of character counts it's a collaboration of community groups including the chamber of commerce municipal government rotary ministerial and parent teacher association for nineteen years the initiative has been a catalyst behind many inspirational educational programs as well as philosophical changes in the community tonight ceremony as an opportunity to recognize individuals in our community who have made a positive impact on the lives of other at the culmination of this program mr bryant show executive director of the chamber of commerce will recognize the annual carol fully award winner just some housekeeping notes as we recognize the nominee we will ask them to come up thank you mr fischer good evening our first nominee is keyed in kelly who was nominated by mrs laura brennan of our hill keaton is a third grade stuart student at power hill elementary mrs bryn and first met keenan last year when he was at lunch during this school year keeton had made a new friend a boy who need some assistance at lunch during lunch mrs brandon noticed that this new friend only wanted his new body keyed in to a him for her nomination mrs brennan described keaton as a sweet and compassionate boyo who listens to his friend and helps him when he can he helps him with his drink he laughs with him he picks up his things that his body is dropped but the best thing that she is witnessed in both boys faces when they light up when they see each other mrs brannan explained that she has no idea how the rest of their day plays out but when these two boys see each other at lunch it brings a joy to her face mrs brandon ended her nomination by writing that she hopes that as a keating grows up that he understands how important it is to restore around yourself with characters that count this school year marian came up with the idea to organize a sock drive which is if you don't know a collection of socks hats gloves and scarves mary pitched the idea that who presented to the peters township high school executive council of student leaders at the beginning of duce december two thousand and seventeen the young ladies took the initiative to complete the paperwork communicate with all the principals in the district and organize the dr as a result of their efforts they successfully collected and donated two hundred fifty sixty two paths ninety one gloves and eighteen scarves to those in need at the washington city mission to nominate and marry mr wasn't wrote we are proud of not only of the film thought philanthropic spirit but we are also proud of their logistical perseverance to see this initiative through to completion graduation witnessed austin go above and beyond to demonstrate kindness initiate conversations and become friends with her students in her class austin frequently greets her students at lunch in the hallways and during classes he's devoted his time in class to help one of her students misses you kubik described austin as patient kind compassionate polite and always has a smile on his face to nominate austin she wrote as a learning support teacher it is imperative for me to help my students develop and build social skills in austin as a student who makes the bell developing friendships easier for them while most students are kind to my students austin goes a step further genuinely wanting to be their friend likewise many of my students talk to me about their friend austin and look forward to seeing him in the hallways and having classes with him misses you cubic described austin as an incredible example of someone who sees past disabilities and spreads kindness in positivity he sets an example of acceptance and understand understanding she firmly believes that many of her students days the school are better because of austin congratulations austin isabella uptake a fifth grade student mcmurry elementary as she was nominated by lori motor city is about what otherwise known as belle is a very caring and helpful classmate which is a product of the compassion demonstrates with her own family while sleeping over her grandparents house her grandfather was drinking his morning coffee and suddenly became unconscious as both a grandmother panicked and tried to wake him bella calmly grabbed the telephone and nine one and school nurse are very proud of her response in this emergency situation mrs mota sick even believe that she has a future in the medical field our next nominee dana sudha was nominated by laura rohrbach to nominate dana laura wrote one of my favorite quotes regarding kindness is as follows too  underestimate the power of a touch a smile a kind word a listening ear an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring all of which have the potential to turn the world around several weeks ago dana posted a simple question on a local facebook page any other mom's interested in buying pizza for the teachers if our hill with me given the many safety school incidents across the nation she wanted to do something nice to show our appreciation to the wonderful teachers at her daughter's school if you ask her she will tell you she expected to hear back from a handful of parents instead dana simple act of kindness turned into a movement one mom after another after another wanted to pitch in before she knew it parents stepped up the other schools to do the same over the next two weeks an entire community of moms came together and provided lunch to all of the employees in our school district included including the administrative office dana simple act of thoughtfulness took on a life of its own lars nomination ended with i am so honored to nominate dana for a character counts award it's true when they say kindness is contagious thank you da inspiring community to turn a small act of kindness into something so much bigger it only takes one person and it's no surprise to me that person was you thank you dana congratulations our next not only is nancy zimmer and she was nominated by jimmy today hayes described nancy as a selfless individual a thoughtful friend an incredible resource a passionate volunteer an amazing mother a dedicated board