Welcome to Hudson Community First

Each month Hudson Community First chooses a high school student that exemplifies excellence in his or her school and daily activities. This month we chose Emma Leonard.

Student Showcase: Emma Leonard

Last fall, Emma Leonard exceeded the expectations of all of her peers through not only her impressive performance as Rosa in The Mystery of Edwin Drood but also her many accomplishments as a competitive horseback rider. Her fellow cast members loved watching her final scene in Drood on the evenings she was selected as the murderer; her obvious talent as a singer was further heightened by her sophisticated portrayal of the maniacal killer. During the hours after school and on many weekends, Emma trains with and cares for her horse, Bellisima, refining her jumping skills and competing in shows in a variety of venues.

Emma’s positive energy flows throughout WRA’s campus and her smile can brighten up the day. On several Saturday’s in the fall, Emma added her special touch to the Pioneer football games when she opened them by singing the National Anthem. Emma makes time for her friends and though serious when training, also knows how to relax and be crazy for a while. She is an active participant in class and strives to do her best in all she does, whether it be leading Reserve’s a capella group or answering a math problem correctly. Most recently Emma adeptly performed two solos in our Messiah sing and prepared O Holy Night as part of the prelude music for the Vespers Service.

Student Showcase: Thomas Banks

Thomas Banks is a senior at Hudson High School who, since his freshman year has worked diligently and passionately in all that has been put in front of him. Nominated by Mrs. Banks-Burke from the Business and Computer Department and advisor of the HHS Business Club says, “ I sat on the panel which appointed Thomas C. Banks as Treasurer of the Club for the 2011-12 school year. Our business club needed a conscientious student with charisma, someone who students would listen to and who is well liked.” Tom Banks works alongside other students in addition to taking the initiative to accomplish goals for events in Business Club as well as all areas in school. Mr. Banks also created a business plan that was a finalist in the Northeastern Ohio region sponsored by Ashland University in the course at Hudson High School, Intro to Business. Mrs. Banks-Burke stated, “ Mr. Banks easily maintains an ‘A+’ average. This young man definitely has a business-structured mind, knows how to ‘think outside the box,’ and enjoys a challenge. I have a great deal of confidence in Thomas Banks because I know that he will accomplish what he promises.”

Future plans for Tom Banks do include college and are looking bright, considering that he is awaiting reply from both Vanderbilt and Purdue. Tom plans on majoring in chemical engineering. Outside of the classroom, Tom’s charisma and personality attribute to what a likeable person he is and how others recognize him. Throughout his high school career, all of the friendships he has made since freshman year are the most important to Tom.

Student Showcase: Patrick Burnett  

Patrick, who is a senior this year, was recommended by English teacher Jessica Stiffler for excellence in the high school.  Patrick currently is involved in many activities.  He is editor in chief of the Explorer newspaper along with Sam Crowe. He is also President of Key Club, and participates in the Senior Executive Committee. He is also a student ambassador, and is an active member on the Hudson Community First Youth Advisory Board.  Outside of school activities he is interested in hiking, biking, skiing, and just being outdoors. He also enjoys traveling, since he can experience new cultures and foods. He enjoys following politics and current events, and finally just enjoys spending time with friends.  When asked what the best part of high school has been for him, he describes his time working on the newspaper.  He also enjoys working with the staff, and of course Mrs. Stiffler. Patrick describes the relief of having a break from the regular school day, and enjoys knowing that not many kids can say they have worked on their school newspaper like he does. In the future Patrick is considering attending the American University in Washington D.C. However, he is undecided on his choice of study yet.  Patrick says he is interested in Political Science; however Journalism, Communications, English and History are all options as well.  Although he does enjoy politics and current events, he does not wish to be a politician.  Patrick’s dream goal is to be happy with what he has accomplished, and be proud of his fulfilling experiences.  Overall Patrick is an admirable student, who will be greatly missed at the high school!  He would like to thank his parents, teachers, friends, and everyone in his life that makes it what it is today.

Written By: Kiersten Schierenbeck and Jennifer Wagner

Student Showcase:  Haley Turner

Hudson High School senior Haley Turner, active in the school, community and renowned for her caring nature, is this month’s featured outstanding student.  Haley was nominated by history teacher Mrs. KC Nemec Smith, who taught Haley in her Modern Western Civilizations class as a sophomore. In describing Haley, Smith says, “She is an upbeat young lady who is kind to everyone and has the greatest attribute a high school student can have-- she is accepting of all people, no matter their background.”

