This is the highest award presented by the faculty of Smoky Hill High School.  The award is given by vote of the faculty to the senior male student whom they believe has those qualities that exemplify the outstanding male member of the senior class.

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This year’s Most Outstanding Senior Male Student is Student Body President, Matine Khalighi. 

 

"Next year Matine will head to Harvard, were he will undoubtedly change the world, but for the past four years he has worked hard to bring positive change to Smoky Hill and his community.  This year alone, Matine has been honored as Colorado’s winner for the Prudential Spirit of Community Award, a Beottcher Scholarship, named one of 15 Cameron Impact Scholarship Winners from across the United States and he was selected as Smoky Hill’s second ever recipient of the Coca Cola Foundation Scholarship.  Quite a resume. 

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It goes without saying that Matine Khalighi is one of the most outstanding individuals I have had the pleasure of working with at Smoky Hill High School.

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Matine currently serves as the Smoky Hill High School Student Body President; a position he earned through hard work and leadership over the past three years.  As the Student Body President, Matine runs the Student Government class and all of the activities that Smoky Hill Student Government undertakes.  On a daily basis, Matine takes charge of the 40 students in the Student Government classroom.  From the daily agenda, to daily announcements/celebrations, to class projects, to major event planning; Matine leads in the same manner as any one of our outstanding faculty members.  During our 2019 Homecoming Week, the Smoky Hill Student Government organized and ran the Homecoming Pep Assembly, Homecoming Royalty elections, Homecoming Parade and the Homecoming Dance.  Matine was at the heart of everything that Smoky Hill did that week.  From serving as Master of Ceremonies of the Pep Assembly to leading the entire student body in breaking a World Record for the “Most People doing the Woah,” Homecoming was a huge success thanks to the hard work and commitment of Matine.

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Last year, Matine served as Junior Class President.  One of his duties last spring was to plan and organize the Smoky Hill Prom.  He did this duty with flying colors.  Every detail from venue contract, advertising, ticket sales, royalty voting, music and decorations ran like clockwork thanks to his hard work.  Additionally, Matine has helped lead Smoky Hill Student Government’s Wish Week program for the past three years to support the Make-A-Wish of Colorado foundation.  Thanks to his energy, creative ideas and pure determination, Smoky Hill has raised over $100,000 to grant wishes for members of our community with life threatening illnesses.  Matine has made a huge impact on the Smoky Hill community through his leadership and commitment to making a difference.

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Matine has also done a tremendous amount of work to make his community and world a better place.  Over the past four years, Matine has established his own non-profit organization called Helping the Homeless Colorado.  Here is a link to their website: https://www.helpingthehomelesscolorado.org.    According to Matine, his mission is “create a comprehensive structural solution to homelessness that addresses the issue at its core and to empower our youth to be the basis of this change.”  His work to create and sustain this organization is nothing short of amazing. 

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Matine’s dedication and work ethic are not limited to his role in Student Government and Helping the Homeless.  His performance in the classroom is equally exceptional.  He currently holds a perfect 4.0 unweighted grade point average in primarily International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement classes.  Everyday Matine competes against the best and brightest students the Cherry Creek School District has to offer as part of Smoky Hill’s esteemed IB program and he excels.  He is a three-year member of the Principal’s Honor Roll, an Academic Achievement Award winner and a Smoky Hill Student of the Month Award winner.  In addition to Student Government, Matine is also actively involved in National Honor Society, DECA, LINK and runs on the Smoky Hill Cross Country team.  He is remarkably committed to any activity that he undertakes and has a great sense of pride to achieve in any setting. 

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Simply put, Matine is amazing.  He is a shining example of how much positive impact a student can have on his school and community.  Matine possesses characteristics very few individuals his age have - the power to lead, inspire and help others.   Thank you for sharing those special abilities with Smoky Hill for the past four years."

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- Scott Cohen, Student Government Sponsor

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"Ultimately, Matine’s greatest attribute is his humility. He is a gracious person who believes that he is no better than anyone else—and in life we all know this is a trait that cannot be taught. This letter is challenging to write because truly explaining Matine’s depth is intimidating.

 

Matine rose to the challenge of his International Baccalaureate English 11 class. The jump from the Middle Years Program 10—which focuses on project-based learning—to the writing intensive rigors of IB 11, is often daunting and intimidating for students. Matine, however, thrived: his commitment to his learning is wonderful. Matine is driven by the love of learning, not grades. Thoughtful, insightful, and innately curious, Matine is a pleasure to have in class. 

 

Matine is also an outstanding member of Smoky Hill High School’s Student Government. It is a competitive, difficult position to achieve. Matine entered as a confident, albeit somewhat shy sophomore, and found a natural venue for his leadership skills and ability to work well with others. As a Student Government sponsor, I see a wide variety of leadership styles. Matine’s style is to lead by example and to expect the best out of his peers. This contagious style triggers commitment from those who work with him. Ostensibly, Matine makes what he does look easy; he chaired the Prom Committee with ease and the prom was a success; however, he worked tirelessly. It came as little surprise to me that Matine was overwhelmingly voted Student Body President for his senior year. I can’t wait to see him lead the school with positivity and enthusiasm.

 

Significantly, Matine’s positive contributions to our community move well beyond the walls of Smoky Hill. The fact that Matine and a friend founded Helping the Homeless Colorado in 2015 is remarkable. He doesn’t just think about making a difference, he does. I love that part of the organization’s mission is to provide scholarships for homeless teens. They are visionaries. Yes, providing toiletries and food solves short-term problems for homeless people, yet the fact that Helping the Homeless Colorado provides scholarships as well, reveals that Matine understands the deep-rooted problems with homelessness and is helping by contributing to the solution. I am also excited to watch the LeadYoung Program really take off with Matine’s involvement. I expect the organization to really grow and become nationally recognized in the next few years. 

 

Matine is amazing. The absolute best. He works hard, leads by example, makes those around him better, and always maintains his sense of humor. This is my twentieth year teaching, and Matine absolutely affected me: I am a better person for knowing him."

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- Mrs. Kat Palmer, English Teacher