Nine-year-old has positive attitude
An infectious giggle and a huge smile are Molly Knight's trademarks.
Molly, who is rarely without a grin on her face, is one of Max and Kay Knight's five children. She's the second oldest and was the only girl until her sister was born eight weeks ago.
"It gets aggravating," she said of all the siblings, "but I love it."
It is her attitude, even when she's down or something hasn't gone well for her, that teacher Polly Cowart says makes Molly a unique person.
"The main thing that makes Molly so special is that you never see her without a smile on her face," said Cowart, a fourth-grade teacher at Martinez Elementary School, where Molly is one of her pupils. "Even when she is disappointed about something, she grins and takes it well.
"She is always kind and courteous to other students and makes excellent grades. The effort that she puts forth in the classroom is incredible. She isn't happy with just 'so-so' work. She wants to give 100 percent."
"That is very nice of her," Molly said of the praise. "I can't believe she said that."
Going from one activity to another, Molly manages it all. She's a member of Team Gymnastics at Gymnastics Gold, which she joined in 2003. She is in her second year of taking piano lessons and is active in the Girls in Action program at First Baptist Church of Evans.
Molly Knight was nominated for Make Kids Count by her teacher for giving 100 percent and being "all smiles." The Martinez Elementary pupil is the second of five children.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
"GA is a female missions group," explains Molly, 9. "We go caroling to nursing homes at Christmas time, and we have collected canned food for world hunger."
Molly also serves as secretary of her school's student council and is a library aide at the school.
"The librarians are real busy sometimes, so we use the computer to help the students check out books and we straighten shelves," she said.
She has been a member of the children's choir at the First Baptist Church of Evans since she was in kindergarten. Molly also is in the Horizons Gifted Program.
"Molly is an excellent role model," Cowart said. "Her cheerful disposition is an inspiration, not only for other children, but for me, as well."
While she has plenty of time to decide what she wants out of life, Molly already has an idea of what she would like to make a career out of.
"I might like to be a nurse. My mom's a nurse," she said. "I've thought about architecture. My dad works in construction, so I've thought about that, too. Plus, I like art."