to attend culinary school after graduation. He is a member of Fort Chapel in Greshamville. He chose Lizzy Holt as his teacher-of-the-month.

Nathan Shuman is the son of Brandy Lee of Greensboro and Steve Shuman of Union Point. He is the December student-of-the-month. He has attended Nathanael Greene Academy for 14 years (K4-12^th). He has participated in varsity football for one year and varsity basketball for four years. He has been a member of the Beta Club and serves as this year’s treasurer. He has earned honor roll status throughout his school career. He will be one of the assistant coaches for the middle school basketball teams. He plans to attend Northwest Lineman College after graduation. He wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. Sherri Mauldin is his chosen teacher-of-the-month. Kai Trott is a senior at Putnam County High School. His parents are Lorraine Gallagher and Gary Trott. Maintaining an A honor roll, Kai has held positions as the National Honors Society president and Beta Club secretary. He has been a member of the cross country team and was a founding member of PCHS’s men’s volleyball club, all the while maintaining a position at the Overlook Restaurant for the past two years. His highest priority place to volunteer is TPAC’s after-school arts program, giving back to a program he attended when he was younger. He respects his mother over everyone else due to her determination to improve the lives of her family and community despite the countless difficulties she faces. Upon graduation, he will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology, studying computer engineering. He chose Karrie Frey as his teacher-of-the-month.

The Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties wishes to congratulate these outstanding students and teachers.