Ben Nottingham is Select First Youth Rotarian for 2024-2025 School Year
Launch the media gallery 1 playerThe SHS National Merit Scholar Finalist, Ben Nottingham, an Seward High Senior, was selected as the first to be named a Seward Youth Rotarian for 2024-2025. He is the son of Dana and Danna Nottingham of Seward.
Ben is a well-rounded young man but considers his academics a major value in his high school career. He has a GPA of 4.09 and has been on the SHS Honor Roll all twelve terms to date. He was only one point off of a perfect ACT score, scoring a 35 out of 36, and won the College Board National Rural and Small-Town Recognition Program Award, along with the Greater Omaha Council Bluffs Are Council on Youth Leadership Youth Salute. He is a leader for the SHS National Honor Society and has been a member since Tenth Grade.
His extracurricular activities are numerous. He is a member of the SHS Cross Country Team and has won the most improved runner throughout the season award twice, improved his time every meet and meet the goals in running he established for himself. He is a member of the SHS Bowling team and is also a member of the SHS Track Team in the Weights, throwing the discus and shot put.
Ben is one of the Captains of the SHS Award winning Quiz Bowl Team, winning the State Fair Education Division Quiz Bowl event last year, along with the Concordia History Quiz Bowl Tournament!
He plays the trumpet in the SHS Band and attended the Doane University’s Honor Band, the Concordia University’s Honor Band and was selected for Central Conference Honor Band as well. He is a member of the SHS Jazz Band and the Wind Ensemble as a featured soloist. He also plays the Bass Guitar for the SHS Show Choir/Swing Choir performances.
Ben is a member of the SHS Mixed Choir, the Select Choir and the Vocal Jazz and Vocal Performance Singing Groups. He is a choir and band section leader and was selected for the Concordia University and UNK Honor Choir programs.
Ben is a leader with the Seward High Chapter of Skills USA and placed second in the Related Technical Math Test, First with the SHS Skills Quiz Bowl Team and also participated int eh Technical Team Problem Solving event. He was recently recognized as one of the Top Three Student Leaders at SHS by the Nebraska “Youth Salute!”
This summer Ben volunteered and created an online Volunteer Program for the Seward Fourth of July Celebration through “Just Serve” to help the Seward Fourth of July Celebration Committee generate more volunteers for the celebration.
He is a leader with the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes and served as an Education Counselor for the annual Sixth Grade Outdoor Education Program. He is an active member of the SHS HOPE Squad, the local high school mental health awareness team.
Ben has been employed in the summer with the Sloup-Thorell Detasseling program, working in the fields with rouging, detasseling and eliminating volunteer plants. He also has worked at Jimmy John’s as a sandwich creator.
He plans to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and is considering a major in either Engineering or Business or both!
His “Area of Service” revolves around the service through his church activities and leadership with the various activities involving the church, as well as his community service through the Skills USA program at SHS, the creation of the “Just Serve” program for July 4 in Seward and his work as a student tutor and mentor.
Ben was recognized and thanked at the Rotary Club meeting, he was presented some materials of Seward and the Seward Rotary Club and will be given an Seward Community Gift Card for $50 to be used for materials and books for college. He is also named a finalist for the annual Seward Rotary Club’s Youth Rotarian of the Year Award and will be recognized again on Honors Night in May.
Seniors are invited to submit an application for the Youth Rotarian of the Month to the Counselor’s Office and one student is selected each month of the school year for the award.