member as she serves on multiple boards and committees a trusted ear a straight shooter she stated that all of these just scratched the surface of nancy's emer she brings forth ideas to honor and thank teachers like thankful thursdays at mcmurray elementary she encourages corroboration when there are conflicting sides to an issue she's the first to bring a solution to the table when something is just not working whether it be party format or process she holds people accountable for their words and promises she doesn't take on task without doing it at one hundred percent she respectfully values opinions even of her opinion differs respect responsibility and on the city are only three of the many positive characteristics that make up nancy's emer character who counts regular next we have a nominee antonios you laga nominated by donald angel donald nominated antonio's you lock i do you do is dedication in body men of the rotary international motto of service about above self having been a member with a local club for sixteen years antonio has routinely given up his time talent in treasures for the betterment of those around him not only in his local community but around the globe locally antonio designed an organized the weekend and summer food program which addresses the dietary needs of children in our school district who qualify for federal food subsidies globally antonio's involvement with the children's orphanage in colombia is another example of his character antonio has work to grants from both our local rotary district and concordia lutheran ministries as well as raising funds to total over thirteen thousand dollars to provide such as bedding personal care needs crayons pencils into vans to allow for safe transportation for the children he then put his own safety aside and travel to the orphanage it is own expense to make sure that the money collected would be directly put to use for their immediate needs of furniture appliances and kitchen utensils don described antonio as a role model a valuable asset to our community and the definition of what the character counts award was recreated to recognize congratulations always the first to include others extend kindness to others offer a smile to whoever needs it and help whenever she is able to is a motivated student who cares about not only her learning but the learning of those around her is extremely respectful is always enthusiastic enthusiastic for whatever task is given to her and ready to offer a helping hand or bring a smile to the face of another this is how an extended by writing i'm so proud to have her as one of my students she is a joy your education page genuinely cares for the overall education of peers township high school students he explained that at the end of the twenty sixteen seventeen school year the high school friend six beaten debate team did not have a coach the team student leadership scramble to find a new coach and out of all of the teachers they asked to see him the role mrs graniger was the one who has bonded with a determined yes though she never previously coached forensics she enthusiastically leapt at the opportunity to support her students outside of the classroom ben explained that mrs graniger has succeeded in every aspect of running the organization at their first tournament  the complete competition season excuse me the team placed second overall an accomplishment that they never accomplished before mrs grinder's leadership ben wrote that mrs graniger represents the attributes of respect responsibility and honesty more than anyone that he is a cow encountered during his high school career he described her as honest in her devotion to education especially in the sphere of oratory and writing and she  icates her passion through countless hours of work and mentorship for the students of peters township high school which results in the enrichment of the community and students thank you krist actually have jamie oswald twelfth grade student at peter's touchup a school she was nominated by karen ferrie were nominating jamie karen frary explained the jamie took on the role of president of the best buddies chapter of peter's touch apply school this year in this role jamie has shown such responsibility and planning appropriate and fun activities and events for kids with disabilities in school organizing these events took a lot of planning coordinating and communication not only with students and teachers but also parents jamie also expanded this group tremendously by encouraging other typically developing kids to join and by planning many more activities for students to enjoy this is for airy describe jamie as a person who exemplifies compassion respect and has got gone above and beyond to form friendships with her son when communication participation and trust can be difficult since he has autism jamie has always made her son ross feel comfortable and welcomed she wrote that she saw such a change in ross this year because he felt part of a group she witnessed many hugs and words of encouragement not only with ross but with others participating in best buddies this is very describes jamie as such an honest heartfelt girl who is so mature and responsible as a senior in high school it is unbelievable that jamie coordinated taking a group of kids to the heinz history center on a friday night for the best buddies ball when a lot of kids her age would rather just do their own thing the best buddies ball was an event that her son will never forget and neither will the others that attended she explained that she felt one hundred percent comfortable leaving her son at the event with such a responsible and caring friend mrs ferrie ended her nomination by writing there's no doubt that jamie exemplifies the characteristics that represent what this ward is all about graduation next we have nominee julie collins he was nominated by becky lipinski at a p t a meeting at power hill mentary becky learned that the committee that assembled ordered in distributed the district directory was retiring several people decided to assume this role from the