Royalton High School is proud to announce that Naomi Ferguson was selected as Student of the Month for October. Naomi says her family has played a large role in her life and has made her who she is, “My oldest sister Collette has taken care of me since I was little, without fail she woke me up every morning, brought me to school and taught me how to grow up, she is the best role model I could have asked for. My second oldest sister Emily, introduced me to most of the activities I’m in and my youngest sister Sofia, even though we have the worst fights, is someone I trust the most. Then my mother, the master of the house, seems to seems to be made of nothing but love, perseverance, and muscle. She is understanding and kind and has done everything from try to teach me math while I was crying at the table to braiding my then 3 feet of hair every morning before school, I will always appreciate our kitchen table talks”.

At Royalton High School, Naomi is involved in many activities. She has been involved in Drama, Speech, Knowledge Bowl, Marching Band, Jazz Band, BPA, One Act Play, FFA, Prom Committee, Cross Country, Track & Field, Student Council, Royal Pride Club, Choir and Minnesota Honor Society. Naomi says all of these activities has helped her tremendously as she has grown, “Each one is very different, but they all have something in common: the camaraderie and relationships I have made with the people in them. I have also made significant improvement not only in the activities themselves, becoming a better speaker, musician, singer, actress, and trivia-buff, but also in life, becoming a more confident, dedicated, and all-around better person.”

Royalton High School Choir teacher Cheri Ploof says that Naomi is an outstanding musician and is amazing at anything she puts her mind to. Royalton Art Teacher Cathy Tordsen agreed by saying that “Naomi is a very talented artist, with excellent rendering skills!” Social Studies Teacher Brad Baumann added “ If you ask any teacher at Royalton, I think they all would agree that Naomi is a great example for all of our students at RHS with all of her skills and great work in the classroom.”

When it comes to her classes Naomi says her favorite class was probably English Composition. “My favorite class was probably comp. Even though it was harrowing, I liked the camaraderie we developed and the relationship between Ms. Menden and our class. I also learned quite a lot, which is always fun. In short, comp was like we were all in an emotionally exhausting book club in which we constantly slapped each other in the face with valuable information. I highly recommend it.”

As for a favorite teacher in high school Naomi says it’s impossible to pick just one, “I cannot and will not choose a favorite teacher. Each of my teachers has helped me immeasurably; they have patiently taught and re-taught confusing topics, they have been my confidants, and they have made me a better person. I will be forever in their debt. While I am closer to some than others, they are all truly wonderful human beings who I deeply trust and care for and I could not have lived without.”

Some of Naomi’s favorites memories in high school have been with friends and spending time with them in and out of school, “Almost all memories of working in the concession stands have been my favorites. I was always with my best friends and through the hundreds of hours peddling our vittles we became a well-oiled machine. I have so many good memories full of unadulterated happiness that I will never remember clearly: late night cast parties to Perkins, caked in stage makeup: placing at a speech meet: funny jokes, good music, and long nights. While I can’t always remember the events, the feelings I had and the time spent with those I care about are what I will look back on most fondly.”

Because of an already busy schedule Naomi does not have a ton of free time outside of school. The time that she does have she spends working at her job, she will participate in 5Ks and likes to draw and ski. But most of her time is spent participating in school sponsored events.

Next year Naomi plans to attend North Dakota State University and wants to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. In ten years she hopes to have graduated from NDSU and found a productive career that she enjoys and says “Life, however, is full of goals, all of them stepping stones of improvement with no end; I only hope to choose the path of kindness and make the world a slightly better place.”

Naomi’s advice to high school freshmen is, “Have confidence in yourself. Do not be afraid to be your true, unabashed self. Most of the time, my biggest problem in drama, knowledge bowl, math, or whatever I was doing, was that I did not believe I could do it. Once you are sure of yourself, you can do more than you thought you ever could.”