Student Spotlight Thursday, March 29, 2018 • The Times Business & Industry Review
Section 1
Makena McConnaughhay
Making the most of Marquette ‘Opportunities are limitless, people are welcoming’ Charles Stanley charless@mywebtimes.com 815-431-4063 Marquette Academy high school is rich with opportunity for students. And senior Makena McConnaughhay has been cashing in, not only for herself but also for her community. All Marquette students are required to complete 30 Christian service hours each of their four years. Service hours are based on the Catholic Church’s teachings on the Works of Mercy, charitable actions that benefit others. But Makena has completed much more than the minimum. By last count, she was up to 572 hours — and does not seem to be slowing down. “People ask me, ‘Do you make her go do this stuff ?’ ” said her mother, Mindy McConnaughhay. The answer is Makena just seemed to take to the program as a freshman. “Now it’s just second nature,” Mindy said. “Any time there’s an event or anyone says they need help, she is there working it. She just does it.” “Anything you go and do
outside school activities that you don’t get paid for earns you hours,” Makena explains. For her, that has included volunteering for Labor of Love, Ottawa Riverfest’s Welcomeburger, Freezin’ for a Reezin’ and the Key Club blood drive, as well as five years as a coach for Ottawa’s Volleytots team and a year as an assistant coach with the Wedron Wildfire 10 team. Of course, there is much more to Makena’s academic career. She is a second-generation Marquette High School student. Her dad, Jamie McConnaughhay, of the McConnaughhay Roofing family, graduated in 1998, and Mindy in 1999. Makena started school at St. Patrick elementary school and then moved to Marquette Academy when Ottawa’s three elementary schools merged in 2010. At the high school, she found a personally fulfilling experience she does not hesitate to recommend to those who may be considering Marquette.
The Times | Charles Stanley
Makena McConnaughhay, a senior at Marquette Academy high school in Ottawa, has accumulated nearly 600 Christian See McConnaughhay, page 6 service hours, far more than the 120 needed to graduate.
170 YEARS STRONG BECAUSE OF CUSTOMERS LIKE YOU!