April 2024 SSOM

Our Student of the Month for April is Justin Ha, a fifth grader at May Howard Elementary School.  This young scholar is in the Robotics Club and participated in the first Lego League Competition this year.  He is part of the Gifted Education program, Advanced Mathematics, and has maintained High Honor Roll all year.  

As a fifth grader, it is not easy to maintain a 97 GPA, but Justin certainly works hard to attain this goal, said Ms. Lynes, who nominated him. “He is always smiling and wants to put his best foot forward. He is working at a 6th-grade level in math, 99th percentile in I-Ready, and has shown tremendous growth all year.”

When describing Justin, Ms. Lynes said: “We started a robotics club this year at May Howard and one student would always find new strategies to code because he wanted to learn but also wanted to help his teammates.  He went above and beyond and would even work during his lunch period to help his Robotics Team succeed.”  Our student explained his experience at the robotics competition and said, “It was the best day of my life!  We were learning while having fun!”

When asked what motivates him to strive for academic success, our Justin said, “I like making my family happy and proud of me. Most of my cousins attend the University of Georgia or Georgia Tech and I want to follow in their footsteps.’”

Justin will receive multiple gifts from our community partners – gift cards from Members First Credit Union, Georgia United Credit Union, Plant Riverside District Gelato, Savannah Music Festival, and The Five Spot restaurant; plus, merchandise from Advertising Specialties, Savannah State University, Georgia Southern University, Gulfstream, and Bahama Joes. Justin and students from his English Language Arts class will receive copies of his favorite book – Hatchet by Gary Paulsen – from our sponsor, E. Shaver Booksellers.  

Congratulations to Justin, his family, and the May Howard Elementary School family!  And special thanks to his nominator, Christina Lynes