From left, Superintendent Peter Livingston, school board members Tom Courtney and Jessica Risler, Middle School honoree Jazlyn Avila Barajas (Amaya Kelly was unavailable), board member Chelsea LaGrange, board president Jason Hansen, and board member Jim Harvey. Photo by Marina Savchenko
By Peter Day
LVUSD New Media
As one top all-round student gets ready to move on and graduate, another younger top student-athlete begins her middle-high school journey. That’s how Lucerne Valley Middle High School Assistant Principal Chris Watkins described the similarities between senior Amaya Kelly, this month’s LVHS Student of the Month, and 7th-grader Jazlyn Avila Barajas, the LVMS awardee.
“We've got a bookend situation here,” Mr. Watkins said. “We've got a 12th grader, three-sport athlete, and we've got a seventh grader, three-sport athlete.”
While topping Amaya Kelly is no easy task, the assistant principal encouraged Jazlyn to set her sights high: “Records are meant to be broken, right? You've got a lot to shoot for, and you've got just a fabulous future.”
Amaya Kelly and Mr. Chris Watkins
Amaya Kelly - HS Student of the Month
Amaya is a high-achieving student who serves as ASB President. She has excellent grades and is involved in the STEM Club. As ASB President she presided over an ASB chocolate sale last November during the Veterans Celebration. “She had no problem hitting up the powers that be to make sure they spend some money on chocolate,” he said.
But athletics is where Amaya has shined the brightest. “She’s got some very, very notable athletic awards.”
Through her four years playing softball, volleyball and basketball she has won numerous accolades culminating with historic achievements on the basketball court. As captain, Amaya led her teammates by example. No other player on the court played with as much determination, toughness and relentless drive to make the play. By the middle of the basketball season, she had surpassed Krystian Otwell’s all-time scoring record of 585 points. Once again, the Lady Mustangs never lost a league game and made it to the C.I.F. playoffs.
Jazlyn Avila Barajas and Mr. Chris Watkins
Jazlyn Avila Barajas - MS Student of the Month
“Jazlyn always comes in with a smile and is ready to work,” Mr. Watkins said. “She’s a role model to her peers. She asks questions when needed and is diligent about getting all her work done correctly and submitted on time. She is consistently a positive force in the classroom. She's punctual, dependable, always willing to take initiative to help others and get tasks completed. In addition to her helpful nature, she maintains excellent grades.”
But like her fellow, elder Student of the Month Amaya Kelly Jazlyn plays volleyball. She plays basketball. She plays softball.
“And so in the back of your mind think about that song from that old, old musical from the 1940s (“Annie Got Your Gun”) ‘Anything You Can Do Better.’ We're excited to see you progress we really are and so this is kind of a passing of the torch. You've got Montana passing it to Brady, right? You've got Magic Johnson passing it to Michael Jordan, right? You've got Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods. We've got Amaya Kelly to Jazlyn Avila Barajas.”