Royalton High School announces that Allyson Waletski has been selected as the November Student of the Month.

 

Allyson is the daughter of Dave and Judy Waletski; she also has a younger sister, Amanda. Allyson’s family is important to her; she enjoys traveling to different parts of the United States with them and they encourage her to try her best in everything. Allyson mentions,  “My family has encouraged me to go for my dreams because anything is possible if I work hard at it.”

 

Allyson participates in many different activities at Royalton High School. She is active in Knowledge Bowl, WE Club, Spanish Club, Student Council, and MHS. Being involved in the activities allowed her to gain many friendships, but overall they have shown Allyson how to manage her time while being as involved as possible at school. 

 

Sports also take up a great deal of Allyson’s time. Her favorite high school memory comes from the basketball court. In playoffs as a junior, the Royalton girls’ team was seven-seed playing against the heavily favored two-seed Rush City. “Our team worked together to overcome a deficit and push the game into overtime,” leading to an eventual win by the Royals. “The best part of that game was celebrating together as a team at center court.” Allyson’s team is important to her since they have been playing together since 5th grade and many are her best best friends. In addition to basketball, Allyson also plays volleyball and softball. During the off season, she also played AAU basketball and Junior Volleyball. 

 

Brad Baumann, head girls’ basketball coach and social studies teacher, states that Allyson is one of the true treasures of Royalton High School. “She demonstrates exactly what you would like to see out of a senior student.  She is an excellent student in the classroom and is at the top of her class. Allyson strives to do great work and is also willing to step in and help whenever needed.  She is willing to accept difficult tasks and take them head on. As a teacher and coach, it has been a privilege to have Allyson in class and in basketball, and we're fortunate to have her as a student here at Royalton High School.”

 

Randy Thielges, Science Teacher, also sees Allyson’s strengths in class as well as on the court. “Allyson is always a "go-getter" whether it’s her hustle on the courts or her efforts to be the best in her class.  She always seems to find a way to give her best effort.” Based on this sentiment, it is no surprise that chemistry with Mr. Thielges is Allyson’s favorite class. She loved that the class was challenging and fun at the same time. She states that her favorite part of the class was doing labs and solving stoichiometry problems. Chemistry helped her realize that she wants to become a pharmacist. Allyson definitely suggests that anyone who is interested in the medical field should take chemistry; it is a lot of fun!

 

Allyson’s favorite teacher in high school was Mr. Makela. She appreciates that he pushed her to become the writer she is today. Even though his class was the hardest class she took in high school, she really enjoyed it, “He put in so much extra time helping me write my essays and was always willing to stay after school to read through my work.” Mr. Makela inspired me to work hard and never give up. 

 

Next year, Allyson will be attending the Early Admissions Pharmacy Program at North Dakota State University. She chose to become a pharmacist because she wants to help people feel better and wants to work in the medical field. “Mr. Thielges showed me how much I love chemistry and encouraged me to go to a Pharmacy camp in Ohio this last summer,” which cemented her idea of becoming a pharmacist.

 

In ten years, she sees herself practicing pharmacy at a hospital close to Royalton. She hopes to get married and travel in her free time. It is important to her to stay close to home because she  wants to continue spending time with family. 

 

Allyson’s advice to high school freshmen is to be as involved as you can be throughout high school. Being in activities allows you to step out of your comfort zone and meet new people. It also allows you to see what things you enjoy that you otherwise would not have tried.