SAUGUS – The Saugus Business Education Collaborative (SBEC) awarded eight Saugus Public Schools students the Unsung Hero Award for their outstanding academic dedication and upstanding citizenship in a ceremony sponsored by WIN Waste Innovations at the Middle High School Thursday evening.
“We are proud to honor these exceptional students for the positive role they play in their schools,” said WIN Waste Innovations Director of Communications Mary Urban. “They are a credit to their school, their family, and their community.
This year’s awards went to High School students Wiktoria Biegun and Randy Chavez Gomez; Middle School students Alex Pappagallo and Josephine Pepper; Belmonte STEAM Academy students Lily Gibbs and Anthony Sullivan; and Veterans Early Learning Center students Daniel Doherty and Francesca Lincoln.
The Unsung Hero award began in 2003 to honor students who display a high standard of academic effort, character, maturity, personality, honorable standing among peers and staff, school citizenship, and contribution to their school communities.
Teachers of this year’s awarded students told tales of their pupils’ excellence. Stories range from Chavez Gomez, a high-school senior who moved to Saugus without his parents as a high-school freshman, worked to support himself, learned English, and got accepted to North Shore Community College; to Lincoln, a first grader who “spread joy” in the classroom and translates for a peer who has trouble speaking.
Awarded students were nominated and chosen by their teachers. Each walked home with an Amazon gift card, a star-shaped trophy, and a citation from the state House of Representatives presented to them by Rep. Donald Wong (R-Saugus).
“In every classroom in every school building sits an unsung hero unassumingly doing his or her part to make Saugus Public Schools a better place,” said Middle High School Associate Principal Myra Monto. “This is an opportunity to pay tribute to those students who, often from behind the scenes, make positive contributions to their communities.”
SBEC President Peter Rossetti said he was proud to continue the tradition because it recognizes students for being good citizens in the classroom and encourages them to make a positive influence in their communities later in life.
“The SBEC is pleased to partner with WIN Waste to give them the recognition they deserve,” Rossetti said.
