Even though it was the ninth and final Good Citizenship Award ceremony of the school year, Huntington Middle School Principal Daryl Topalian acknowledged that it was a special occasion.
According to Topalian, student Mariia Sychenko, one of the award recipients, was responsible for the uniqueness of the ceremony because she recently relocated to San Marino from Ukraine, where her father is fighting the Russian invasion.
Several of the award recipients at Friday’s breakfast were selected for helping her learn English and become familiar with the school.
The theme of the breakfast centered on courage.
“It means you have courage,” Topalian said, speaking to the awardees. “You try out for a new sport. You make new friends. You step out of your comfort zone.”
Recipients are nominated by the school’s staff and receive a breakfast as well as a popular swag bag filled with a school T-shirt, book cover and a license plate frame that declares the recipient as one of “Huntington’s Best.”
Other qualities that have been recognized during the current school year include honesty, courtesy, responsibility and service.
Though not all honorees were present at the event, the students who were recognized included Sychenko, Alexi Kurbatov, Elena Lopez, Chloe Piccinini, Keon Mai, Arlette Mendez, William O’Connor, Norah Parker, Jerry Wang, Mia Kelly, Sean Tsai, Ian Ycasas, Ryo Okuno, Sasha Ortiz, Manami Hayashi, Annika Greer, Emilia (Mia) Truhanov, Keon Mai, Sophia Teh and Will Martin.
