Chilton County High School recognized its student of the month for November during a breakfast celebration in the school library on Nov. 29.

Students and their parents were invited to attend the breakfast, as each student received a certificate and a t-shirt to commemorate the achievement.

“It gets me a little emotional and I feel proud that we are able to recognize our kids who are putting in the hard work,” CCHS assistant principal Ron Pinson said.

Pinson is in his first year at Chilton County High School and came up with the idea for program from his past experiences at Northview High School in Dothan.

“Hopefully we can influence and motivate every student,” Pinson said. “It takes some time, but the initial response has gone real well.”

Each month students are nominated by teachers who specialize in a chosen subject matter that changes every month to allow recognition to a variety of students.

“The teachers and students have really embraced it,” Pinson said. “It’s great to see a student develop from the first of the year to the end.”

Both parents and students found out about the award the day before, which was quite the surprise to many.

“It is just an honor to be chosen and be sitting here this morning,” said Kimberly Williams, mother of Cade Williams. “He’s [Cade] kind of quiet and just comes and does the work without necessarily expecting recognition.”

One of the nominees was senior Keaton Sullivan, who has learned to balance his time as a two-sport athlete while also taking a class at Jeff State in Clanton.

“You’ve always got to make sure that you stay on top of things,” Sullivan said. “It takes a lot of hard work, but you just have to find the time.”

According to Sullivan, another plus is that students of the month have the option to sit outside during lunch. Something he is looking forward to.

The fact that the nomination came during his senior year makes it even more special.

“It’s nice to be at a school that understands acknowledging its students,” Sullivan said.