Extraordinary Student - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Extraordinary Student

A scholarship, a years worth of Cass-Clay products and 5-thousand dollars for the school of choice....

That's what's on the table for Central Campus student Ryan Bent who was recently chosen as a finalist for the Cass-Clay Extraordinary Student scholarship program.

Gary Brode sat down with Ryan today to learn more about the nomination - and the student himself.

The word extraordinary is often times over used and at times lost in translation.

In the case of Ryan Bent, a sophomore at Central Campus High School, the word extraordinary fits him perfectly.

Ryan was told last week he is as a finalist of the "Cass-Clay Extraordinary Student Award and Scholarship Program".

He is one of eight students around the state of North Dakota selected as a finalist for the prestigious and lucrative award.

The grand prize winner of the award receives a fifteen-hundred dollar personal scholarship and a year's worth of Cass-Clay products.

But if you ask Ryan, he is more concerned about the 5 thousand dollars that will go towards his school.

(Ryan Bent, Cass-Clay Award Finalist) "Five-thousand dollars could go towards a lot here at Central. More school supplies and stuff and it would be benefiting the students, but it would also benefit the teachers."

As advisor of the Key Club and someone who sees Ryan on a daily basis.

Lisa Goldade will tell you, not only is the remarkable sophomore a leader, an activist and a philanthropist.

He is an all around good person.

(Lisa Goldade, Guidance Counselor, Central Campus High School) "Ryan is one of those rare combinations of maturity at this level plus someone who totally sees the big picture... and he wants to do permanently good things and he doesn't care if he gets credit for it or not. I've never seen it in a combination like that for a student so young."

Bent is a member of a number of extra curricular activities from Key Club president, student council governor, and a member of the National Honor Society.

His most amazing accomplishment was an act of selflessness.

After the flood, Ryan decided to help his former middle school in a big way.

(Ryan Bent, Cass-Clay Award Finalist) "It was a project I came up with. I heard a teacher talking to my dad said that Ramstead didn't have anything. So I got the idea to take all the money I had and donate it to get school supplies to Ramstad. I got over three thousand dollars and ended bringing school supplies to the school."

Gary Brode, KX News.

Ryan hopes to one day become a teacher at Central Campus High School.

Two of the eight finalist students will be chosen this February as the winners.