The Abbeville Kiwanis Club has named Kaplan High senior Jaron Guidry its March “Student of the Month.”

Along with a sign that he can display in his front yard, Guidry will also receive a $25 gift card. Guidry thanked the club for the honor Tuesday during its weekly meeting.

The award comes at an important time in Guidry’s life, a couple of months before graduation and two years following the loss of his mother, Bridget Hebert Guidry, to cancer.

“Since I have lost her I have had to depend on myself, as well as lean on friends and family,” Guidry said. “I have tried to build myself up. I’ve tried to have a lot of confidence.”

Kaplan High Principal Laura LeBeouf said she is proud of Guidry.

“Jaron has fought through a lot of adversity,” LeBeouf said.

Guidry is an active member of the Kaplan Key Club. He is also an actor in the school play and has taken part in Boys State. He said he feels school activities helped him cope with his mother’s death.

“I decided that I was not going to seclude myself,” Guidry said. “I decided I was going to be involved. School has really helped me.”

So have his friends, Dylan Lemaire, Roman Bellon and Tyler Buford.

“I have the three best friends that anyone could have,” Guidry said.

Guidry is one of the most spirited students that Kaplan could have.

“Basically he is the heart and pride of Pirate land right now,” LeBeouf said.

That is in large part thanks to Guidry’s morphsuit, a full-body, leotard. He added gold shorts and an wig to complement the black suit to create the Kaplan effect.

“He goes to pep rallies and builds pride in our school,” LeBeouf said.

Guidry said it was an idea he thought people would enjoy.

“I just put it together thinking that it might get a good reaction,” Guidry said. “It’s gotten an amazing reaction.”

Guidry will leave Kaplan High in May. He said he hopes someone else takes over the costume.

“I hope it becomes a tradition,” he said. “I hope I can come back 20 years from now and there is a student doing it.”

If his dream comes to fruition, Guidry would be coming back then as an astronaut, something he said has always fascinated him. Whatever he does, though, it will be in memory of his mother.

“It always going to be for her,” Guidry said. “My mother always wanted a blue jeep. When I get settled, I want to get one and put a decal on the back that says ‘In memory of Bridget Hebert: Big to the sky. That was something our family always said ‘I love you big to the sky.’

“I’m always going to be driven by her memory.”