ALTON - Payton Crane, currently a senior at Marquette Catholic High School, has been named an Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club Student Of The Month. She is the youngest daughter of Josh and Kristina Crane. She would like to thank the staff at Marquette and the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club for granting her the opportunities that have led her to receive this award.
Academically, Payton has excelled in many different ways. Her academic achievements include achieving high honor roll every semester, which has her on track to graduate with a 5.0 weighted GPA on a 4.0 scale and nearly 40 dual credit hours, receiving the prestigious Silver Medallion Award, which is only granted to the top 8% of graduating seniors, and being named an Illinois State Scholar, an honor given based on GPA, ACT or SAT scores, and class rank and size. On Payton’s first try, she received a 30 on her ACT, and she is currently second in the class, with a 4.84 GPA.
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As for extracurricular activities, Payton has been involved in a plethora of clubs. She has been part of the Academic Challenge team for three years, where she has won several individual and team awards. This past Friday, Payton won first place in English and third in biology at the ACES regional, and she was named the Marquette MVP. She is also the Vice President of the National Honor Society after being inducted her Junior year. She currently stands as the Vice President of the Breast Cancer Awareness Club, of which she has been a member for 4 years.
Payton has also been a member of the Diversity Club and the Interact Club at Marquette. Alongside these clubs, the Student Council has been important to Payton for the past 4 years, and this year she earned the title of Senior Class President. Lastly, Payton was one of the few Marquette students selected to be a member of Senator Harriss’ Youth Advisory Council, where she was able to write and debate on legislation that has the potential to be passed later this year.
Outside the classroom, Payton has many hobbies that keep her occupied. She takes pleasure in performing acts of service, sports, traveling, and using her voice to be an advocate for those who don’t have one. This past semester, she visited St. Mary’s Elementary School at least once a week, and she was able to assist the teachers while also learning about being a teacher, as this is a career she is interested in. Excluding these visits, she is on the path to performing nearly 150 service hours in the past few years. When it comes to sports, Payton has been a part of teams both in and out of school. She has been a member of the varsity track team for 2 years, and she also plays volleyball, both indoor and sand, on a team with several members of her family. This summer, Payton was able to combine her passion for travel and advocacy during a trip to Washington, D.C. where she met with members of Congress to urge for more awareness and funding for those affected by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and similar diseases.
After her time at Marquette, Payton will attend either the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she has been accepted to pursue a degree in Political Science and continue her passion for law, politics, and advocacy, or she will attend the University of California in Los Angeles, where she will major in Biology. After she obtains this degree, she will begin the path to getting licensed as a teacher, as advised by several educators around her. Finally, Payton would like to once again thank the Rotary Club for their consideration and those at Marquette who have gotten her to the place she is now.
