Colton Sierra At It Again!

Colton and his mother, Jennifer Sierra. Photo by Theresa Lessert. Copyright Red Cloud Indian School.

Colton Sierra '14. Photo by Sierra Concha '13. Copyright Red Cloud Indian School.

Colton Sierra At It Again!

By Sierra Concha '13

Colton Sierra '14 is being awarded for receiving runner-up in a reservation-wide writing competition. The prompt was to write about an inspirational woman in one's life and Colton immediately knew who he wanted to write about. “I wanted to show my appreciation to my mother,” he said.  "I just wrote it from the heart.” He solely wanted to highlight his appreciation for his mother and expected nothing in return.

           

His mother is the definition of perseverance. “She was a teen mom, had four kids after that, and went off to finish her bachelors and masters degree. She’s working on her doctorate degree,” he said. “Those don’t come around often.” Ashley Boone, his 11th grade English teacher, had made this an in-class assignment, and five Red Cloud students actually entered the competition, “I thought it was a good chance to reflect on female role models and practice writing,” Ashley said. Receiving an award wasn’t the goal, but simply a way for students to express their inspiration in a productive and creative way.

Colton is a great student, and this award highlights his dedication as a student. “Colton is a very animated and motivated student,” Ashley stated. “He takes his assignments seriously and it shows in his writing.” Students across the reservation entered in the competition, and this is a great honor for Colton.

The award will be given to Colton today at Red Shirt School. Ashley is proud of the award Colton Sierra will be receiving. “I am excited that one of my students has been recognized for the amazing work that all my students do every day in class,” she said. Colton Sierra has represented Red Cloud very well in this competition. Congratulations!