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Spotlight on Student: Ashley Mallet, Timber Drive

By Sharron Gibson
Education Editor

Dancing is a family tradition for Ashley Mallet.

Her great-grandmother was a Rockette, her grandmother was a ballroom dancer, and her mother, Liane Stocks, was a dancer as well. Following in their footsteps, Ashley began taking dance classes when she was almost 3 years old.

Ashley Mallet

She has been studying ballet, jazz and tap at Triangle Dance Academy for the past seven years. She has performed in the “Nutcracker” and “Giselle” with the Carolina Youth Ballet for four years running. Ashley will also perform with the Carolina Youth Ballet spring performance and will travel with the academy’s jazz team.

Although her dance keeps her in the studio five to six days per week, Mallet finds time to maintain good grades at school. Sometimes, this means that the 11-year-old has to work on homework during recess.

“She has learned the importance of time management and organization at a young age,” said Ashley’s fifth-grade teacher, Kelly Wilson.

In addition to earning excellent grades at Timber Drive Elementary School, where her favorite subject is history, Ashley finds a way to be of service to others. She is a safety patrol and a media helper. She also enjoys singing with the Timber Drive chorus.

She has learned first-hand about the importance of helping others in difficult situations. Her stepfather was N.C. State Trooper A. J. Stocks, who died in the line of duty September 2008. Since then, Ashley and her mother have spent countless hours working with fundraisers to support the organizations that helped them most during those first difficult months after Stocks’ death.

Liane spends a lot of time organizing fundraisers for groups such as COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors) and tries to keep Ashley involved in some of the more fun aspects of these events. Some of Ashley’s favorite activities have included cruising around in a golf cart at tournaments, having rubber band fights in the trooper offices and bonding with a specially trained caisson horse named Dunn. Unlike most kids her age, Ashley describes dish washing as a pleasant activity, at least to a point.

“I got to wash dishes, and it was fun,” she said about a fundraiser at a local coffee house. “Washing dishes in a gourmet kitchen is fun!”

Despite her sometimes hectic schedule, Ashley and her mother try to make the most of their rare down time. The pair likes to have pajama days or go for manicures and pedicures together when they get the chance. Mallet’s eyes light up when she talks about her favorite musician, Taylor Swift, or when she relates the antics of her dog and three cats.

Liane is hopeful Ashley’s schedule will permit her to attend a COPS children’s summer camp this year, where the gregarious youngster is sure to make new friends.

“Ashley is a friend to all students and is respected as a role model among her peers,” Wilson said. “She has faced several difficult situations in her young life, but she has risen above and continued on a path of success. I am very proud of her.”

Related articles:

• Timber Drive Elementary holds book fair
• Timber Drive recognizes students of character
• Garner teacher assistants nominated for award

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