Profiles in Character
April 2008

Featured students: 

Lyndsi Weiss and Allison Wilcox, Grade 5, Geyser Road Elementary School:

“Pay it Forward” is a concept that is alive and well in a fifth grade classroom at Geyser Road Elementary School. The concept, from Catherine Ryan Hyde’s book by the same name, says that instead of paying a favor back, pay it forward and help others.

Lyndsi Weiss, 11, and Allison Wilcox, 10, have put that idea into practice in the hope of helping people in Africa. The two friends since second grade are now fifth graders in Joe Pollicino’s class at Geyser Road. They were inspired to pay it forward after the district’s Family Life Educator, Madeline Daley, spent time with their class discussing AIDS in Africa and the different ways that people can help raise awareness and money to help the people suffering there.

“We thought that was really nice so we thought, ‘why don’t we just start collecting stuff that they might need,’” said Allison. Since Allison has relatives who live in Africa, they thought it would be easy enough to ship the collected items there for distribution to people in need. So they printed up a flyer titled “Save Africa” and asked that their fifth grade classmates donate items like toothpaste and brushes, blankets and pillows, toys for children and nonperishable food items. So far they’ve collected some books and are hoping to collect still more items.

Their project has spurred them both to learn more about Africa. Lyndsi was given the World Almanac as a gift recently and was shocked to learn that the life expectancy of people in Angola, a country on Africa’s western coast, is only 36.7 years, compared with nearly 80 years for people in more developed countries. “That made me feel very sad,” she said. And Allison decided she wanted to help when she saw a television program about starving people in Africa. “They were all so tiny and skinny,” she said.

Both would like to travel to Africa one day to learn about the different cultures and the wildlife, but for now they’ll do their part to help the people there as best they can. If you would like to contribute an item to their campaign, please contact the Geyser Road Elementary School.

From Geyser Road Elementary School

Patrick Capone, Grade 4: Patrick is a wonderful friend to each individual in our classroom family. He has worked very hard to earn time as a reward for the entire class. Patrick always looks for a win-win solution when solving conflicts in the classroom.

Thomas Rhodes, Grade 4: Thomas has worked hard all year to be a respectful, responsible, safe and caring citizen. Thomas has worked on weekly challenges, is a member of our classroom council and is a member of orchestra. Thomas has been a role model for his peers and has had a very successful school year.

From Maple Avenue Middle School

Lowell Brandon, Grade 8, Age 13: During a medical emergency with a staff member, Lowell remained calm, sought assistance and stayed with the staff member until help arrived. He showed maturity and composure beyond his years.

From Saratoga Springs High School

Emily Wood, Grade 9, Age 14: Emily is very aware of insensitive statements that students can make about other students. In a class discussion about discrimination, Emily defended the reputation of another student and made us realize that hurtful comments are unacceptable.

Zac Mackrell, Grade 11, Age 17: Zac is a trained NCBI (National Coalition Building Institute) leader who has led both classroom and interschool workshops. He is also the head/leader of a recent extension of NCBI involving “gorilla theater” at the high school. At a personal level, Zac is as clear an example of “fairness” to others as you can possibly have. He is always kind and respectful of peers and adults. He truly sees everyone as equal.

Nick Lysyczyn, Grade 12: Nick is extremely respectful, responsible, and a positive role model for the students who attend Project Lift, an after school-based prevention program run by Franklin Community Center. He is always more than willing to help with all aspects of the lessons. The Lifters, especially the boys, flock to Nick because he can always add a little bit more to each lesson to help engage them. Nick is the only male volunteer on Wednesday at Project Lift and does an amazing job being fair and making sure all of the boys get his attention for part of the day.

  
Congratulations to all of April's nominees!

If you know a young person in the Saratoga Springs City School District who deserves recognition in the “Profiles in Character” feature please send in a nomination form. The forms are available here.  Complete the short form and forward it to the Saratoga Partnership for Prevention, 36 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. You can also fax the form to 581-1240, or email to partnership@preventioncouncil.org.

All nominations will receive mention in this monthly feature. A limited number of more extensive individual profiles will also be featured. A display from each of the district’s elementary schools is on display through November at the Visitor’s Center.