By Bruce Karnick

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Each month during the school year, the Hastings Area Rotary Club has a student of the month. For April it was Clay Karas. Due to some scheduling conflicts, he was not able to be celebrated until the May 12 Rotary meeting.

The Hastings Rotary Club recognizes Hastings High School seniors who exemplify Rotary’s motto of ‘Service Above Self’, as a way to reward and foster these ideals, and also build mutually rewarding relationships between school administration, staff, students, parents and the Rotary members. Karas was nominated by HHS staff members Ms. Bagwill and Ms. Casey.

Ms. Bagwill had this to say in her nomination of Karas. “I would like to nominate Clay Karas for Rotary Student of the Month. Clay has been absolutely amazing with one of my students in advisory. He has taken him under his wing, made sure he had what he needed, got to where he needed to be and to top it all off when the student was nominated for snow week royalty and made comments about how he didn't have jeans or a black shirt, Clay and a couple of friends went out and got him a pair of jeans and the black shirt that he needed for pictures! From what I have been told by the PSA who is in Clay's advisory class he is just an allaround great kid, and never thinks twice about helping someone out.”

Ms. Casey added her nomination for Karas. “I would like to nominate Clay Karas. He is in my advisory class and has always accepted our students. He makes them feel welcome and helps them out. He is friends with one of our students who was in Snow Week and he knew this student didn't have the clothes he needed at home, so he and two of his friends went to Walmart and purchased them. They also borrowed him the clothes for the pep fest (even the shoes). They weren't ironed so he went to a classroom and ironed them. He seems to be a very caring person who would be willing to help a lot of people.”

Aside from receiving a check for $250 to use toward school, the Student of the Month, their parents and the nominating faculty are invited to the Rotary Meeting for breakfast and to talk. The presenters say a few words and the student talks about their experiences at the school, their plans and then a Q& A session takes place. This gives the Rotarians the opportunity to get to know the student a little and see how they exemplify the “Service above self” motto.

Karas likes to stay busy, primarily outdoors hunting, fishing or working on projects like a golf cart he rebuilt and sold. He has worked for Afton Alps recently as well as Emerald Greens Golf Course and plans on working for the City of Hastings Parks Department this summer. At school, he is part of the Spanish Honor Society, and played football, basketball, hockey and when he is not in a sport, he actively gets out and supports his classmates from the sidelines.

Congratulations to Clay Karas, April Rotary Student of the Month!