SAUGUS – The Unsung Hero Award was presented to eight Saugus students by the Saugus Business Education Collaborative (SBEC) at a ceremony in Saugus Middle High School sponsored by WIN Waste Innovations.
“We commend these students for the positive role they play in their schools,” said Michelle Nadeau, WIN Waste Innovations senior marketing strategist.
The recipients of this year’s award were Samantha Martin and Victoria Quagenti from Saugus High School; Joshua Mikalixen and Marissa Raposo from Saugus Middle School; Nathan Herbert and Salvatore Colaianni from Belmonte STEAM Academy; and Elizabeth Bourckel and Luke Millerick from Veterans Early Learning Center.
The Unsung Hero Award is a special event because it recognizes students for being overall good individuals, said SBEC President Peter Rossetti, adding that he appreciated the efforts of SBEC and WIN Waste to “make this event happen for our students.”
“We are happy to be able to continue this tradition of honoring the students,” said Rossetti.
Nadeau said that those students are “a credit to their school, their family, and their community.” She said that the Unsung Hero Award was one of their favorite programs of support as part of their partnership with Saugus schools.
“It celebrates the contributions of young people who likewise understand the value of team,” said Nadeau.
The award is based on a variety of factors, including academic effort, character, maturity, personality, standing among peers and staff, and contributions to the school community. The Unsung Hero is an annual event sponsored by the local business group to recognize students in the community, said Jennifer Lefferts, communications manager at Saugus Public Schools.
The winning students received a star-shaped trophy, gift cards for Amazon and Prince Restaurant, and citations from the Massachusetts House of Representatives from State Rep. Donald Wong and from the Massachusetts State Senate from State Sen. Brendan Crighton.
One of WIN Waste Innovations aims, said Nadeau, was to engage deeply with the communities they served, because it was through that kind of teamwork that the company could make the most difference.
She said that making the difference was also the role WIN Waste Innovations played in creating renewable energy at their Saugus facility.
“Our team delivers curb-to-grid waste solutions that not only (support) communities like Saugus, but also support our vision of a healthier planet,” said Nadeau.
Oksana Kotkina can be reached at [email protected].
