ESCANABA - The Daily Press has selected Emily Aldrich as its 2012 Student of the Year. Aldrich will graduate tonight during commencement ceremonies at Manistique Area High School.
Aldrich is class valedictorian and has been a four-year, all A student. When nominated by her school as a Student of the week, school officials described her as an "active girl "and "a dedicated student with an intense class schedule." "Emily goes above and beyond what is expected of her. It is because of her continued strive of excellence that she is ranked No. 1 in her class," school officials commented.
As Daily Press Student of the Year, Aldrich will receive a $1,000 cash award from The Daily Press to pursue her future educational goals.
"It was a difficult task selecting a Student of the Year from so many exceptional candidates," said Daily Press Publisher Dan McDonald. "It is good to see we have so many exceptional young people coming out of our area schools."
Aldrich is the daughter of Richard and Beth Aldrich. She will be attending St. Mary's College in Indiana in the fall, where she will study chemistry. She plans to pursue a career in the chemical research field.
"I'm just grateful to my community for supporting me and allowing me to get a great education," Aldrich said.
The Daily Press Student of the Week program is an annual undertaking at the newspaper, in cooperation with area schools. This year's program started back in October 2011. Each week, area school officials were asked to pick one of their students as the "Student of the Week." Those students were featured each Friday throughout the school year on the Student of the Week page.
Schools who participated this year include Mid Peninsula School, Big Bay de Noc School, Bark River-Harris School, Bay Middle College, Escanaba High School, Gladstone High School, Carney-Nadeau School, Manistique High School, Nah Tah Wahsh Public School Academy, North Central High School, Rapid River High School Holy Name School, St. Francis de Sales School and Phoenix Alternative School.
In May, the Daily Press asked school officials to pick a finalist for Student of the Year from the graduating seniors that were featured from their school during the year. The finalists were then asked to submit an essay to the newspaper on why they should be selected as Student of the Year.
Emily Aldrich was selected by the Daily Press from among the essay finalists as Student of the Year and will receive the $1,000 award. Other finalists will each receive a $100 cash award from the Daily Press. They are: Ty Barron, Mid Peninsula Schools; Brittany Richard, Big Bay de Noc School; Jaime Madalinski, Bark River-Harris School; Katie Cousineau, Bay Middle College; Bryon Pratt, Escanaba High School; Josh Hallfrisch, Gladstone High School; Michael Johnson, Carney-Nadeau School; Cody Casey, Nah Tah Wahsh Public School Academy; Carly Charlier, North Central High School; and Heather Sanderson, Rapid River School.
"We couldn't have the Student of the Week program year after year without the help and cooperation of our area schools," said Daily Press Editor Brian Rowell. "Their help week after week really shows the scope of caring and dedication they have for their students."
For more on the Student of the Year, turn to page 10A of today's Daily Press.