Shaurya Desai, of Gallatin High School, has been named Tennessean Freshman of the Week after an extended nomination period due to a technical error.
The newspaper received seven nominations in the category and Desai walked away with 47.3% of the vote to secure the top honor.
Desai, nominated by ninth-grade school counselor Kelly Brewer, is described as an outstanding student. He is currently taking Honors and AP classes while on the Academic Team, Brewer said, noting that he is also involved with the Foreign Language Club, JROTC’s Raiders and Marksmanship program.
The Tennessean’s Student of the Week initiative is a weekly program that runs throughout the school year. Students are nominated for this honor by principals, guidance counselors or other staff members at their school. They are then placed in an online poll, where readers are given the opportunity to vote and determine who wins.
Due to the fall break taking place in Middle Tennessee school districts, the newspaper will pause its program until the week of Oct. 21. Look out for new students and new polls coming back at that time.
In the meantime, here were the other six freshmen nominated for this week’s poll and what their schools wrote about them:
Addison Beattie, Beech High School
Addison is on the freshman and junior varsity football teams, student council, participates in choir, honors classes and plans to participate in track and field as well. Her classmates and teachers recognize how kind she is to her peers and goes out of her way to support school spirit by attending football games and/or participating in leadership opportunities on campus. She’s an excellent Buc all around!
Bailey Sinks, Montgomery Central High School
Bailey is always involved, participates in classes, has good attendance and a positive attitude. Her world history teacher says, “Bailey makes my class better!”
Carlana Stewart, White House High School
Carlana originally entered her Algebra 1 class unsure about math. Even though she is not the biggest fan of the subject, she still shows a wonderfully positive attitude, enormous sensory determination and perseverance. She is a breath of fresh air in her math classes and encourages those around her to do/be the same.
Devin Smith, Montgomery Central High School
Devin is a hard worker, has a great attitude, is very relaxed and easy to get along with. He is friendly and polite to both adults and students. Devin also helps his colleagues when he can, especially during structured interventions.
Hudson Maddox, James Lawson High School
Hudson has been through a lot as a freshman, but still shows himself with a ‘can do’ mentality. He developed a heart condition at school in mid-August. He has since returned to school and continues as if nothing else happened! He continues to successfully maintain his schoolwork and friendships!
LaPromise Davis, James Lawson High School
LaPromise is an outstanding student-athlete, excelling in football, basketball and track and field. She even made it to the state finals last year, demonstrating her dedication and talent. In addition to her athletic achievements, LaPromise has made significant contributions through community service, balancing her busy schedule with a strong commitment to helping others. She exemplifies leadership, hard work and dedication both on and off the field.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Sumner’s Desai is Tennessean Student of Week; autumn holiday break planned
