This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

C.A.R.E. Gives 3 High School Seniors 'Moment in the Sun'

Annual awards honor educational service toward others in the community.

Life can hold plenty of challenges to consume the focus of any high school student.

A recent event acknowledged students who have shared their time and energy to help others through school-based educational awareness programs such as HAPPY and RESPECT. 

The Community Chemical Abuse Resistance Education (C.A.R.E.) Appreciation Awards Dinner was April 7 at the Silver Lake Country Club, where three  seniors received a framed certificate of award. This year's winners are Seniors Duane Mitchell II, Autumn Post and Katelyn Hill.

Find out what's happening in Stowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Among the more than 150 attendees were administrators from the school district and the .

“I thought it went very well, and all the awards were well deserved,” said Assistant Principal Anthony Horton, unit principal for senior students at the high school. 

Find out what's happening in Stowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In conjunction with other schools of the Six District Educational Compact, the awards are given annually to members of the academic, civic and business communities. 

“It really comes down to someone who educates students to do the right thing and to make positive choices. This year we knew we had three extraordinary seniors and wanted to give them their moment in the sun,” said Jason LePard, a guidance counselor at the high school. LePard, for the past four years, has served as the C.A.R.E. coordinator and selects the district’s award recipients in consultation with other counselors and administrators. 

Mitchell, 17, who became one of the first trained members of the Summit County Ambassadors for the Prevention of Bullying, volunteers with elementary school students. After attending educational training in teen-dating violence, suicide prevention and bullying prevention, Mitchell shared classroom presentations at the high school to raise awareness about those issues. He also is active in sports and a member of the National Honor Society, according to LePard. 

Post, 18, is among the original members of the RESPECT program at the high school and, with training, has also given classroom presentations to her peers to help educate other students about the issues of teen-dating violence and suicide prevention. Nominated to the Youth Advisory Board for Summit County Juvenile Court, she has been interviewed for local media on the topics of teen dating and violence prevention.

Post participats in sports, volunteers for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and also assists adults and children in therapeutic riding as a volunteer at the Here’s Hope Horse Farm, LePard said. 

Hill, 17, is involved with the HAPPY and RESPECT programs, as well as bullying prevention among elementary school students and also has given classroom presentations to other high school students to raise awareness about bullying, suicide prevention, teen-dating violence awareness and on making strong, personal decisions.

Having received several personal and academic awards, including the Stolion Award, the West Point Military Academy Award, and the Hugh O’Brian Leadership Award, Hill is a member of the National Honor Society and is active in student government, choir, Key Club and sports. She has  a GPA of 4.118, according to LePard. 

“Certainly, these students have gone above and beyond what would be expected of them, and have done a phenomenal job helping educate [other] students about how to make positive choices in their lives,” LePard said.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Stow