Congratulations to Ava Yunis who was chosen as the Rotary Student of the Month for November. Ava was chosen for exemplifying the philosophy of “Service Above Self.” Ava is a senior at Suffield High School and is a member of our National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society. She has been involved in Best Buddies and Unified Theater. Ava enjoys being part of the tech side of our drama production each year, where she manages the sound booth for plays and musicals to be sure the production goes smoothly. She is also a member of the Interact Club, The Youth Advisory Board and the DEI Council. In addition, Ava is part of Suffield High School Band/Jazz Band.
Ava has volunteered for many organizations. She has been taking dance classes since 6th grade and shares her expertise by being an assistant dance teacher at the Hamden Performing Arts Centre. Here, she helps dancers with their steps when they are struggling and helps choreograph tap, jazz and ballet for the young students. She has been a Robbie’s Hope Ambassador, where she helped to raise money and awareness to help destigmatize mental health in teens. Ava raised over $1,000 for Robbie’s Hope at a booth at Suffield on the Green. In addition, she raised money for this foundation through our Interact Club at school. Due to Ava’s involvement with The Robbie’s Hope Foundation, she has been working alongside the Suffield High School principal to bring mental health awareness to the high school. She has been a Band Camp counselor at Suffield High School during the summer. Additionally, Ava has volunteered at Suffield Community Aid at the Food Bank to help sort and put food away. She also collected bottles and cans from residents of Suffield and raised $416 for Suffield Community Aid. Ava has also helped the elderly in senior housing to maintain their gardens. Finally, she volunteered to care for several animals while their owners were away. Ava organized and created the Youth Advisory Council with the Director of Youth Services in Suffield to help plan youth programming and help work on the health and wellness of Suffield’s youth.
Ava has worked at the bakery counter at our local grocery store, has been a filer for a doctor’s office in Longmeadow and is a Smoothie Artist in her spare time.
Ava will attend college in the fall and her goal is to become a veterinarian. Congratulations Ava on this well-deserved award!