Page 6 - Palm City Spotlight - June '20

Page 6, Palm City Spotlight DOUBLE SPACE

Kids cornEr

Students Recognized For Sixteen Martin County students were honored with Joe Kordick Youth Character Awards

Good Character Through from United Way of Martin County’s CHARACTER COUNTS! program.

Joe Kordick Youth Character
Awards

As people around the world self-isolate to slow the
spread of COVID-19, many time-honored traditions and
rituals have been canceled or modified. To adapt to this
challenging time, United Way of Martin County found
creative ways to recognize students who were honored
for their outstanding character through the Joe Kordick
Youth Character Awards.
Presented by United Way of Martin County’s
CHARACTER COUNTS! program and sponsored by
Phyllis Kordick; Kramer, Sopko & Copeland, PA; Tykes
& Teens, Inc.; and Treasure Coast Legal, the awards are
presented annually to middle school students and high Abbie Nauss, Clark Advanced Sawyer Skinner, Murray Middle Lily Kayton, Jensen Beach High
school seniors in the Martin County School District. Learning Center School School
This year instead of honoring students during a
ceremony, CHARACTER COUNTS! advisory board
members surprised recipients by placing signs at their
homes that read “A Joe Kordick Youth Character Award
Winner Lives Here.” Seniors’ names were displayed on
the electronic billboard in Stuart thanks to the sponsorship
of Treasure Coast Legal. Seniors were also presented with
a $1,000 cash award and middle school recipients were
presented with a plaque.
“While we’re disappointed that the pandemic has
altered our plans, it’s actually an ideal time to applaud
good character because challenging times reveal our true
values, priorities and character as individuals and as a
society,” said Martin County School Board Member and
CHARACTER COUNTS! Advisory Board Committee
Member Victoria Defenthaler.
The Joe Kordick Youth Character Awards are named Madeline France, Martin County Ryan Mitchell, Martin County Christian Molina, Martin County
in honor of the late Joe Kordick, founding chairman and High School High School High School
the driving force of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Martin
County. He believed that character development starts
at home, but also felt strongly that by bringing parents,
teachers, community leaders, and businesses together,
everyone could share the task of teaching young people
to be responsible and to live with integrity.
This year, numerous nominations were received
from schools and the community. Nominations of the
students are based solely on their character; those
students whose lives and achievements demonstrate an
enduring commitment to the Six Pillars of Character:
trustworthiness, responsibility, respect, fairness, caring
and citizenship. A panel of judges from the community
made the final selection based upon the students’ essays,
their community involvement, leadership qualities, how
they have dealt with and overcome obstacles in their lives,
and personal interviews with the high school finalists. Steven McPherson, Martin County Javaris Hampton, Indiantown Brooks Seidman, Stuart Middle
High School Middle School School

Zachary Ludemann, Martin County Gretchen Howe, Indiantown Middle Ashley Wiggins, Jensen Beach
B re n d a Lo p e z- M a rt i n e z, High School School High School
Indiantown Middle School

Kids Corner on page 7

Captain’s was established in 1980 servicing
Palm Beach County and is a privately
owned and managed company.
Captain’s is committed to providing
dependable, reliable and professional
ground transportation to and from all
South Florida Airports and Seaports. PBCVH212
To reserve your vehicle: Brynn Stoneburg, Stuart Middle Mackenzie Abbott, Clark Advanced Johanna Cruz-Deleon, Martin
561-798-2180 or 800-634-7890 www.captainsairport.com School Learning Center County High School