May 6, 2022- Elizabethtown Area High School seniors Rylee Bender and Ayden Pope were named the Elizabethtown Rotary Club's Students of the Month for May. This program celebrates and recognizes student achievements by sustaining a culture of learning that values academic success and raises awareness of student contributions to the EAHS community.
Bender is the daughter of Derek and Karyn Bender of Elizabethtown. As a junior, the high school inducted Bender into the prestigious T.H. Ebersole Chapter of the National Honor Society for exhibiting the four pillars of scholarship, character, leadership, and service.
Bender holds leadership positions on several school clubs and sports teams. She is captain of the tennis team, stage manager for the spring musical, finance captain for Mini-THIN, and sales captain for Roots & Shoots. For her efforts on the tennis court, the Lancaster-Lebanon League named her a Section II all-star.
Bender is also a bowling team member and participates in the Bigs and Littles program. She has earned numerous underclass awards, including Academic Excellence Awards in Honors Chemistry, Honors Chemistry II, and Honors General Science.
In the community, Bender works for the Masonic Village of Elizabethtown in their food services division.
Her plans after graduation include attending the University of Georgia and majoring in environmental engineering.
Pope is the son of Chris and Beci Pope of Elizabethtown.
Pope was named a Do The Right Thing award winner by the Elizabethtown Communities That Care. This program honors students Elizabethtown community who do positive things that make a difference. An accomplished bowler, the Lancaster-Lebanon League named Pope the section 2 most valuable player. Pope helped guide the Bears bowlers to their third straight Lancaster-Lebanon League Section II title.
In the community, Pope is employed at the Black Gryphon.
After graduation, Pope plans to attend Millersville University to major in sports management, and become a member of the university’s bowling team.
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