Ephrata High's Smith named student of the month
Mar. 20—EPHRATA — Devin Smith, a sophomore at Ephrata High School, has been recognized as one of the EHS February Students of the Month, a recognition bestowed by his teacher, Scott Sandberg. Sandberg, who teaches cyber security and serves as the Future Business Leaders of America advisor, highlighted Smith's exemplary performance and dedication both in and out of the classroom as the primary reasons for his nomination.
"Devin has been an outstanding student. He steps up and does pretty much anything that I ask of him, and even things I don't ask — he goes out of his way to make sure that anything that needs to be done gets done," Sandberg said. "He sees things that I don't even see sometimes."
Smith, who is enrolled in multiple Career and Technical Education courses, including cyber security and graphic design, has consistently demonstrated his ability to balance an academically rigorous schedule with a variety of extracurricular activities, Sandberg said. His current course load also includes college-level chemistry and advanced mathematics.
"I usually push all my work off until after school, which is normally when I have a lot of time," Smith said. "I get around 50 minutes per class, so that gives me time to work on some things, and I'll finish any outstanding work at home."
Sandberg cited specific instances where Smith has gone above and beyond in his role as a student and leader. For example, when Sandberg recently took over the broadcasting class, Smith proactively identified issues within the broadcasting studio and took the initiative to improve it.
"He stepped in and got the broadcast studio up and running," Sandberg said. "He also goes out and does the streaming with us as part of our Tiger Vision extracurricular activity."
In addition to his contributions to broadcasting, Smith serves as the president of the esports club. In the past year, membership in the club has grown significantly, attributed in part to the introduction of new games, like "Overwatch 2."
"We introduced a new game that got a lot of new kids into it, and then they started getting more comfortable with the other games that we had," Smith said.
Smith's participation in FBLA has also been noteworthy. He is a state qualifier participating in digital animation and game design competitions. His digital animation video can be watched here: bit.ly/SmithAnimation.
Last year, Smith placed seventh with his animation in a state competition. Sandberg recognized Smith's achievements in FBLA.
"He's going to state in both of those events and has already shown great potential," Sandberg said.
Upon receiving the news of his nomination as a February Student of the Month, Smith expressed gratitude for the recognition.
"I was excited," Smith said. "I think that was the moment when I realized that people do look up to me and see me as someone they could look up to."
This recognition he said motivates him to strive for excellence in all his endeavors, acknowledging the supportive environment fostered by his peers.
"Devin has a group of friends that is a really high-achieving group," Sandberg said. "They all push each other academically, which is kind of a cool group of individuals."
Looking to the future, Smith aims to continue building his technical skills and developing his leadership qualities. He has expressed interest in pursuing a career in the technology sector.
"I plan to work at not any specific tech firm, but something to at least work with my current abilities," Smith said. "Whether that be a data center or a tech phone center, I want to keep my skills sharp."
As for what he considers his dream job, Smith mentioned his interest in the entertainment industry, fueled in part by his experiences with Tiger Vision.
"I've always been interested in entertainment, and I might push towards that sooner or later," Smith said.
Sandberg said he's optimistic about Smith's future.
"I'm lucky that I have him for a couple more years," Sandberg said. "He inspires our younger generation and has the extraordinary potential to be someone who creates and produces technology rather than just consuming it."
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