The Rotary Club of Allentown West, after chartering Parkland High School's newest Interact Club, honored its president, Samantha Holender, as Student of the Month.

The event took place at Luther Crest Retirement Community, South Whitehall.

Rotarian Bill Weber said when Holender won the Allentown-West's Four Way Test Speech Contest, she met Rotarian Sue Weber, who encouraged her to found an Interact Club at the high school.

He said through Sue Weber's inspired leadership, Holender almost single-handedly organized the club on Sept. 26, 2013.

"Samantha personifies many of the values to which we Rotarians aspire," Bill Weber said. "Her leadership of Interact tells us that there is hope for Rotary to reach this generation of young adults."

He said Holender, a junior, is a member of the National, Spanish, Mathematics and Science honor societies, serves as captain of the debate team and is vice president of the Class of 2015.

"The first Interact Club was found in 1962 by the Rotary Club of Melbourne, Fla.," Weber said. "Interact Clubs are the fastest growing of Rotary programs."

There are 16,742 Interact Clubs in 151 countries and districts with about 385,066 members.

Weber said their mission is to develop leadership skills and personal integrity, demonstrate helpfulness and respect for others, along with understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work, and advancing international understanding and goodwill.

In addition to chartering Parkland's Interact Club and honoring Holender, club members received an update from Holender and Jenny Von Holt and Devon Devers from Northwestern Lehigh High School Interact Club about club activities.

Prior to the close of the meeting, both Holender and Devers were awarded camp scholarships.