Student of the Month: Busy senior makes sure to give back

MONTICELLO - Ellen Schlarmann keeps a very busy schedule.

Schlarmann, 17, a Monticello High School senior, has been involved in basketball, cross country and track, and is the 2015 Great Jones County Fair and Iowa State Fair Queen.

'We had never before had a state fair queen from Jones County,” Schlarmann said, adding that participating in the pageants 'helped me step outside my comfort zone.”

Schlarmann, The Gazette and KCRG-TV9 Student of the Month for February, will have 48 credit hours when she starts attending Iowa State University this fall, thanks to classes at Kirkwood Community College. But she doesn't plan to cut her college career too short.

'I want to stretch it out to three years,” she said. 'I want to major in business management.”

Shannon Poe, respite care and volunteer director at Camp Courageous, nominated Schlarmann for the student of the month honor, and said Schlarmann's drive to get good grades extends to everything she does.

'She is one of the most pleasant people I know,” Poe said. 'She always has a smile on her face.”

Schlarmann is a dedicated volunteer at her church and a number of organizations, including Camp Courageous, where she has interned via Workplace Learning Connections since the beginning of the school year. Her connection to the camp runs deep: her sister, Annie, 9, has Down Syndrome, and her family has attended functions at the camp for years.

'It's obvious Annie really looks up to Ellen,” Poe said.

Schlarmann said Camp Courageous is a 'really important part” of her life.

'I really love the team aspect here,” Schlarmann said. 'It's really rewarding to know I've made a difference in people's lives.”

Schlarmann said it's important to her to not just focus on academics.

'Be thorough with your work, but be involved in the community,” she said. 'That would be my advice.”