Two from Valley earn Spirit of Community Awards

MAT-SU — The 102 students in America in the 16th annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, in conjunction with the national Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), will be announced today.

That announcement will include Colony High School senior Zachary Boyden and Ashton Lund, an eighth-grader at Fronteras Spanish Immersion School.

Mat-Su Borough School District Superintendent Kenneth Burnley applauds the students as exemplary models of volunteerism in the district.

“Zachary and Ashton have reached out beyond themselves to learn about others,” he said. “Both were touched by the stories and work of their families. They decided to do something to give something back to these important family members; Zachary to his great-grandmother and Ashton to her grandparents.”

Highlighted for his two-year biography project of the residents of Primrose Retirement Community, Zachary said, “I was willing to write down everything they were willing to tell me.”

He began the project by meeting with Primrose residents during their lunch sessions and playing piano for them in the dining hall to win earn acceptance.

Ashton, 13, is recognized for her translation work in Mexico with her grandparents on a goodwill visit to a church there. The eighth-grader spent five days translating and working with a congregation, and performing everyday activities such as shopping, cooking and cleaning.

“(The week) inspired me to do my very best at Spanish, and from now, so that some day I can go back when I am fluent and thank them in perfect Spanish,” Ashton said.

“The young people recognized by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards demonstrate an enormous capacity for giving and reaching out to those in need,” said Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

The students receive a $1,000 cash award, an engraved silver medallion,and will be treated to a gala awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. They will also tour the capital’s landmarks and visit their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. Ten of the top students will be named National Honoree on May 2, receiving additional awards.