September 2020 Student Heroes Resolution

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS the State Board of Education’s Student Heroes Award, created in 2015, recognizes Texas public school students who engage in unselfish acts of kindness and service that benefit their fellow students or community; and

WHEREAS SBOE members selected outstanding students across the state as recipients of the 2020 Student Heroes Award; and

WHEREAS Ethan Hernandez, a fourth-grade student at Sanchez-Ochoa Elementary School in Laredo Independent School District (ISD), displayed compassion and empathy by doing a small act of collecting plastic bottle caps for a worthy cause; and  

WHEREAS Abbeny Solis, a senior at Harlingen South High School in Harlingen Consolidated ISD, recently founded the teen program, Insync, which offers free summer virtual classes including language and dance, and plans to start the Cards4kindness program this fall; and

WHEREAS Mateo Alcorta, a fourth-grade student at J. Elrod Elementary in Northside ISD, San Antonio, has sewn and donated over 1,000 masks across the globe and was recognized as a Champion for Change for his caring efforts during the height of the pandemic; and

WHEREAS Miriam Yampuler, a senior at Carnegie Vanguard High School in Houston ISD, used her artistic talents and leadership skills to bring together a week-long charitable dance class for at-risk youth in 2018 and 2019; and

WHEREAS Sneha Shenoy, a senior at Klein High School in Klein ISD, is a servant leader who led the creation of the Pledge to Distance campaign during the pandemic by asking her fellow students to pledge to follow social distancing and by doing so, rewarding them with an artwork of their faces covered with their names like a mask; and

WHEREAS Payton Flannery, a senior at Woodville High School in Woodville ISD, is an outstanding leader who heads various service organizations and founded the Woodville High Chapter of Eagles for Christ, a group that offers fellow students mentoring activities, among others; and

WHEREAS Dylan Taylor, a senior at Magnolia West High School in Magnolia ISD, actively volunteers in service organizations such as Martha’s Kitchen that serves meals to the homeless, spearheads a mentoring program at an elementary school each week, and participates in many other support activities; and

WHEREAS Paisleigh Miller, a third-grade student at Elkhart Elementary School in Elkhart ISD, shows her compassion by donating her weekly allowance to her school’s Giving Tree Project which donates to the Van Fund that raised enough money to buy a new van to transport disabled veterans to their medical appointments; and

WHEREAS Briana Liles, a sixth-grade student at Trimmier Elementary School in Killeen ISD, is an incredible student whose diagnosis with alopecia did not stop her from raising more than $2500 from various activities including operating her own lemonade stand, and donating everything she collected to the Children’s Alopecia Project that hosts camps for children with alopecia; and

WHEREAS Nicole Padron, a senior at Western Hills High School in Fort Worth ISD, is a natural team leader who serves in various events such as STEM days and faithfully volunteers for the Academy 4 mentoring program; and

WHEREAS Stephen Phillips, a junior at Prosper High School in Prosper ISD, used his engineering talent to produce essential medical equipment during the height of the pandemic using his 3D-printer; crafting reusable, solid plastic shields, including face masks with adjustable clips, and delivering them to healthcare professionals and medical facilities; and

WHEREAS Noah Spitzer, a fourth-grade student at Williams/Ledger Elementary School in Copperas Cove ISD, displayed his passion for books by collecting last year’s unsold holiday books from a local HEB to donate to Copperas Cove Boys and Girls Club where 150 children were thankful to receive a holiday book to read; and

WHEREAS Daniel Curry, a senior at Lubbock High School in Lubbock ISD, was a life saver when he acted heroically during an explosion in his neighborhood; he was first on the scene rendering aid, waited and directed the EMS to the injured causing no traffic delays amidst the chaos; and

WHEREAS these amazing students have modeled caring and compassion in their communities; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the State Board of Education extends its heartfelt thanks to each of these kindhearted students and commends them for their unselfish volunteerism, good character, and integrity; and be it further

RESOLVED, that this resolution be presented to each of them and that a copy be included in the permanent records of the State Board of Education.

WITNESS our signatures this eleventh day of September, two thousand and twenty, in Austin, Texas.

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Keven Ellis, Chair

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Georgina Pérez, Secretary