May 18, 2023 - Diamond Lewis, 7th grader at Rockwood South Middle School, is a Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) 2022 Student Award Winner. Nominated by her teacher, Helen Allinder, the award is given to students who have overcome learning challenges and experience growing success every day.
“I nominated Diamond because of her outstanding work ethic and because she is a member of the National Junior Honors Society (NJHS), earning A’s in all her classes,” said Allinder. Not only is she a wonderful person, she is self-disciplined and does not allow distractions to interrupt her focus when working on assignments. I was so excited for her when I found out she won.”
Those who know Diamond well say she is humble in nature, conscientious, and caring. She enjoys reading, playing basketball, and her favorite subject is math. One academic area where she has seen herself drastically improve is in her speech.
“In elementary school, I worked with a speech-language pathologist,” said Diamond. “Now, my family and friends can understand me better and I can talk more clearly. I’ve made great progress.”
Case Manager Monica Grigorescu can also attest to Diamond’s growth in reading and writing.
“She transitioned from Read 180 to a grade-level English Level Arts (ELA) class in a short amount of time,” said Grigorescu. "I continue to support her by offering various reading and writing strategies. I have witnessed her confidence and motivation skyrocket.”
Even though Diamond has six more years of secondary education, she already has big dreams for the future. She plans to take her love of numbers to the next level.
“I enjoy solving mathematical equations that incorporate fractions and decimals,” said Diamond. “I want to be an architect when I get older, so maintaining good grades in math will help me get there.”
HMH presented Diamond with her Outstanding Student Achievement certificate during a ceremony held at the middle school in May. Resource Teacher John Parker says there is no one more deserving.
“Diamond is every teacher’s dream,” said Parker. “She is a dynamic, flexible thinker who works hard and will continue to achieve great things.”
