A team player should always be someone who puts others' needs before their own. When thinking of a person who truly emulates a team player, I always think of Sara Benson. She is the 17-year-old daughter of Freddie and Janet Benson. She is a junior at Horn Lake High and is very well respected by her peers, the faculty and the administration. I met Sara a little over 2 years ago when she tried out for my Varsity Basketball Cheerleading Squad. She impressed me from the very beginning. Sara is a true leader in every sense of the word. In addition, her GPA is approximately 97.1 and on a 4.0 scale, she has a 4.067. She is enrolled in Gifted and AP courses. She is always willing to help tutor a classmate or friend. Sara has a mothering spirit about her and looks out for the other team members in many ways. She is one of those people who does not have to shout, or to even say a lot, yet people are drawn to her because of the quiet confidence she possesses. She is always kind and willing to take someone aside when there is difficulty with a routine, or an anxiousness about a performance, etc. She leads the squad during many community volunteer projects that we perform throughout the school year and summer, too. Sara is active in many different organizations throughout school and will be a senior class representative on Student Council. She also spends much of her time as a Peer Counselor at HLHS. At first, Sara had decided to go into the medical field. Recently, she confided in me and in the Peer Counseling sponsor that she is seriously considering becoming a counselor. I know that anything that she puts her mind to do will bring her success. Recently, Sara discovered that she has cervical cancer. She has been so very brave! It was one of the hardest things that I have ever seen her go through when she announced her diagnosis to the Varsity Cheerleading Squad. Sara is going into her third year as Captain of the squad. Of course, the squad loves her dearly and they are frightened for her, but Sara's courageous stance and her hopeful outlook has them standing firmly behind her. The support of her family and friends is a clear indication of just how much of a blessing Sara is to everyone around her. I could go on and on about Sara and her virtues; it is clear that she is a shining example of what a true team player should be. That is why I am respectfully nominating Sara Benson for "Team Player of the Month"!