November 14, 2022 Board of Education Recognitions: Austin Davis, Rebecca Davis, Miles Azzeh, and Sharon Burns
Lansing USD469 would like to congratulate Lansing High School student Austin for being our November Board of Education Student of the Month and Rebecca Davis for being our Staff Member of the Month! The board also gave a special recognition to Miles Azzeh and Sharon Burns for their work leading the Strategic Planning process.
Austin was chosen as student of the month because of his positive attitude and leadership qualities:
"There are many reasons why I think Austin Davis should be recognized. First of all, Austin always has a smile on his face, is polite and always has a positive interaction with anyone he comes in contact with. Austin has shown he is a leader in our school. Austin is currently the president of our debate team. Austin motivates our novice debaters, both through his encouraging words and his actions! Currently Austin's debate record is 7-2. Last year he qualified to compete at the national debate tournament! This past summer the state of Kansas saw Austin's passion and leadership skills in action and rewarded him by electing him the Governor of the American Legion Boys state! Being elected the Governor is an amazing honor! I am excited Austin is sharing his positive attitude and leadership skills in so many areas as one cannot help but want to be the best version of themselves after being around him!"
"I have had the pleasure of teaching and coaching Mr. Austin Davis for his 4 years of competitive speaking and debate courses at Lansing High School. From the first moment Austin has been one of the most coachable, positive forces I have ever had on my team. Austin takes criticism very seriously, and incorporates content discussed in class and in coaching immediately into his performances. He also takes every ballot seriously, where other students often look for a reason to disregard comments or blame the judge for their loss, Austin takes the time and effort to discern his mistakes in every round. To look for what he can do to be a better competitor the next time. He also encourages this behavior in his cohorts. Austin’s competitive career has been positively affected by his coachability and effort. Despite having both the novice state tournament and the state forensics tournament canceled his freshman year, Austin stayed in the program. As a sophomore Austin placed in quarterfinals at the state policy debate tournament, and followed that by placing 6th in the state forensics tournament in informative speaking. As a junior, Austin was integral in the success of our policy debate team which took home 2nd place at the state tournament, following that Austin was a semifinalist in both informative and domestic extemporaneous competitions. Austin finished his junior year by qualifying to both the National Catholic Forensics Leagues Grand National Tournament, as well as the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions in both informative and extemporaneous speaking, and additionally attending the American Legion Boys State event where he was voted in as Governor. Austin is additionally a constant leader both in and out of the debate classroom. He strives to help with recruitment and retention for the team, reaching out to new students to join and sharing the benefits that being a member have given to him. Austin's other teachers have also commented on his leadership capabilities in core classrooms, as he is always willing to be the dissenting opinion in the discussion often when others shy from a topic. His dedication to learning and research is dogged. He quickly anticipates outcomes and prepares for them in stride. Austin is an extremely competent speaker, and a dedicated debater. In addition to His competitive success Austin is a leader, functioning as our activity captain, organizing regular events for the team, orchestrating fundraisers, and assisting in the administration of multiple events for the program as well."
Mrs. Davis was nominated because of her ability to connect with students and welcoming personality:
"Rebecca works hard every day to make Lansing High School a place where all students and adults feel valued and heard. Rebecca has such a welcoming personality that anyone who meets her automatically feels comfortable! I have personally witnessed Rebecca getting some of our most difficult youth to open up and share their life experiences. Rebecca created a Zen Zone in the guidance office when she noticed students sometimes need a place to just decompress. The Zen Zone has created a safe space where kids can come and just re-group and are then able to go back to class. I honestly do not know if words can even describe what Rebecca does to enhance the educational environment of LHS. As a fellow colleague said about Rebecca, “she just gets it. She picks up on even the smallest things and takes the time to check on us to see if everything is OK.” LHS knows Rebecca is there to support them in any way she can!"