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Ceremonies |
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January 2011
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Noel Alexander
Carmel Middle School
Noel Alexander is a 15-year-old eighth grader from
Carmel Middle School. This past fall, he did the
right thing when he told his school resource officer
another student had a gun at school. Noel was
reluctant to tell on his classmate, but knew it was
a dangerous situation. The school resource officer
investigated and found the weapon at the student’s
grandmother’s home. It turned out to be a BB gun,
but the orange parts to let others know it wasn’t a
real weapon were painted black to make people
believe it was a real firearm.
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Armando Becerra – (Not present)
Vance High School
Armando Becerra is a 15-year-old tenth-grade student
at Vance High School. Four students stole an
employee’s purse out of the office, took her keys
and dumped the purse in a trash can in a boys’
bathroom. Armando walked into the restroom moments
later and saw the purse in the trash can. He checked
the purse and saw the wallet with the employee’s
identification, checkbook and credit cards and
immediately turned it in to a school security
associate. The students who took the purse also
stole the employee’s car. Because Armando did the
right thing, the thieves were caught and the car was
returned to its owner.
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Kemp Brooks
Southwest Middle School
Kemp Brooks is 12 years old and in the sixth grade
at Southwest Middle School. One day during lunch, an
autistic child dropped his lunch tray. Other
children laughed at him and made fun of him. Kemp
did the right thing by checking on the child to make
sure he was okay, picking up his tray and putting it
in the trash, and getting the child a new tray. The
autistic child, who had been very upset and crying,
settled down, started to smile and was able to
finish his lunch. No one asked Kemp to help, but he
did it on his own. When the school resource officer
asked him why, Kemp said, “I just wanted to help.”
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Carlos Cevallos
Midwood High School
Carlos Cevallos is a 15-year-old ninth-grade student
at Midwood High School. One September morning in the
cafeteria, another student grabbed Carlos by the
shirt and tried to start a fight. Carlos could have
reacted badly and started fighting; instead, he
stood up, faced the aggressor and walked away. The
other student lost control and continued provoking
Carlos, but Carlos did the right thing and kept his
composure during the entire incident. A school
resource officer saw this happen and wanted to
recognize Carlos for the way he handled the
difficult situation.
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Timothy Cottrell
J.H. Gunn Elementary School
Timothy Cottrell is a 10-year-old fourth grader at
J.H. Gunn Elementary School. On November 15, Timothy
arrived home from school and noticed that his father
did not look well. Moments later, his father’s
condition deteriorated. Instead of losing control,
Timothy did the right thing, ran to a neighbor’s
home and asked the neighbor to call 911. He then
went back home and stayed with his father until
paramedics arrived. Timothy remained calm during
this stressful situation and helped his father
receive the emergency care he needed.
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William Fitzwater
Independence High School
William “Billy” Fitzwater is 17 years old and a
senior at Independence High. On October 15, some of
Billy’s friends invited him to join them in the
woods to smoke potpourri. Billy refused and instead
went home. A short time later, one of the boys
called Billy, saying that another friend was
seriously ill and couldn’t get out of the woods.
Billy was still recovering from a broken leg, but
rushed from his home into the woods and crossed a
creek to find his friends. The ill boy was on the
ground, shaking and shivering. Billy took a
sweatshirt from another boy, covered the sick child
and called his own mother. He met his mother near
the woods and led her to the sick child. She took
the child’s pulse and called 911.
Billy met the ambulance in the neighborhood and led
the paramedics through the woods. He helped clear a
path so the crew could get the sick child out, then
hoisted his friend on this back and carried him out
of the woods himself.
Billy did the right thing a number of times: first
by choosing not to join his friends to smoke, then
by responding when they needed help, then by calling
an adult to evaluate the situation, and finally by
assisting the paramedics.
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Marvin Hernandez Marroquin
Berryhill Elementary School
Marvin Hernandez Marroquin is a fifth grader at
Berryhill Elementary School. He is a member of the
safety patrol and was assigned to escort
kindergarten students to the bus. The kindergarten
teacher asked Marvin to keep a close eye on a
special needs student to make sure she stayed in
line. From the first day of his safety patrol
duties, Marvin has taken the little girl by the hand
and led her down the hall, reassuring her the entire
way.
One afternoon, the little girl stumbled and fell.
Marvin did the right thing when he picked her up,
wiped away her tears and checked her scraped knee.
He told her he could make it better with a band-aid,
and told the teacher he would take care of the
student. According to the teacher, Marvin is
empathetic and caring and “serves as a role model
for my students, and I feel privileged to know him.”
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Serina McDuffie
First Ward Elementary School
Serina McDuffie is a fifth grader at First Ward
Elementary School. One morning, before school, her
mother was cooking breakfast. The grease in the pan
caught on fire and spread through the kitchen and
onto the rug. Serina saw that a curtain was about to
catch on fire and pulled it out of the way, then
called 911. Her younger brother was at home, and she
kept him safely away from the fire. She also took
care of her mother, who was suffering from serious
burns. As soon as the situation was under control,
Serina called her grandmother to take her and her
brother to school. Serina is a great example of
doing the right thing by making smart decisions and
staying calm under pressure.
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Mariam Rokayak
Northridge Middle School
Mariam Rokayak is 14 years old and in the eighth
grade at Northridge Middle School. One morning,
Mariam was outside on the playground with her class
when she spotted a seven-inch pocketknife on the
ground. She realized it could be dangerous and did
the right thing when she picked it up and gave it to
her teacher. Of course, we always encourage students
to leave weapons where they see them, and not to
pick them up, but Mariam knew another child could
get hurt if they picked it up.
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Janylah Smith – (Not present)
Mallard Creek Elementary School
Janylah Smith is 10 years old and in the fifth grade
at Mallard Creek Elementary School. She is an honor
roll student and routinely wins school-level
character awards. Janylah also volunteers in the
younger grades at school, which includes encouraging
good academics and behavior. She also helps younger
kids “learn the ropes” of primary school.
Janylah does the right thing every day, despite
difficult circumstances. Her biological mother died
when Janylah was very young, and her 15-year-old
sister passed away after battling cancer. Janylah
has continued to persevere and maintains her
positive outlook, while still doing the right thing
in and out of school.
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Brisa Sosa-Robles – (Not Present)
Tuckaseegee Elementary School
Brisa Sosa-Robles is seven years old and in second
grade at Tuckaseegee Elementary School. One morning,
Brisa saw another classmate with what looked like a
gun. She raised her hand and told her teacher what
she had seen. The teacher and principal investigated
and found the suspicious item, which turned out to
be a toy gun. Brisa did the right thing by telling
an adult when she saw something that could have been
dangerous.
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Kate Speice
East Mecklenburg High School
Kate Speice is a 16-year-old junior at East
Mecklenburg High School. Back in November, she was
shopping at Target when an elderly man showed signs
of having a heart attack. Kate did the right thing
by performing CPR on him until paramedics arrived.
She demonstrated incredible strength and courage by
stepping up and taking charge in a serious
situation.
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