Vote for the IndyStar Student of the Week

Congrats again to Jessica Scott of Beech Grove High School for winning last week's poll and to all the nominees.Below you will find the nominees for this week's IndyStar Student of the Week.But first, a reminder about this new feature in IndyStar: Similar to the student-athletes of the week contests that we run, we're asking you — our readers — to choose an outstanding student for recognition each week. These students have excelled not necessarily on the playing field but in the classroom or in other ways in their school communities.

Each week we're inviting principals or other school officials to nominate students for this honor. Each school can nominate one student a week. Nominations include a brief description of why that student deserves the commendation.

Voting is open now at the bottom of this story and runs until Thursday at noon. At the end of the week, we will announce the winner based on your votes.

If you're a principal and would like to be added to the contact list, please contact srudavsky@gannett.com.

Here are this week's nominees for the IndyStar's Student of the Week competition and what their nominators said about why they deserve to win:

IndyStar Student of the Week nominees

Margaret Cialdella, a senior at Pike High School. Margaret is currently in the top 2% of her class with a 4.495 GPA. She was recognized by the College Board as an "AP Scholar" and has completed an incredibly rigorous courseload that includes AP, IB, Dual Credit, and honors courses. Her academic exploits are complemented by her athletic prowess while competing at the varsity level in swimming and golf. In swimming, she was an All-MIC Conference swimmer and has earned three varsity letters in golf. In addition to her remarkable extracurricular and academic achievement, she's had perfect attendance throughout her entire high school experience.

Brent Jackson, a junior at Beech Grove High School: Student ownership - this is one of our goals for our high school students. Brent is one of our students who has taken full ownership of his education. He takes advantage of the Dual Credit/ AP courses we have to offer while maintaining a GPA over 4.0. Brent balances his rigorous schedule while also participating in multiple sports. Besides Brent's dedication to academic excellence, he serves as a quiet leader in our building. He lets his actions "do the talking" in how he conducts himself and is an excellent model for his peers.

Hargoon Kaur, a senior at Franklin Central High School. Hargoon is an amazing student and leader at Franklin Central High School. She will be graduating with a coveted Indiana Certificate of Multilingual Proficiency (CoMP), a rigorous award certifying the attainment of high level proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English. Hargoon was also recently awarded an impressive scholarship through Questbridge as she prepares to attend college in the fall.

Jerry Koss, junior, at Plainfield High School. Jerry is always kind, forgiving, and accepting which is why he is the perfect person for the Student of the Week. Jerry is the head drum major of our marching band which makes him a very big leader to a lot of people. Jerry leads by example, through kindness, and trust. There are over 100 people in the band and I have never seen Jerry be mean to one of them.

Jerry gives out a lot of instructions to everyone in his role. A lot of people mess up, which can be very aggravating. Jerry doesn’t let this get to him and instead, he just repeats and has everyone do it again. He will never yell, or get visibly upset. He has a lot of stressors in his life, but that will never stop him from giving the band all of his attention and patience.

Jerry always makes new band members feel welcome and learns their names in the blink of an eye. For example, in June, during a break from practice, Jerry went up to multiple freshmen and just talked to them. By the end of it, they were all laughing and looked much more comfortable than they did a minute before. Jerry does so many little things like that, where everyone knows he is a genuinely kind and good person.

Nate Long, a senior at Martinsville High School. Nate is a scholar-athlete with a 4.139 (4.0 Scale) G.P.A. He serves on the Habitat for Humanity Board of Trustees and has given countless hours volunteering with others to help build two homes. He is a Team Captain and All Conference member of our Conference Champion "Super Quick Artesians" Football Team. He was cited by the Indiana Football Coaches Association as an "All State member of their "Good Works Team" for his contributions to the community (one of only nine in the State). He is a member of the National Honor Society and an Artesian (Student) Ambassador. Nate has been a four-year member of M.H.S. Rewind (School T.V. Production) and Track/Field.

