The Lakers are proud to announce January’s Student of the Month winners, Kylie France, Kristen Muha and Talee Snow and Teacher of the Month winners, Linda Lee, Jason Ramirez and Joseph Rowland. This month’s winners demonstrate an outstanding commitment to academia, athletics, and community outreach.

Kylie France, a 12th grader at La Mirada High School, is a member of the Principal’s Honor Roll, the 2007 Honor Guard and is a scholar athlete. She is a four year varsity swimmer and CIF champion in the 100 meter backstroke. In addition to her swim training, she maintains a 4.2 GPA and is 22nd in her class of 500. As Executive President of the Positive Alternative Outreach Program, Kylie has volunteered over 200 hours of her time at community events in La Mirada.

Kristen Muha, an 11th grader at North High School, is a dedicated student who excels in her advanced placement courses. As a member of the student council, Kristen recruited and supervised 100 student volunteers for the Adopt-A-School program, which donated school supplies and 60 computers to the students at Cabrillo Avenue Elementary School in San Pedro. Kristen also organized a canned food drive that collected over 12,000 cans of food and $1,000 dollars to be donated to Friends without Barriers, a nonprofit in South Bay.

Talee Snow, a 10th grader at Chino Hills High School, is a scholar athlete who represents Chino Hills High each year at the Sierra League Sportsmanship Conference. She participates on her school’s volleyball, soccer and softball teams and was named 1st Team All-League in softball. Talee maintains a high GPA and volunteers her time to tutor fellow classmates. She is as focused and determined in the classroom as she is on the on the playing field, making Talee a real class act.

Linda Lee, a 7th grade teacher at Los Alisos Middle School, is committed to helping students achieve success in school. She has just obtained her administrative credential and is pursuing a master’s degree in Mathematics at Cal State Fullerton. In addition to her work in the classroom, Linda stays after school each day tutoring students with learning disabilities.

Jason Ramirez, a 6th grade teacher at Rose Avenue School, has developed special programs to help his at-risk students make progress academically. He runs the school’s basketball program, coaches the girls’ basketball team, and is a member of the school Cancer Walk team. As a member of the Men’s club at his church, Jason is very active in the community.

Joseph Rowland, a teacher at Theodore Roosevelt High School, has taught science at Roosevelt for 21 years! As founder and coordinator of the school’s Family Science Day, Joseph works hard to make learning fun for his students. In his spare time, Joseph tutors students and assists new teachers with their curriculum. As an active member of the Urban Education Partnership’s Target Science program, Joseph is dedicated to bettering his skills as science teacher.

The honorees were invited to the home game on January 13 where the Lakers took on the Memphis Grizzlies. They were honored during a halftime presentation where the recipients received a plaque and a $50 gift certificate to Staples. The nominations for the January Student and Teacher of the Month were submitted by principals and teachers of each school based on exemplary teaching efforts, academic achievement or extracurricular activities.