From left, Students of the Month of November William Holton and Haley Ponder and Educator of the Month Larry Shannon are congratulated by Greg Miller, coordinator of the Sertoma Club of Venice monthly event that honors the good work of students and teachers at Venice High School. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY PRION PHOTOGRAPHY]

Sertoma Club of Venice honored two Venice High School seniors and a teacher at its regular meeting Nov. 16 at Allegro Bistro.

Haley Ponder and William Holton are the November Students of the Month, while Larry Shannon received the Educator of the Month award. Ponder holds a 3.8 grade-point average, takes advanced courses, is a member of Interact Club and is an intern at Johnson Medical Center. She also works as a server at Fins at Sharky’s on the Pier restaurant. Ponder plans to attend Keiser University to earn a degree in radiology and become an ultrasound technician. She is the daughter of Deborah and James Ponder of Nokomis.

Holton holds a 2.7 grade-point average. He is a three-year member of the Venice High School varsity football team and volunteers as a junior coach at Venice Viking Pop Warner Football. He recently received the Eagle Scout award as a member of Boy Scout Troop 1001. Holton plans to attend Warner University in Lake Wales, where he will major in sports management and minor in education. He hopes to return to the area to teach high school history and coach football. He is the son of Matt and Jami Holton of Nokomis.

Shannon began teaching at Venice High in 2004. The engineering technology teacher holds teaching certificates in technology education, physical education and exceptional student education. He helped form the Venice High engineering program, which provides students with robotic competitions, engineering mentoring and opportunities to earn drafting certifications. Shannon coaches football and served as the Indians defensive coordinator for the past 11 years. He coached the boys track team from 2005-2012. Shannon graduated from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., where he played football. In 1998, the Miami Dolphins chose him in the third round of the National Football League draft. After four years, his professional football career was cut short by injuries.

Submitted by Pam Johnson