LAPLACE — Kelly Campbell has made quite a mark on the St. Charles Catholic campus despite her relatively short amount of time at the school.

The eighth grader has been lauded academically and athletically while earning the admiration of administrators for her dedication.

“Since I’m new to the school, I was looking at different things to get involved in,” Campbell said.

“I wanted to be (class) vice-president, because I wanted to be a leader. Fellowship of Christian Athletes is really fun. It lets me grow in my faith and get closer to God and meet new people.”

Faith is an important foundation for Campbell, who says she includes God in everything she does.

The 14-year-old works at a vacation Bible school at Ascension of Our Lord Church, because she said it helps the children get closer to God.

“I also help with a sports camp, where I teach the kids how to be better in sports and also include God while they play,” Campbell said.

Teaching an education drive the teenager, who lists math as her favorite subject.

“It always throws problems at you, and I just like to solve them,” she said.

“I feel that education is important because I want to succeed in life. I feel if I do good in my classes and continue to get good grades, then continue that in college, I’ll succeed and do well.”

St. Charles Catholic High School administrators recently named Campbell SCC’s eighth grade student of the year. Campbell is also on the school’s Principals List, meaning she has earned all As.

To become student of the year, students must maintain a 3.5 GPA for last three years. Since this is Campbell’s first year at St. Charles, her records from Ascension of Our Lord School were counted.

Students also have to be active in school and community, write an essay and go through an interview.

Director of Instruction and Institutional Advancement Courtney Millet said it is hard to be in numerous sports, clubs and other activities while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.

“(Campbell) studies a lot,” Millet said.

“It’s a lot of work doing all those different sports and keeping all As.”

Campbell said she has enjoyed staying active since she was little.

She’s also never been able to choose one sport, swimming since she was 3, playing softball since 5, basketball since 8 and picking up volleyball this school year.

All the actives can be hard to manage, but it teaches her how to use her time efficiently while preparing her for the demands of high school.

Following high school, Campbell said she wants to attend the University of Louisiana Monroe and study to become a geriatric pharmacist.