Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ann Clark performed her favorite part of the job Tuesday night. Before a crowd at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, she honored 21 students with the Superintendents Student Recognition Awards. Clark presents the award each year to a graduating student from each of the towns elementary and middle schools, and to a senior from each house of the two high schools.
Clark outlined three official criteria for the award. First, a winner must be a good student, turning in homework on time and getting high grades. Second, he or she must be nice. I couldnt give the award to someone who wasnt nice, Clark said. And finally, and most importantly, a winner needs to put being nice into action, by benefiting the community.
For example, Fairfield Warde student Adam Shur, with his brother Daniel and a friend, Gary Oster, started H2Africa, a non-profit organization that donates PlayPumps to African villages. PlayPumps appear to be normal playground merry-go-rounds, but the energy children generate when they spin draws water from deep underground.
Tomlinson Middle Schools Brigitte Dale also started a charity, but kept her focus local. While doing community service work in Bridgeport, she noticed some children there couldnt afford new clothes for their activities. So she organized a dancewear drive to benefit children in the city.
Lily Didomenico, a fifth grader at Roger Sherman Elementary, had perhaps the most touching story of the night. Lily donated her bone marrow earlier this year to her younger sister Grace, who survived a bout with cancer as a result. Clark choked up when reading Lilys story, and when she was finished she appealed to the crowd, asking, Are you inspired yet?
Although not an official requirement, Clark said there was one more quality all the winners seemed to share humility. Whenever I ask them why they are getting this award," she said, "they always say, I dont know.
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