04/05/06 - Christian Vanek - student
1.  Christian Vanek has many fine qualities that make him the ideal candidate to have a tile in his name placed on Ragan's Wall.  On top of Christian being a hard worker, he is polite, an independent thinker, an excellent role model, and an asset to the community.

All of Christian's personal choices are positive in nature.  He chooses to live a healthy lifestyle that is free of mood altering substances.  He is a disciplined young man and works hard at everything he does.  This is evidenced by him being an excellent student as well as an excellent athlete.

Christian is a very unique individual in that he can be both serious and casual at the same time.  he is able to maintain a seriousness about important issues and maintain a playfulness about the mundane.  If you've ever worked on a project with him, you'd know what I mean.  Not only is the project completed perfectly, even if it's tedious, it ends up being fun.

Christian's first concern is definitely not popularity or approval from his peers or adults.  Yet he is very popular with both for the reasons above, and for many others, such as the respectfulness that he extends to other people.  Christian is one of those rare people, in that I've never heard him say a negative thing about anyone.
2.  I had Ragan in class as a student, and his attitude of silliness and seriousness was a marvel.  He was one of those students who I couldn't quite get angry with ever.  Christian Vanek has this same quality.  He brightens a classroom.  He has an innocence of learning that is engaging.

I, also, admire his giving of his time to others.  He suffered a great loss, yet he looks out for others who may be hurting.  He tries very hard to include others who may be left out of any activity.  I have seen his kindness to many underclassmen.  And, yes, especially to his own class members.  Because he reminds me so much of Ragan Durrenberger, Chris Vanek will uphold Ragan's light.

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