Compassionate was the word that seemed to resonate the most when Clara Rousseau of Brentwood was honored with the Goodall Homes Student of the month award. Despite being the last winner of the 2016-17 calendar school year, the cheers and screams for Clara might have been the loudest. Rousseau, a rising fifth grader at Scales Elementary School, was honored during the end of school year awards ceremony at the school in late May. Her fourth grade teacher Ashley Howard nominated her for her compassion and kindness toward her fellow students. “Clara is one of the sweetest and compassionate students I have ever taught,” Howard said. Howard went on to tell how Clara went out of her way to make a new student feel welcome. “Clara was the first to help the new student settle in and make her feel welcome. Clara even loaned her some locker decorations so she would not feel left out,” said Howard. Howard noted that not only is Clara a great friend and peer but a model student. “She is very respectful to all her teachers and always gives her best effort in everything she does,” said Howard. Her parents, Dr. Bernard and Alicia Rousseau, surprised Clara by showing up at the awards ceremony at Scales. “We are very proud of our daughter, she is compassionate but also very competitive,” said her mother. Bernard described his daughter as caring, devoted and driven. “She can even be stubborn at times,” said a laughing Rousseau. They also talked about their daughter’s compassion and shared a story from a gymnastics competition where Clara won several medals and awarded a teammate one of her medals. “That just shows how compassionate she is,” said Bernard Rousseau. “She felt like one of her teammates deserved a medal so she offered one of her medals to her.” Her parents also shared what a great sister she is to her sister, Camille, 7. “She always includes her sister when most kids her age would not,” said Alicia. Clara is involved with her youth group at Fellowship Bible Church and is competitive in gymnastics when she is not at school. “She is a very busy young girl but always stays on top of her school work,” Howard said. Rachael Overall, Marketing Director of Goodall Homes, was thrilled at the reception that Rousseau’s classmates gave her when the award was announced. “You can tell her classmates and her teachers hold Clara in the highest regard,” said Overall. “Goodall is so proud to recognize students of this caliber and this was a great way to end the school year, on such a high note.”