TA News

What does it take to be a nominee for TA’s Student of the Month? So few students receive this special award that you might wonder if you have to possess superpowers in order to be considered. As it turns out, our May 2019 Student of the Month does in fact possess a few superpowers – there are witnesses who can attest that as a ski jumper, this student can actually fly, and land in one piece. And on solid ground, throughout his entire tenure at Thetford Academy, Aidan Cudhea has demonstrated the ability to brighten the lives of everyone he meets.

Aiden is one of just a handful of students in the nine-year history of the Mr. TA Pageant to donate his time and talent to this project every year of his high school career. Whether he was prancing in the panther suit (and not complaining about the struggles that come with dancing in a costume that has absorbed several decades of sweat), or taking center stage as a contestant, Aiden’s great sense of humor and his community spirit helped to make the event a great success.

Our faculty concurs that Aiden is an incredible asset in the classroom and in the wider community. Chris Schmidt notes that Aiden has done great work over the years in the design shop and can always be counted on to be responsible, self-reliant, and helpful to others. Kate Owen loves Aiden’s outgoing nature–he reaches out to everyone and can talk to anyone. Len Whitaker agrees that Aiden genuinely cares about others and works hard to be a positive role model, on campus and on the playing field. Scott Ellis agrees, and says that Aiden is someone who has earned his trust and respect.

Aiden’s ties to our community so far are life-long. Becky Sarazin babysat Aiden when he was two years old, and has nice things to say about Aiden as a baby, and still now. She says, “His positive attitude and caring disposition make him someone other students can look up to.” Stacy Barton notes that “it has been a joy to know Aiden since he was a 7th grade student in my social studies class. Although Aiden has grown in many ways over the past six years, he has always had a great level of integrity and is truly one of the most genuine students I have worked with in my career. On top of all of Aiden’s remarkable qualities, what I most admire about this fine young man is his commitment to each goal he pursues. Aiden strives to always do his best, and to do so with genuine kindness and respect for every person he encounters.”

Perhaps Jesse Soulia says it best, when she writes, “There are so many wonderful things I could say about this young man, but I think the most important one is that he goes out of his way to make others smile. He is such a genuine and caring human to everyone; no one is excluded from his pure kindness. He is such a positive member of the TA community.”

TA is a better place with Aiden here, and we will miss him greatly when he graduates. Congratulations to Aiden Cudhea, our May 2019 Student of the Month.