Honors for Farley
Como Park senior William Farley received the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross award at a special ceremony attended by family, instructors and peers from the Marine Corps JROTC. The Bronze Cross is an elite honor earned annually by just six exceptional individuals from over 5,000 Marine Corps JROTC cadets across the entire nation.
Farley’s accomplishments in JROTC began during his freshman year and increased over time to include not just higher rank and distinction within the program, but also excellence in challenging academic coursework, extracurricular activities and community service. He carries a non-weighted GPA of 3.96 (4.39 weighted), has twice led a Como Knowledge Bowl team to the national JROTC finals in Washington D.C., is an AP Scholar and a member of the National Honor Society. Other activities and distinctions include Minnesota State History Day, Minnesota Personal Finance Decathlon State Competition, track and field, and several service projects with the Boy Scouts.
Asked about his award, Farley’s selfless attitude revealed itself. To him, the achievements and honors are a by-product of the experiences that have come from being part of a team. “I think truly, the most wonderful experience I’ve had has been to be part of this second family,” Farley said.
Wells Fargo outreach
Coordination between Como Academy of Finance (AOF) instructor Kris Somerville, Wells Fargo, and Junior Achievement’s “JA Inspire” outreach program produced a top-flight event for 370 Como High students. More than 40 volunteers from Wells Fargo visited Como on Nov. 15 for an all-day event. Freshmen spent time with mentors and learned how to network. Sophomores developed and refined resumes with the volunteers. Juniors participated in mock interviews and mentoring sessions. Seniors presented solutions to case studies developed by Wells Fargo.
For AOF students who previously participated in the Wells Fargo event, the day was equally rewarding again. “It was a wonderful experience because the volunteers were really down to earth and gave me such great advice about how to improve my presentation,” said senior Selena Vue. For Wells Fargo volunteers, the interaction with Como AOF students was insightful and inspiring. One Wells Fargo team member, Derek Fried, said “I have done several other volunteer activities with Wells Fargo and this was far and away the most fun and most rewarding.”
Big Sisters program
Twenty Como Park High students are mentoring students from Como Elementary after school once a week. The “Bigs” and the “Littles” do a variety of activities depending on the week and the weather, but playground games, board games, art, reading or helping with schoolwork are all common ways of connecting. The program aims to help the elementary and high school students build strong, meaningful connections.
National Close Up Washington D.C.
Advanced Placement Government students who will be representing Como in the national Close Up Washington D.C. program in March are raising funds to support their trip.
Students will be bagging groceries for customers at the Maplewood Cub Foods on Rice St. and County Road B from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22. Cub customers generously support the effort of the students with donations that help defray the expense of the educational trip. Community members interested in financially supporting students in the Close Up Washington D.C. program can also contact the trip coordinator at eric.erickson@spps.org.
–Eric Erickson
