Last spring, senior Sydney Nelson was awarded a Book Award for her involvement in the Stillwater community.

Nelson is taking almost all AP courses along with French and orchestra that she has been committed to for many years. Outside of school she devotes most of her time to helping out in the Stillwater community, which she enjoys greatly.

“My counselor called me in, and really I’m at the GPA requirement for a Book Award,” Nelson said.

To be awarded a Book Award Nelson had to sign up and apply to possibly receive one for her involvements in the school and community, her overall GPA and the type of classes she is involved in.

“Volunteer opportunities, extracurriculars like the clubs I’m involved in, work experience and then other  awards you’ve received. I got the Youth Volunteer Award for community thread last year,” Nelson said.

Because of Nelson’s success in school and also her dedication to the community, she was given an award that brought the attention of St. Michael’s college.

“The one I received was from St. Michael’s College and each book award is geared towards a specific area. Mine was focused on community service and social conscience, which relates to all the volunteering I do,” Nelson said.

Nelson volunteers all throughout the community, such as Valley Outreach, tutoring and volunteering at the library. Volunteering is not the only thing that consumes Nelson’s weekly schedule. She also is involved in multiple AP classes and orchestra.

“I’ve been involved in French since eighth grade and orchestra since fifth grade. I’ve kept with those and been committed,” Nelson said.

The commitment Nelson has put towards her classes is another example for why St. Michael’s noticed her as a student.

“Sydney is amazing. She is incredibly responsible and dedicated. She is always on top of everything all the time,” French teacher Jacqueline Parr said. “She’s the kind of student who goes above and beyond and does all kinds of extra things because she has for my class. I noticed that she is very, very interested in French, she really enjoys it.”

Nelson has always been passionate about French and potentially wants to go into a career revolving around it.

“I’m thinking I want to double major in French and education,” Nelson said.

Not only was Nelson given a full ride scholarship to St. Michael’s, but the college also has a wide variety of volunteering experiences.

“They have so many volunteering opportunities that are very community service based, which I loved,” Nelson said.

“She is so curious and so interested in so many different topics and so many different things that she’s going to find a path and be able to follow her dreams. That dedication that keeps kind of pushing her forward and that curiosity keeps pushing her forward and her desire to know more about the world and pursue what she is really curious about is strong,” Parr said.

Everything Nelson is involved in, she still finds time to be involved in her community and enjoy other out of school activities.

“If something’s important to you, you can make time for it,” Nelson said.