Housatonic student of the week

The Lakeville Journal congratulates the honorees of the student of the week program at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. This week’s student portrait was taken by HVRHS 11th-grader Caroline Sullivan. FALLS VILLAGE — They don’t call the teenage years “formative” for nothing. During high school, a community begins to leave a lasting impression on young people, whose habits, interests and general direction in life begin to take shape. Cassidy Considine, class of 2013, this week’s Student of the Week from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, is an example of just how powerful this influence can be.While attending North Canaan Elementary, Cassidy probably never imagined she would be waking up at 2 a.m. on a weekend to help milk cows, yet that is what she does at Laurel Brook Farm, a place she now feels comfortable in after joining Housatonic’s chapter of the Future Farmers of America (FFA).With one brother already attending the private Taft School in Watertown, Cassidy made the choice to attend Housatonic, and since coming here, has become one of the school’s finest student leaders. As a sophomore, she attended the FFA’s Washington Leadership Conference, which she called an “eye-opening experience.” She listened to presenters who explained how to “make yourself better by changing the world,” and she has brought that lesson back to Housatonic to apply to her own chapter and her own corner of the world.This outgoing young woman now hopes to work with students as a teacher, perhaps in the mold of Pamela Aikman or Karen Davenport, two of her favorites. Their hands-on approach to learning has helped Cassidy to thrive at Housatonic, and she has adopted the technique in her work as a gymnastics and dance instructor. One thing that has not changed over these years has been Cassidy’s beaming smile, which brightens the day of the young gymnasts, and everyone at Housatonic as well.