The Lede and SoM Story

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LEDE

Who: The student of the month - Ashley Barber, faculty, family and friends of Ashley.

What: Ashley Barber won the title of student of the month.

When: At the beginning of September.

Where: James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas.

Why: She was chosen for her academic achievement in school, and other things such as simply being a great friend and participating in extracurriculars outside of school.

How: Students voted for who they wanted to be student of the month, and Ashley was chosen. 

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✩ The Student of the Month ✩

On September 2nd, Ashley Barber, a freshman of James Bowie High School, was awarded the title of The Student of the Month, a special award given only to students who've worked extremely hard and put in a lot of effort.

Barber has straight A's in all of her classes, has managed to land a 4.0 GPA, and always does extra credit when it's available. 

"I'd consider my grades fairly good," student Ashley Barber said. "I have A's but there is always room for improvement. People make mistakes." 

Barber is involved in many extracurricular activities, but she really has a passion for volunteering. 

"I volunteered at (Hurricane) Harvey relief centers," Barber said. "I helped my neighbors with their garage sale, and turned in all my work on time."

Language arts is where Barber claims she really shines.

"I like it because writing stories is fun," Barber said. "And whenever we do free writes, there's so much freedom and you can write whatever you want."

Math isn't Barber's favorite subject, and she admits she struggles with it at times. 

"I'm not too organized in this subject," Barber said. "And I tend to lose work."

Many students wonder how Barber manages to be so successful.

"I always see my daughter at her desk, working," mother Susan Barber said. "I can tell she works hard, which leads to success."

Barber admits she believes she deserves to be the Student of the Month.

"I deserve it because I've worked so hard this year," Barber said. "I turned in all my work on time, and I've helped others this year when they needed a friend."

Several things set her apart from other students.

"I will move past mistakes," Barber said. "I won't get stuck and worry about a mistake, instead I will learn from it and move on."

Everyone supports this fantastic student in her achievement, especially her friends. 

"I feel fantastic! I'm so proud of her." freshman Jan Smith said. "She's been working so hard this month and I'm very happy that she was awarded for her success and progress this month."

Barber is also an active participant in Bowie's band.

"She worked very hard this month and is the pride of my class." band director Ryan Thomas said. "I always use her as an example to the other students."

The students who voted for Barber to win Student of the Month had things to say.

"She's been a friend to me for a while now, and even helped tutor me," Student Ron Johnson said. "She's just a great student and someone many kids, including me, look up to and strive to be more like."

(440 Words)