by Camille Knecht

Each month, Woodbridge High School recognizes one male and one female senior student for their admirable qualities through the Good Citizenship Award.

Winners of the Good Citizenship Award stand out among their peers through their actions, and for January 2015 winner Alyssa Kenny, it was the multiple extracurricular activities she is a part of and her service to the school that have allowed her to stand out from other students. “I was honored to be one of the winners. It is nice to know that my hard work throughout high school has paid off,” Kenny said.

In addition to the recognition, winners have an opportunity to win a scholarship through an essay contest. Kenny chose to participate because, according to her,, “College is important to me, and it is definitely something I need to further my education, enhance my experiences, and better myself overall as a person.”

All of the winners have similar work ethics to Kenny, and examining each eligible student is a tedious process. According to the criteria, it involves grade point average, community service, attitude, character, and school spirit. More specifically, students must be respectful to other students and faculty, have pride in their school, volunteer their time to the community, and maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0.

To narrow down the list of eligible students, the members of the committee, Ms. Beck, Mr. Bunch, Ms. Ferrara, Mr. Forbes, Ms. Hain, Vice Principal Hassan, Ms. Kreisel, Ms. Roczey, and Madame Zeitz, evaluate each student who filled out an information card and compare them to see what sets them apart. According to committee member Ms. Hain, the information card identifies what extra-curricular activities the senior students take part in and any honorable or distinguishing awards or achievements they may have previously won.

The committee seems to put a lot of thought into ways to reward students for their dedication to being great individuals in general. “Teachers work hard for deserving students,” said Ms. Hain, “and they appreciate all students.”

Even though there are only two winners per month, teachers say that every student deserves the satisfaction that comes with performing good deeds, no matter how big or small. Principal Mr. Lottmann said, “Our students do the right thing for satisfaction, which makes it even more special.”

To any student who is attempting to win the Good Citizenship Award, Kenny suggested, “One should make sure to keep up good grades, get involved with the school, and try to make a difference within the school or community while also keeping in mind that these acts should be selfless and not just in an effort to win the award.”

It is not just the seniors, but all of the students at Woodbridge High School who demonstrate good citizenship throughout their four years in high school, and the Good Citizenship Award is the way to show appreciation. “Although it is easy to see the exceptional actions our students perform in the school’s friendly atmosphere,” Mr. Lottmann said, “it is very difficult to choose just two per month, and the fact that it is hard to pick definitely says a lot.”

The 2014-2015 Good Citizenship Award recipients are:

September 2014 – Devin VanDross and Victoria Gasparowicz

October 2014 – Nestor Medina and Devon Brown

November 2014 – David Casal and Prabh Jassal

December 2014 – Daniel Casal and Samantha Paladino

January 2015 – Jeffrey Skros and Alyssa Kenny.