Student of the Month: January 2025 Edition
With the start of a new year, we often seek those qualities that will make us our best selves. We can’t think of two students who fit the vibe better than our January Students of the Month. With strong work ethics and upbeat, joyful attitudes, these students embody exactly who we strive to be at Rock 101!
Dodger Speegle
This joyful, fleet-footed 8-year-old is into all the sports. His favorite class at school is P.E. and he loves playing football, baseball, golf, basketball, and soccer. He even enjoys playing football-themed video games! For the last year and a half, his fingers have gotten a workout during piano lessons with Alex.
Dodger enjoys learning new songs on the piano. While playing sports makes him feel upbeat and energized, playing the piano helps him to feel calm and happy. Dodger has a wonderful imagination and often creates his own piano music to go along with different things happening around him. He can also be found singing to himself while around the house.
Alex has a lot of fun with Dodger because of Dodger’s positive attitude during lessons. Alex also appreciates how hard Dodger works both in class and at home between lessons. Says Alex, “I love being Dodger’s instructor because he’s the kind of student that makes being an instructor so fulfilling. He works hard and pushes himself to be great.”
Dodger Speegle is definitely this month’s MVP!
Lila Eaton
Lila is a high school senior who has her hands full with a variety of activities that she feels passionate about. From working on her fungi sculpting project for AP Art to hiking the Sandias, she is intent on enjoying life. A key aspect to this joyful outlook includes the bass guitar lessons she takes with Sam. She has been taking lessons for about 2 years and loves the percussive nature of the instrument. She feels bass holds an essential role in any band and is excited to learn the skills associated with this responsibility.
Bass guitar is not the first instrument that Lila has picked up. She previously studied the trumpet for about 10 years! Her first trumpet teacher initially taught her without using sheet music. Because of this, she has a great ear and loves learning music in this way. For Lila, music is a method of mental stimulation. She enjoys listening to all of the different aspects. For her, it is the equivalent of sitting down to watch TV. The music creates a plot line in her mind.
Sam enjoys working with Lila because of the effort she puts in every week. Says Sam: “Every lesson she comes prepared knowing what she wants to accomplish and shows me the work that she has put in through the week.”
Finishing up high school this year, Lila hopes to attend New Mexico Tech next year in pursuit of a degree in Environmental Studies. Wishing you the best of luck, Lila!
- Danielle Parker