beginning it was a daunting task that no one none of them had experience before at the first committee meeting roles were divided at that time julie stepped up to head the committee overseeing all aspects of the directory until its completion the task took months and julie was an integral part of every step of the way she did so willingly as she had made a commitment to see the project to the end becky recognized the huge role the truly played in publishing the directory she did this on a limited timeline and with limited funds her willingness to take on this enormous project speaks volumes to her character becky wrote that truly is a person who exemplifies this exemplifies this award as she strives to be respectful honest and responsible in every activity which she volunteers and there are many she ended her nomination with i am lucky to call julie a friend in our community is so fortunate to have her in our corner personalised fish to support the building's theme only one you the entire staff enjoyed supporting this underwater theme which made this year something truly special selflessly kiersten organized of entrepreneurship for the mcmurry stuff members to show the community support for everything they do for the their students please consider cures to mcgrath as a character counts candidate her giving goes on and on and she deserves to be recognized at the grand and current technology to life recently jeffrey presented his virtual reality simulator during the high school's technology fair where it was highly favored by participants in sparked interest among many ages jeffrey went a step above and beyond and volunteered to do a presentation for his physics class at the high school jeffrey spoke with eloquence and maturity and truly engage the students about how virtual reality works and has many societal benefits he also trusted his classmates to use it giving them a possibility of a once in a lifetime opportunity to see virtue a virtual reality world he related it's used to his pursuit of becoming a pilot attending c c b c's of aviation program already has a high school senior jeffries peers should look up to him as a role model as how you what you learn in school can tie into your everyday life mrs neff ended her nomination by writing we truly appreciate his offer to become a teacher for the day and quite frankly kept his classmates more and for all than i ever could great job jeff offered the honor of performing a main stage performance a main stage performance was a much greater undertaking in the normal than a normal show because of the travel required as well as the required involvement of every member transporting every piece of the set every costume props and equipment was necessary for this performance genie work with the students and explain the commitment that would be required which included summer hershel's working around the fall high school production and rehearsing right up to the conference departure in early december jeannie and the students plan to ensure they could meet the requirements of the main stage performance which a lot of the troop only one hour to unload the truck in one hour to build the stage on set after the truth performance they were provided one hour to take down their set and reload the truck so the next troop could set up this brutal schedule required a herculean effort and jamie in the troops successfully accomplished this challenge their performance was incredible and the true perceived wonderful accolades from all those in attendance as well as the adjudicators the troupe was incredibly proud to see they were capable and worthy of a main stage performance at a state conference jenny provided her students with a once in a lifetime opportunity and the thespian parents understand how much work this project entailed and could not be more impressed or grateful genius or grimace demonstrated through both and action that she is a person most worthy of the character counts award graduation next we have nominee carter many ellie pleasant valley second grader nominated by courtney cory pleasant valley teacher in her nomination mrs corey explained to carter came to pleasant valley this year as a new student and was immediately welcomed to do is friendly and outgoing demeanor he has been a role model for his classes stay one by always encouraging and helping his classmates always following directions always trying his best and always doing the right thing mrs corey often overhears carter recess or during cooperative learning time complimenting and during courage ing a classmate by clapping or saying good job carter is the first of all into year even when help isn't needed carter somehow sees what needs to be done and does it for example he notices when the cupboards are open and he closes them he picks up garbage from the floor he puts books back on the shelf where they belong or he helps his classmates put their i pads away every time they use them almost every day at the end of the day during cleanup time he looks around the room and on his own without being asked he gets up and put things to put things away lastly conner's manners are above and beyond he says thank you and please without being reminded and he says hello and goodbye to his teacher every day mrs corey ended her nomination writing that connor is not just a joy to have in class but he's a hero to his classmates congratulations carter is monica meryl nominated by christine ponce this is parts recognized mrs monica meryl for her work as director at pittsburgh's mercy hospital where she has shared her combined education knowledge of people and systems with the entire community additionally she has worked tirelessly as a college woman in peter's township for over ten years during which she served on the board of directors of the washington county symphony and has been their president for the past two years member she presents the talents of our local students and teachers for their efforts raising the bar in peters township monica's supports our first responders and library through supporting their programs and financial