Mike Persch.

Mike Persch has been selected as the Rotary Student of the Month for December, and he would like to thank the members of the Fredonia Rotary for selecting him for this honor. His last name, Persch, may be familiar, as his parents, Kevin and Marie Persch, attended high school at Fredonia and have lived their whole lives here. He would like to credit them for how they have raised him, as this honor is just as much a reflection on them as it is on him. Mike also has a twin brother, Gabriel, and a younger brother Trevor, who both attend Fredonia High School along with him.

Mike started attending Fredonia in Kindergarten, and he has enjoyed it ever since. In his time at Fredonia High School, Mike has taken on a strenuous course load that includes four AP classes and one JCC class, and he is currently ranked third in his class on the basis of weighted average. Additionally, he received a Letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program for his exceptional performance on the 2017 PSAT test.

For sports, Mike has played Varsity Soccer for Fredonia and Varsity Hockey for the NCCYHA Steelers since his sophomore year. In his sophomore and junior seasons for soccer, he was an All-Star Honorable Mention. In his senior year, as a captain of the team, Mike was named a First Team All-Star and the MVP of the Senior All-Star Game. However, he is more pleased with the team accomplishments of his senior year, as the team finished second place in league and won its first playoff game as a program in six seasons. For hockey, Mike made the Varsity team as a sophomore, which is rare, and worked his way up the roster of a team that would go on to win a state championship. In his junior season, he was named a First Team All-Star. Additionally, Mike has been nominated for the Steger Award three times (which is awarded to a player of each age group in the NCCYHA program who displays sportsmanship, dedication, and respect).

He has and is participating in two extracurricular clubs, one of which is Student Council, where he is in his third consecutive year as treasurer. Also, Mike has been involved in National Honor Society since his junior year.

Outside of school, sports, and extracurricular, he works at McDonald’s in Fredonia. Some volunteer activities that he has had the opportunity to take part in are the Cold Turkey Run and Santa’s Workshop.

For his future, Mike plans to major in either Mechanical or Environmental Engineering. However, he is not yet decided on what college he would like to attend.