With warmth in her heart that matches the colour of her hair, Jennifer Godin is a model of generosity and a person to be admired.

Helping for this redhead, who was named the Gravenhurst High School (GHS) student of the month for December, is second nature.

“If you don’t help people they won’t understand what you’re doing because they’ll get stuck on something, and if no one helps them they’ll never get through it,” she said.

She’s used to being the one that people turn to for help, whether it’s her friends at school or her grandmother.

The announcement came as a surprise and although she is only in Grade 9, this petite girl is a giant when it comes to her outlook on learning.

“Even if you don’t get a good mark on something and you learn about it, you can eventually get better at it,” she said. “Marks are just a number on a page. They really don’t matter.”

She recalls learning this in elementary school when she received both good and bad marks, but still knew the subject matter equally well in both cases.

The next few months she is helping with the stage production of The Worker.

She cites her experience with the drama club as influential toward helping her confidence at school.

Nominated by her GHS French teacher Nancy Jamieson, who said Godin is helpful in and out of class, and she has been impressed by her love of learning and her generous nature.

“She is an excellent student in French class, very focused and conscientious. She values the quality of her learning more than her marks,” Jamieson said in an e-mail.

“This mature young woman is certainly showing herself to be someone of generous and gracious character,” she said.