Student of the month: Grant Hospodarsky

     Each month, Monticello High School nominates a student who exhibits positive behavior, as part of an initiative called PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports). The students support the school’s characteristics of Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Safety, and Integrity.

     With schools closed for the remainder of the school year, MHS is still rewarding students for exhibiting PBIS behavior, but this time while at home.

     Who knew walking out of a local store would lead to “Student of the Month?”

     Grant Hospodarsky, a sophomore at MHS, was walking out of Dollar General recently when MHS Associate Rob Buchheim witnessed an act of kindness. He saw Hospodarsky assist an elderly man carry his grocery bags to his car, even putting them into the man’s vehicle for him.

     “Grant was respectful and friendly when the gentleman accepted his offer,” shared Buchheim. “He addressed the man as ‘sir’, and talked to him briefly while assisting him.”

     Buchheim also attested to Hospodarsky’s strong character.

     “He’s a fantastic student who demonstrates what it is to be a good citizen in and out of the classroom,” he added.

     Hospodarsky said he found out he was named Student of the Month after receiving an e-mail from Rebecca DeWitte, the MHS PBIS co-coach and English teacher.

     “It means a lot the fact that someone recognized me for something I consider to be a regular act of kindness,” shared Hospodarsky. “It’s a good feeling.”

     He recalled seeing Buchheim behind him at Dollar General at the time he offered to help the elderly man, but that definitely did play a role in his act of kindness.

     “I don’t think that anything I did was out of the ordinary, and I think many other kids would do the same thing I did,” Hospodarsky said.

     In response to Buchheim’s claim that Hospodarsky exhibits good character, he admitted that he tries to show this trait both inside and outside of the classroom. “Some of my teachers might disagree with that, however,” joked Hospodarsky.

     Doing schoolwork from home, not being able to go to school every day to see his peers was tough at first for Hospodarsky. Now that he’s developed a routine, things have improved and gotten better.

     “One thing I’m missing about school would be my friends,” he said.

     Hospodarsky also hopes to get a summer job.

     When he was in school, Hospodarsky stayed pretty busy in both sports and arts: cross country, basketball, track, baseball, band, jazz band, Forte, choir, musical theater, speech (both large-group and individual), and student council.

     His favorite subject is history; least favorite is math.

     Hospodarsky is the son of Todd and Aimee Hospodarsky of Monticello.