|
Last week, Mr. Jayden Aguirre was named as Sonora High School’s Student of the Month for the La Habra Rotary Club. Jayden truly is the epitome of a student who has thrown themselves into everything they possibly could in high school. From the moment he first stepped on campus during the summer of 2023, he jumped right in as a leader on campus, seeking to bring excitement and school spirit before he even started his first day as a Freshman. Last summer each District school hosted what we call Summer Bridge to provide a weeklong opportunity for incoming Freshmen to come to campus, learn about our culture, meet leaders on our campus, and understand the basic processes of student life on campus. Typically, we would employ our more seasoned veteran student leaders to be in front of this group of squirrely Freshmen. Instead, here was Jayden, an unknown commodity, eagerly volunteering to be on the microphone, serving as the MC for the event, teaching his peers about what it means to be a Sonora Raider, even before he had the opportunity to really understand what that meant for himself.
This is a perfect example of what influence and change Jayden has made in a very brief time on campus at Sonora High School. He has the courage to put himself out there, not taking himself seriously, and doing everything he can to get the entire student body excited about activities, athletics, and being on campus. Since that time in the summer, Jayden has helped to lead an exciting first day of school event, lead the opening of Back to School Night, multiple school-wide assemblies, numerous lunch rallies, and even led prospective families and students last night for our Annual Open House. In short, any time we have the opportunity to have a student-led event where we need students to be excited and have the courage to lead large groups of students or parents, Jayden is our man. Our desire in those opportunities is to share who we are and lean into the gifts and talents of our students. It has been evident from day one on our campus that Jayden possesses an inner confidence that is rare for a student of his experience, and it is inspiring to other students and adults on our campus. He is uber-positive, always willing to give a constructive comment, an encouraging reminder, or recognize the strengths of others.
In addition to his commitment to sharing his love for Sonora High School, Jayden has thrown himself into every opportunity to be the epitome of a well-rounded student. He is a Pre-IB student, boasting a GPA in his first semester on campus of 4.57. In addition, he is a member of our ASB Leadership, Freshman Director of Key Club, Officer of the Food Drive Club, and a member of Fashion Club and Mecha, while also demonstrating his athletic talents on the tennis court. Outside of school he also dabbles in improv, which he has been doing through Stagelight for the last five years. Needless to say, he is a busy young man. With all of those commitments, he has also been instrumental in recruiting future Raiders to our campus, helping to guide student-led tours of prospective families every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon which began in October and continues to be a part of our strategy up until last week.
Despite his busy calendar, there is a sense that he can’t get enough of high school life, always searching for a way to make a difference in the lives of others, willing to put himself out there to demonstrate how much he cares for people and to spread kindness. He shares that his inspiration comes from his parents, getting his sense of humor from his dad, and his caring nature for others from his mom. They both have clearly poured into him and instilled in him the qualities that we would love to see in our own children and the students we serve every day.
Jayden’s future is very bright and I, along with the rest of the Sonora community, are excited to be in the front row to witness all of his future successes. This is only the beginning of his journey and as he grows and matures, we hope that his love for others and serving the greater good continues, one lunch rally at a time.
| 
