The Cougars Rising Awards were recently given out to three lucky students named Maya Johnson, Whitnie Strohlin-Wilson, and Marco Antonio Perez. These students were recognized for their outstanding actions on Campus and were promoted by Cougars Rising on Campus. These students were given their awards on 9/22/23. 

First and foremost, you must understand what a Cougars Rising Award is to understand what it means to receive one. That moment when you receive a Cougars Rising Award is when you know you have been the person to deserve one, as a Cougars Rising Award is given to those who have shown what it means to be a proper and righteous student. As said in an interview with our very own Principal Troy Fast (Mr. Fast), on how to be considered for the Cougars Rising Award, Troy Fast, Principal of Weston Ranch High School (WRHS), questioned “How could one become a possible candidate for the Award?”, “Behavior, Arts,

Academics, Campus Contribution, Serving on Campus, Being Involved, making the right choices, improving on the bad choices, Academic growth, whatever a staff member thinks is appropriate.” 

As we have seen you have to be a pretty good student to earn one of these. Moreover, students when given these should feel good about themselves as they have deserved it through their efforts of being a good student. In which we have asked an Achiever of the Award, Whitnie Strohlin-Wilson, on her thoughts of receiving her award, Whitnie Strohlin-Wilson, Freshman, “Feels good that I got the award as it makes me feel like I achieved something, and surprised that I got the award.” 

Thus, we come to a question, just how are you even selected for the Award? As there are many people on Campus who deserve the Cougars Rising Award, you would have to go against everyone else who is legible. Luckily there is a very simple system put into place, when questioning Mr. Fast the question, “Could you tell me how you choose who gets the Cougars Rising Awards?” had arose, and

his response, Mr. Fast, Principle of WRHS, “I don’t choose, each staff may choose 4 students per month, along with that we have the attendance bands that can be administered, academic bands, bands through the arts, also athletic bands, so there is like 25 different Cougars Rising ways students can be notified that students have won a Wrist Band or T-Shirt. Any Staff Member can choose Teacher to Campus Monitor.” When asked on how difficult it was for him to choose the students, he gave this reply, Mr. Fast, Principle of WRHS, “I find it really hard because there’s many different amazing young people doing amazing things.”