Gabriela Cazares Ojeda, freshman at Geo Next Generation Academy Indianapolis. Gabriela is always going above and beyond for those around her. She is always willing to help a classmate, friend, or teacher in making sure there is success for not only herself but her fellow scholars as well. Gabriela is doing an amazing job her freshman year of high school; not only is she taking an advanced English class, but is also taking college classes as well. She is pursuing her goal of graduating and helping others. Gabriela is a shining star to look forward to in this next generation.

Suzanna Paul, a junior at Mooresville High School. Suzanna is a constant source of positivity, hard work and leadership. Her role as the Vice President of Best Buddies is one she takes seriously. She is always working inside and outside of the school day to create inclusion and strong relationships with others. This past week Suzanna was part of a duo who wrote a speech and presented to the local Mooresville Kiwanis Club to earn funds for Best Buddies Leadership Training. She also volunteered at our Champions Together Basketball game where she partnered with students who have exceptional needs to ensure they have the opportunity to participate in a high school sport. Additionally Suzanna volunteered her time to attend the homecoming after party with members of the Best Buddies club to make sure they had the same opportunities as other high school students. Suzanna also takes her academics seriously earning a 3.5 GPA she is also the Editor In Chief of the School newspaper. A light for everyone she encounters, Suzanna works hard to make a difference in the lives of others; she is a wonderful friend and mentor in her peer tutoring class.

Sam Weber, senior at St. Theodore Guerin High School. Academically Sam is top-notch with a 4.0 GPA and full IB diploma course load and a perfect 36 score on his ACT exam. He has many accomplishments in and out, but his passion, ingenuity and empathy for others is what truly makes Sam a perfect candidate for this award. During COVID, Sam bought himself a 3D printer and began looking for ideas for his Eagle Scout project. Concurrently, his scout troop got a new scoutmaster who had lost a hand, inspiring Sam for his Eagle Scout project. Through his research Sam has engineered over 20 pairs of hands for children at a fraction of the cost of permanent prosthetics, allowing them to be replaced as the children grow. Sam is working with an organization called e-NABLE to distribute the hands to places like medical clinics in poorer countries. The impact Sam hopes to achieve with his project is profound — enabling children to experience normal childhood activities and providing families with affordable prosthetic alternatives.

Nicholson "Nick" Trout, a senior at Pendleton Heights High School. Nick Trout’s tenure at PHHS is a testament to what it means to not only take pride in oneself but also to contribute positively to the pride of the Arabians. Each morning, after we recite the pledge of allegiance, we are reminded of our school motto, "Remember to take pride in yourself, and the Arabians!" Nick lives by these words, setting an example of excellence for his peers.

A standout student, Nick has consistently demonstrated a dedication to academic excellence. Through rigorous coursework and an unfaltering pursuit of knowledge, he has earned the respect of both faculty and students alike. His academic achievement has earned him admission to the prestigious West Point Military Academy where he will pursue a degree in Engineering. He plans to be an officer in the United States military. His SAT scores (1290) and GPA (4.12) are reflective of his academic performance.

Nick’s leadership abilities have come to the forefront in numerous school activities as a member of Unified Sports with Student Athletic Council, Varsity Football (School Record Holder in Tackles), Rugby Team Captain (3xTeam MVP, 3x All State, Academic All State, State Finals MVP, 2x State Champion, West Point Rugby Camp MVP), National Honors Society, Purdue University Bridge Bust, Student Athletic Council, a member of the Madison County Youth Leadership Academy, and vacation bible school volunteer.

Mark White, senior at Ben Davis High School. Matt is commonly recognized as being a standout basketball player, but to our students, he is much more than that, he is a friend. You can often find Mark at the end of the day assisting a student with managing their coat, backpack, or helping to tie his shoes. Mark demonstrates patience when assisting a student who struggles to respond verbally. He allows the student to respond in the time he or she needs. During the passing period, Mark never hesitates to greet our students with development disabilities with a hello or a handshake. Mark is a role model to students and adults on how to interact with peers who have a disability.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyStar Student of the Week: Week Two