needs on a more personal note she recognizes their accomplishments complements were personal cards expressing their feelings her feelings and pride with their accomplishments as anyone who has received these notes of congratulation or condolences realizes they are not only limited to township poit township employees but also to school employees members of the public or maybe to a family after an emergency or tragedy during the holidays she delivers food coffee cakes popcorn cookies and other snacks to the fire and police departments to share her appreciation for their commitment in protecting our community as recently as this past week she helped peters township library celebrate library week with their yearly supply with a yearly supply  goodies to show her gratitude for their effort in making are the best in the commonwealth her generosity does not stop with the townships organizations through her personal and professional contacts she supplied our school district with furniture office equipment sound equipment costume supplies and stem materials mrs merrill has also been instrumental in deploying her for displaying her family's artwork in our schools to increase the staff and students exposure to many prominent artists while doing these activities she is also the president of her own successful consulting company where she oversees their construction activities we write operation manuals and personal hymn books she has often hired to stand in the place of executive positions during their hiring process and during a ploy an executive search is monica's served in the local political arena as a local committee person and is currently running for the position of republican state committee member in the upcoming primary graduations our final nominees for this evening are jacob rose ask in a j macquarie mcmurry sixth graders who were nominated by mrs kristen crop in nikki mcmurry teacher and nikki has known jacob in a j for the twenty seven thousand eight hundred school year she explained that they are in her home room science and social studies classes on numerous occasions she has witnessed them demonstrating exceptionally at marvel character a j and jake are so kind and respectful to a student with special needs in their home room as soon as the soon arrives a j and jake make a point of asking him how his night was and how he's doing today the boys are always encouraging giving him encourage mentoring science class on one specific occasion she was changing their seating arrangement and she asked where they would like to sit if they had any choice their media response was to sit by the student other adults in school have also reported that a j and jake have gone out of their way to comfort the student in the cafeteria making sure that he's never sitting alone aside from the many caring example she could list on this nomination form both and jake are excellent students they consistently of their work completed volunteer in class discussions and always go above and beyond when completing assignments it is for all these reasons that mrs crappin nikki nominated these two outstanding boys for the character counts award they are very deserving of this honor great job jacob thanks mr fisher good evening ladies and gentlemen tonight we are presenting the six yes the six annual carol for a memorial character counts award i can't believe it's our sixth year already we do this annually in the spring at this time i'd like to ask dr ed foley to come forward our chairman of the board and past recipient linda webster and the following previous recipients who are here as well you can see we take this this award very seriously carol foley was my predecessor who served this community for a quarter of a century as the peters township chamber of commerce executive director she was well known and much loved she was a true pillar of the community so it makes perfect sense to remember her legacy by choosing those recipients who dedicate themselves not only to the chamber but to this community as well this year's recipient is a past president and current board member of the washing county junior achievement board of advisors he's a volunteer classroom teacher for junior achievement he's a brand spankin new board member of the peters township chamber of commerce and he's a past president and current treasurer of the bergen networking group and so much more ladies and gentlemen it gives me great pleasure to present the sixth annual carol foley memorial character counts award to mr steve i don't know about you but that was an inspiring evening to be able to see so many amazing people in this community and not to speak for the team at the district but i will we know how blessed we are to work here and to serve all of you and work with you each and every day so we thank you for that we again want to thank everyone for coming and invite you to enjoy join us for a small reception sponsored by the bible chapel out in the lobby one thing we wanted to bring to your attention is this might be the last character counts event of this year but will be kicking off the twentieth anniversary next year with some exciting new things coming on board last night our board of directors approved rachel's challenge which is a new program we're bringing to the district to supplement already the great things we're doing now with character counts rachel's challenge is a program it's an international program that was started by the family of rachel scott who is the young lady who was the first victim at columbine high school in this program brings caring and compassion and we'll just continue to grow all of the great things that we already do with character counts to our community and that event will be kicked off on september twenty fifth at the bible chapel and we're hoping you all join us there to kick off this really great event and just to continue the great work of character counts thank you again so much be safe riding home and have a great evening all the recipients of the award if you would come up to the stage for another photo opportunity we would appreciate it