For the month of January, senior Victoria Prokopenko has been awarded the Outstanding Student Participant of the Month, primarily due to her part in creating and executing the Bob Ross themed meeting for our school’s Art Club. At Freehold Township High School, each day on our grade’s Google Classroom, daily announcements are posted. For the entire month of January, the most interesting of the many announcements said, “Want to paint like Bob Ross? Come paint with the Art Club for a unique meeting following ‘the master of happy little trees’ on Thursday, January 21st at 3:00 P.M.” For this creative meeting, students, whether in the Art Club or not, were invited to join the meet and learn how to paint like Bob Ross, as the announcement said, through an instructional video and screenshots to help guide the students through the activity. Although not stated in the announcement itself, this meeting was all made possible by the exemplary artist and Art Club leader known as Victoria Prokopenko. According to teacher Ms. Alvarado, not only did Victoria suggest the theme in the first place, but she helped the event planning and execution go flawlessly, as she selected Bob Ross tutorials for the club members to vote on for the meeting and as she set up the mentioned screenshots to help make the activity as easy and fun as possible. Without her, the event would not have gone as smoothly as it did. Other than this event, Victoria is an overall outstanding leader for the club, being “responsible, hardworking, creative, and respectful.”  Ms. Alvardo claims that she is a “tremendous asset to the club,” and without her, Art Club would not be the same.

Caleb Zettell is a senior attending FTHS. Not only is he devoted to the school choir, but he has also been chosen out of 1150 other students to attend the All-Eastern Ensemble competition. Due to Covid restrictions, this event will be held virtually but his opportunity to perform is still available. Thanks to all of Caleb’s involvement in the school, he is now FTHS’s January Student of the Month! Good luck to Caleb at his competitions. Go Patriot Nation!

Read the full interview below: 

Brianna Pacailler: What originally sparked your interest in the school choir?

Caleb Zettell: Choir has always been a part of my family and my life— both of my parents participated in the All-Shore choir when they were in high school, so it’s been like a tradition in my family to sing and perform. I never had a doubt when joining the choir at Township!

BP: How does it feel to be awarded student of the month?

CZ: It’s such an honor to be awarded with student of the month! I’m so grateful for all the congratulations and excitement about my involvement in choir, and so happy to be where I am!

BP: In what ways have you stayed involved in the school?

CZ: I have always filled my time with extracurricular and other activities throughout my time at Township. I have spent my time mostly in the choir, drama club, and on the soccer team. I also participate in a number of different clubs. It’s always great to get involved and make memories that will last a lifetime!

BP: Do you have any advice for freshmen entering the building next year?

CZ: Get involved! Your time in high school is short, and it’s important to seize every opportunity Freehold Township has to offer. Personally, I have tried to capitalize on all musical, athletic, and academic opportunities offered to me. I’ve had a great time, both “working hard” and “playing hard”! If there’s one thing I could say to the freshman, it would definitely be to get involved and set some goals for success.

BP: How are you preparing for your virtual performance in the All-Eastern Honor Ensemble?

CZ: Right now, I’m practicing learning some of our music— we are performing a German piece which means that I not only have to rehearse the notes and rhythm but also learn how to pronounce the different words! This makes for a fun but difficult time, and I absolutely can’t wait to start making music with the group!

BP: Are you looking into pursuing music as a future career?

CZ: I’m planning on majoring in Economics next year and minoring in vocal performance; I’m planning on keeping my options open, and have been working out a variety of auditions in singing and acting recently. In such a difficult time that the pandemic has brought us to, I’ve made sure to focus on more things than just music, but I definitely am keeping my options open when it comes to a music career.

BP: What was your favorite experience of your senior year? 

CZ: The best part about my senior year is how I’ve had the opportunity to continue my athletic and artistic challenges. Specifically this soccer season, we faced a lot of adversity: with COVID, a shortened season, among other things. I also had to juggle auditions, college applications, and more throughout that time. Thankfully, even though we had some early setbacks, we were able to secure a back-to-back A-North championship and were able to enjoy a successful season regardless of the pandemic. This was my favorite part of senior year because with hard work and patience we overcame the obstacles thrown our way throughout the season.