JACKSON HOLE, WYO – The Jackson Hole Rotary Lunch Club presented its monthly awards Tuesday, May 1, recognizing outstanding high school students from Jackson Hole High School and Jackson Hole Community School.
Jackson Hole High School senior Jack Cornish was born and raised in Jackson, which he credits for his love and appreciation for the outdoors.
“My love of the wilderness has driven me to learn more about these natural places…and eventually pursue a career in service of the environment,” said Cornish in his remarks to the club.
Cornish’s activities include Nordic skiing, soccer and cross-country, being named as a captain on all three teams in his senior year. He also is a member of the National Honor Society and Model UN. Cornish maintains a 4.0 grade point average and will attend Middlebury College in Vermont in the fall where he plans to major in Environmental Studies.
Jackson Hole Community School Junior Thomas Mercer is a recent transfer to Teton County, having moved with his family from Washington State less than a year ago.
“But in his few short months here Thomas has been a highly positive addition to the school,” said Head of School Any Fulwyler. “Thomas is very well liked by staff, has a galvanizing presence, and makes us laugh.”
Thomas has been nominated to be a member of the Honor Council, an honored position of leadership at Community School and “the highest compliment” a student can receive, Fulwyler said.
In his acceptance speech, Mercer quoted the great poets Walt Whitman and John Donne, expressed gratitude for Rotary and his new home, and shared his determination to live a life that by its actions will live on after he is gone.
