February 2024 Superintendent's Superstar

Samantha Flores is in sixth grade at Clay School in Clay Joint Elementary School District. She is a student who quietly perseveres through obstacles to excellence. Early on, Samantha overcame the hurdle of being a non-English speaker when she first came to school. When COVID hit her third-grade year, she struggled. However, with support from her teacher, she completely turned things around and ended the year at the top of her class. In fourth grade her teacher said, "I was so impressed with Samantha during my first year teaching at Clay. In a school that can be very competitive between students, I remember thinking this girl's going to be valedictorian and surprise everyone. She has the coolest writing voice and I really got to see her humor and personality in her writing."

This summer the district was reviewing CAASPP scores and saw that Samantha earned a perfect score in ELA. From non-English to a perfect ELA is incredible! 

Her PE teacher said of Samantha’s personality, "She has the best attitude. When she was out at volleyball, she always tried her best and always had a smile on her face.” At first, Samantha did not make the final cuts for the JV volleyball team but continued to come out every day to the practice team. Her outstanding effort and attitude eventually landed her a starting position on the JV team. She is the kind of player you want on all your teams because she shows great teamwork and is always encouraging her teammates.

Her current teacher sums it up great, "What a wonderful student! She has been nothing but extremely hard working this year. She has so much personal drive and, wow, her writing is fantastic." Samantha is kind, friendly and hard working without ever asking for praise or bragging about herself. She is the definition of using grit with passion and perseverance to move beyond that space of success to greatness and selfless exceptionalism.