Glen Cove Boys & Girls Club February Youth of the Month Determined to Follow their Dream

Congratulations to Glen Cove Boys & Girls Club members Ronaldo Reyes and Mayan Letellier have been named February Youth of the Month.

Ronaldo Reyes, 9, is in the 4th grade at Landing Elementary School.  Ronaldo has been a member for two and a half years and he especially appreciates the homework help provided by the Club’s professional staff.  “They helped me improve my learning skills and become a better student.  Mr. Matt (Gagliardi) really helped me with a lot of projects and because of his help, I was able to finish my assignments way before they were due,” said Ronaldo, who enjoys math, social studies, English as a second language and technology.  In addition to excelling in school, Ronaldo plays the clarinet and bass.  He wants to become a paleontologist, a career path that sparked his interest from reading books about dinosaurs and dinosaur research.  He aspires to travel to Utah where many dinosaurs once lived and hopes to uncover a new species.

Mayan Letellier, 13, a natural born athlete, is in the 7th grade at Robert M. Finley Middle School.  Mayan, who plays running back on his football team and point guard on his basketball team, dreams of playing in the NFL someday.  He hopes to attend the University of Oregon where he can start his football career by playing for the school’s football team, the Ducks.  In addition to being a star athlete, Mayan is inquisitive, thinks outside the box and is very in tune to what is going on in his environment.  “Mayan is a very determined person.  He knows what is expected of him in terms of academics and he works really hard to meet his full potential,” said Middle School Program Coordinator, Desirae O’Neill.  Mayan, who has been a member of the Club for seven years, credits the Club and Ms. Desirae with helping him to stay focused on his schoolwork and improving his behavior and attitude. 

Each month the Club awards two outstanding youth, a junior Club member and a senior Club member, as the Youth of the Month after a rigorous selection process with youth nominated by program staff based on members’ participation, positive attitude, helpfulness, attendance and achievement.  The Youth of the Month is a highly coveted title amongst members because it not only validates their outstanding behavior but also recognizes the efforts they have been making to improve their attitude, school work, listening skills, relationship with peers and overall conduct at the Club.