At school, Haley is involved in a variety of activities, such as being a runner for the school’s cross country and track teams, a dancer in the spring musical, “Funny Girl,” and a member of both Huddle and National Honor Society.



Haley is also very involved outside of school. In addition to working at One Red Door, Haley often sings at mass at St. Mary’s Church and takes dance classes at the Donna Colman School of Dance. Also, she is choreographing this year’s student musical at the Middle School. When she has free time, Haley enjoys running, going out to eat with friends, biking, hiking and skiing.

Next year, Haley will attend either the University of Dayton or John Carroll University and aspires to become a teacher. In college, she hopes to travel abroad to Spain, and credits her favorite senior-year class, AP Spanish, taught by Mr. Brian Carbaugh, with helping to prepare her.

Haley considers her mom to be her greatest role model, saying that she and her mom are very similar and that their relationship is very strong. Haley says of her mother, “She’ll always be there to give me advice.”



An exceptional student, athlete and leader, Haley serves as a strong role model for students at Hudson High School and around the community.

Student Showcase:  Jack Hoover

Henry David Thoreau once said, “Success only comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” At Western Reserve Academy, everyone is too busy to be looking for success. Yet, there are those few that manage to balance everything on their plate and do it successfully. One of these few is senior Jack Hoover. From the onset of his WRA career, Jack has played a Varsity sport every season. Though Jack is focused on making himself a great athlete, he is the epitome of a team player. He says, “I love the teams I get to train with. They’re tough sports so you need a group of guys that can pull you through.” His junior year he received the Spirit Award for cross country and the Coaches’ Award for swimming. His senior year he was named MVP for cross country. It’s no surprise he was named captain in all three sports: cross country, swimming, track.

However, Jack is not only an amazing athlete; he excels beyond others in academics too. As a junior, he had the second highest grade point average and was presented with the University of Pennsylvania book prize. WRA was proud to give him the Joel B. Hayden Award which “is awarded to the best all-around student in the Junior Class, considering scholarship, student activities and leadership." On top of all this, he is also a National Merit Semifinalist. It would sound as if Jack has no free time. However, he leads WRA’s Model United Nations team which competes regularly throughout the year. For this team, he was given the Best Delegation Award in 2009 and received an Honorable Mention in 2010. He is also a proud leader of WRA’s tech club. He claims he is “not afraid to show his geekiness!” He is also an important part of the orchestra and competes regularly in WRA’s math and science competitions.

Jack is definitely busy with succeeding at almost everything he does. However, he does manage to find free time which is worth “pure 24-karat gold” to all WRA students. As most students at WRA, he uses his free time to take a break from the hectic life. He plays the guitar or watches a movie with his friends. Sometimes, when “WRA has left a little energy in his brain” he will peruse the books on medicine and Arabic.

Jack’s friends, family, and community are proud of everything he has done in his WRA career. He has accomplished beyond what many achieve in their four years at this school. It is hard to find someone as successful and humble as Jack. WRA wishes him well at Williams College in Massachusetts next fall.

Student Showcase:   Matt Lichtenberger

Matt is a senior at Hudson High School. He is a member of the National Honor Society and volunteers weekly at Streetsboro’s Head Start program for young kids through the school’s Service Learning class. Matt is also a part of Hudson’s Academic Challenge team and the Spanish Club at the high school.

In his free time, Matt enjoys sports through his co-ed soccer team. He participates annually in Relay for Life. As a former member of the marching band, Matt loves to listen to different genres of music and is always looking to broaden his music taste. Recently, Matt has become interested in cooking and is finally beginning to move beyond the microwave.

Matt was nominated by his AP Calculus teacher, Mr. David Kurtz, who speaks very highly of Matt. For Matt, “AP Calculus is a very engaging class; I like how it builds upon all of my past knowledge.” Matt believes that math is very valuable, and though the process is not always easy, finding the correct answer always brings great satisfaction.

Matt hopes to attend college and major in astronomy. He aspires to find a career as a NASA researcher. Opportunities to travel the world and see new places are of great interest to Matt. Matt would like to thank his friends, teachers, and family for supporting him, keeping him on track, and making his senior year a success thus far.