March 2011

Hannah Beaver Lebanon Road Elementary School Hannah is six years old and in first grade at Lebanon Road Elementary. Her school held a fundraiser for the Smile Train Project, which helps children with cleft pallets whose families cannot afford surgery. Hannah became the project manager for her class. Every day, she reminded her teacher when it was time to collect money for the Smile Train. She shook the classroom piggy bank and made speeches about the importance of the project. Hannah did the right thing, and because of her genuine concern and empathy for others, helped her class raise more than $113. Hannah’s teacher said, “She is an inspiring role model for everyone, and shows what a positive difference one can make, no matter how young she may be.” Christiana Bonaddio Smith Language Academy Christiana is a 14-year-old eighth grader at Smith Language Academy.  A visitor to the school put a $100 bill in her pocket with her cell phone. She pulled her phone out to use it in the school hallway and did not know the money also fell out. Christiana found the money on the floor and did the right thing by turning it in to the main office. The person who nominated Christiana said, “Until she turned it in, I had no idea that it had fell out of my pocket. There was obviously no identification on the bill-she truly did the right thing by turning this in.” Not Pictured  Talyia Bradshaw Smith Language Academy Talyia is a 10-year-old fourth grader at Smith Language Academy. One day, she found a knife on the floor of her classroom. She did the right thing when she told the school security associate about the knife. The associate came to the classroom and took care of the knife. Talyia showed great character by telling an adult about a potentially dangerous weapon. Jamara Brown International Business and Communication Studies at Olympic High School Jamara is a 15-year-old sophomore at the International Business and Communication Studies School at Olympic. On Nov. 17, a man was robbed at gunpoint in his home in the Taragate community. The robbery happened near an Olympic High bus stop, so the school resource officer showed students a description of the suspect and asked students if they knew who it was. Jamara did the right thing when she told the school resource officer she thought she knew who the suspect was – and even told the officer where the suspect was at that moment. Thanks to Jamara’s crucial information, the victim identified the suspect, who was arrested and charged with armed robbery. Jamara showed she knows the importance of partnering with the police to keep our schools and community safe Clenton Cochran Mountain Island Elementary School Clenton is nine years old and in the fourth grade at Mountain Island Elementary School. He saw a news story about the rising number of homeless men in Charlotte. He was so inspired by the story, he came to school and started a campaign to collect donations for the men’s shelter. Clenton told his story on the school news, made posters and asked for a Connect-ED phone message to be sent to families, asking them to help. Because Clenton did the right thing, he was able to collect about 30 large trash bags of clothing and shoes for the homeless, as well as a bag of toiletry items. His teacher said he demonstrated the character trait of “caring” in a big way. Samantha Columbus North Mecklenburg High School Samantha is 16 years old and a sophomore at North Meck. On Feb. 1, one of her classmates went into convulsions in the classroom. The girl fell out of her chair and began thrashing about on the floor. Samantha did the right thing when she rushed to her classmate and held her head still, to keep the girl from injuring herself. She instructed others to move desks out of the way so the other student would not hit them while she convulsed. Samantha continued her control after the nurse arrived, and held her classmate’s head for nearly 30 minutes until first responders arrived. Samantha demonstrated great skill, great compassion, and great courage in managing the situation and protecting her classmate’s health and safety. Not Pictured  Alexis McKnight West Mecklenburg High School Alexis is a 16-year-old junior at West Meck. She was walking down the hallway when she saw smoke coming out of the boys’ bathroom. Alexis did the right thing when she knocked on teachers’ doors, telling them about the fire. She also pulled the fire alarm to evacuate the building.   After the Charlotte Fire Department put the fire out, Alexis was interviewed and gave a description of a possible suspect. Investigators interviewed the suspect, who eventually confessed to setting the fire, which caused thousands of dollars in damage. Vannessa Perez Rocky River High School Vanessa is 16 years old and in the tenth grade at Rocky River High. On a Saturday, she received text messages from her friend, saying her friend was having suicidal thoughts and planned to end her life. Vanessa did the right thing when she told her mother. She also found a way to contact school personnel on the weekend to make sure her friend was safe and did not harm herself. Henrique Vitorio Renaissance at Olympic High School Henrique is a 16-year-old sophomore at the Renaissance School at Olympic. He has often said he wanted an opportunity to help police. On Nov. 5, he got his chance. The school resource officer was arresting a self-proclaimed gang member when the boy fought back and ran from the officer. Henrique saw the boy running away and quickly figured out he was trying to get away from police. Henrique did the right thing when he chased the boy, caught him and held him until the school resource officer and backup units arrived.   Of course, we always want students to be safe and let the police do their jobs, but in this case, Henrique acted without worrying about being called a snitch or police informant. He proved he knows that making a school safe is everyone’s responsibility – the staff, students and police – and that it is truly a team effort.   Alina Wilson Alexander Graham Middle School Alina is a 14-year-old eighth grader at A.G. Middle School. She was home with her mother when her mother began choking and could not breathe. She couldn’t call for help, so walked into Alina’s room. Alina immediately did the right thing when she performed the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the item caught in her mother’s throat. After the item came out, Alina called 911 so emergency responders could check on her mother. Alina says she learned how to perform the Heimlich by watching TV.