On April 10, the school resurrected a pre-COVID tradition by awarding the Scholar of the Quarter honor to 11 students, providing a prize of several small terrariums which Plant Club made.
Scholar of the Quarter is a tradition which the Instructional Council has revived after it lapsed during COVID. Each department (such as the Science or Math departments) may put forward the name of an exceptionally good student to receive honor and a prize.
“It could be someone who’s shown extraordinary scholarship in that department,” India Carlson, science and botany teacher, said. “It could be someone who’s shown a lot of improvement in a particular area, it could show someone who’s shown leadership in the classroom.”
While academic excellence helps, one of the major criteria is how involved the student has been “building more community within our greater Ballard community,” as English teacher Thereasa Burton said. For example, a student could win the award for starting a club which connects previously separated people or promoting conversations about difficult and overlooked issues.
“We are not necessarily looking for who had the highest grades,” Burton said. “We are looking for people who are doing beautiful things in the community.”
At the ceremony each nominating teacher, organized by subject, gave a brief speech about their student followed by the students getting a certificate and the terrarium.
“It was cool to see all the other students that were there and what they’d achieved,” Penelope Guist, sophomoreand Scholar of the Quarter winner, said. “It was cool to get to know their stories and see the teachers being so proud of them and everything.”
The prize used to be a single flower, but now takes the form of a set of succulents in a small glass container. Plant Club agreed to make the terrariums, 20 in all.
“They wanted to give the winner something they could take care of,” Club Co-leader Sara Policar said.
Plant Club meets after school on Mondays in NW203, the Botany classroom. Seniors Terri DeLeon and Policar run it, focusing it on “trying to integrate little plant related things into day to day life,” DeLeon said.
“Just making [keeping plants] more accessible,” Policar said about her goal for the club. “Some people feel like they don’t know how to keep plants alive at their house, so making it more accessible for people to learn about plants.”
Plant Club has relatively few members with around five to eight members at most meetings, earning it a reputation among some members as a very tight-knit, close community.
“I would say [my favorite part is] the people,” Isabelle Goncalves, senior and club member, said. “They’re really very sweet; I feel like whenever people like plants, they’re very nice.”
The club has recently spent much of its time on indoor activities, such as plant-related Kahoots and arts and crafts due to the weather. However, the club will likely return to more outdoor activities now that Spring is starting.
“A nature walk, we were thinking,” DeLeon said. “Because more of the flowers just around here are blooming more.”
Plant Club also does service projects such as pulling weeds in the greenhouses behind the school. Going to the club earns one service hour per meeting.
