Todd Henry

May 20, 2011

To Whom it May Concern

Skye Rubel the student possesses an extremely keen intellect and a timeless work ethic; Skye Rubel the co-editor-in-chief of Lassiter High School's award-winning student newspaper exhibits a wise-beyond-her-years maturity and an impressive array of interpersonal, editorial, and leadership skills; and Skye Rubel the politically active and globally-minded citizen consistently demonstrates a compelling awareness of the world and its citizens. Because of her talents, so much comes easy to Skye. Yet, she never takes anything for granted; and despite her formidable workload I have never heard her complain or make an excuse. She endeavors everything with so much eagerness and expectation. And when Skye has an opportunity to really stretch herself, she shines.

I first met Skye in the spring of 2007 when she applied to join the staff of the Lassiter Laureate, the student-generated newspaper for which I serve as the adviser. We made her a staff member for the 2007-2008 school year and Skye immediately emerged as a leader. I appointed her section editor for the 2008-2009 school year, and she contributed more significantly to The Laureate's successes than editors older and more experienced. When the newspaper floundered under anemic leadership, Skye stepped in unobtrusively with her expertise, her quiet confidence, and her attention to detail. Thanks in large part to her, The Laureate earned state recognition.

I selected Skye to serve as the co-editor-in-chief of The Laureate for the 2010-2011 school year. Let it be known that she was my first choice. All the staff members respect Skye and look to her for guidance, advice, and encouragement because she genuinely cares about all of them. I depend on Skye because I can. So far, she has revolutionized the look of The Laureate, she has trained the entire staff on Adobe InDesign, and she has planned and facilitated workshops intended to improve the staff's writing and editing skills. Her vision, combined with her technical and editorial skills, always results in clean, creative, and engaging media. As an editor and as a writer, Skye is stellar.

This semester, I have the great fortune of seeing and interacting with Skye two times a day. I advise her (more like she advises me) during my journalism class and I teach her in an Advanced Placement literature course. At the risk of sounding trite, I wish every student was as eager and as aware as Skye. With every discussion, every assignment, every new challenge placed in front of her, Skye takes the time to assess what is required of her, and then she goes beyond. And I mean way beyond. I recommend her without reservation.

Sincerely.

Todd M. Henry
Lassiter High School

View the recommendation here.