Arcadia High School’s (AHS) Rotary Award is a program held by the Rotary Club of Arcadia that spotlights hardworking seniors. For the month of February, the three students of the month are seniors Emily Fang, Everett Lew, and Fiona Wong. These three young ladies have put tremendous effort into their time at AHS, and are inspiring to all their peers. But first of all, what is the Rotary Award?

Taking a look at the Rotary Award’s history, it’s the Rotary Club of Arcadia that makes this possible. Their purpose, “Service Above Self”, has been proudly upheld for the past 80 or so years. Founded on Oct. 27, 1927, and incorporated in 1942, Arcadia Rotary has become the fourth largest club in the Rotary District 5300. Membership includes a variety of business and professional communities in the Arcadia area. Rotary Club is a nonprofit organization where professional and business leaders from around the world unite and give humanitarian service, higher ethical standards in all areas, and build peace around the world. 

Rotarians meet on a weekly basis to participate in informative and fellowship programs that correlate to local and global importance. They plan and execute humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs to enhance the lives of people at a local level and in global communities. Arcadia meets every Friday at 12 p.m. at the Embassy Suites in, Arcadia CA. In addition, they also support the Rotary Foundation, donating $90 million for scholarships, cultural exchanges, and humanitarian projects. 

Senior Emily Wang, one of the recipients of the award, stated, that “To me, Rotary is a community with teachers, staff, and citizens of Arcadia who are dedicated to maintaining a great city to thrive in. With all the projects that they take on throughout Arcadia, as well as the way they recognize the students and teachers of AHS, they are a huge factor of the reason why Arcadia is such a nice city to live in.”

Each month, the counselors ask the head of each department: Performing Arts, Scholarship, and Athletics, to pick one student from their respective department.

Wang received the Rotary in the Performing Arts category. She believes that her award comes from the fact that she’s been a member of the Arcadia Stage Theatre Company for four years. 

“I’ve always loved performing and I’ve enjoyed and cherished my time, and I’ve also formed a lifelong bond with many of my cast mates,” Wang stated. 

Senior Everett Lew, another recipient of the Rotary Award in the Athletics department, stated how “Throughout games and practices I would encourage my teammates and make sure that everybody felt like part of the team. If someone wasn’t feeling good about their performance, I would strive to comfort them and motivate them to try their best.”

Wang and Lew encouraged interested students to try their best to help others around them and build a stronger sense of community. 

”It is impressive to achieve a high level of skill in a craft, but it is even more impressive to have a positive impact and improve the lives of others,” said Lew. 

Additionally, it’s important to just be yourself. Understanding what you are passionate about, whether it be a club, a sport, music, or anything, your true self shines through when you put in the effort.

When a student is awarded the Rotary Award, they are given a letter of congratulations. They are invited to a Rotary Club Luncheon, where they receive their award. 

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Rotary