good morning to all of our family staff and especially to our giraffe Heroes my name is Mr Yano I'm your superintendent of the violin Public Schools it's a pleasure to be here I missed last year's event so it's exciting to be able to be back here this year to support our students our staff and our community so it is my great pleasure to welcome you to our annual giraff hero awards ceremony today we celebrate violence remarkable students who have demonstrated accept IAL courage compassion and dedication during the school year to our incredible honores you have made us all proud could all of our honores just stand up these are our student reps want to see some faces from our [Applause] our excellent some Sharp Dressed kids here today they look sharp you have set a high standard for our peers for your peers and have shown sh us all the power of courage and kindness to the parents thank you for your unwavering support and nurturing these admirable young citizens of violent your encouragement and guidance Have Been instrumental in their journey to becoming a giraffe hero as we celebrate these outstanding students today let us be inspired by their example and continue to strive for a community where everyone is willing to stick their necks out for the common good so congratulations to all of our honores thank you for being here [Applause] today your it's your turn can't see this is why I needed them so good morning everybody my name is Dina ralo I am the supervisor of School counseling here in the district I'd like to welcome you all here to our annual giraffe hero event I have been doing this event for gosh very long time probably about 15 years um it is one of my favorite favorite events to do um it's fun to put together um and it's amazing to honor some of our fantastic students in this District um I'd like to just give a little background on what the program is um so the draft Heroes program is a character Ed program that we had that our counselors taught at the elementary level um for those parents out there who have Facebook there's actually a giraffe Heroes project um on Facebook and um it talks about all the people all over the world that are actually honored as giraffe Heroes so it's something to check out um so anyway the lessons have changed over time um but it's just a way for us to honor our students um the pro program focuses on being courageous sticking our neck out to help the common for for the common good seeking a common goal being kind and generous having a big heart like a giraffe and um you know these students were all chosen because they exhibit these characteristics on a daily basis not only at school but within their communities they are shining examples of what it means to be a giraffe hero I would be remiss if I did not commend the families of these students for doing such a fantastic job with their children the qualities these children possess are clear examples of what they've been taught at home so congratulations to the parents so now on to why we're here um I switched it up this year for those of you have been here year after year there's no tables are all over and I there's no specific order so I'm just going to pick one up and because sometimes people were waiting to the end and it was always the same school so we're switching it up this year so I have no idea who's going first so let's see first up we have Petway Elementary School Leonardo [Applause] Panama that's for her wait you go thank we'll get pictures at the end is that okay or do uh Jody Fury and Leslie Smith you guys can come up too please our guidance counselor and our social worker my name is Jackie mongalo I am the proud principal of pway Elementary School Leo you we got lots of stuff for you got it all um so like Mrs ralo said we understand what the giraffe hero is um and Leo truly truly demonstrates every one of those characteristics um we don't I don't think we have a ser student there with a bigger heart than Leo um and he is one of the coolest kids at pway as well he's an old soul in this little body and it is so fun to talk to him I genuinely enjoy conversations with Leo um and I'm totally Off Script Leo too by the way but um he really is if you can sit and have a conversation with a student it is not a typical 10 11 year old conversation um The Beatles are his favorite M U music group he wants to be a rock star or a meteor neologist or a DJ or I mean just the coolest things the way his mind works we love it um but so we were very honored to have him as our giraffe hero he is a fifth grade student at pway um every single day I stand in the front I greet the children as they come in he's always one of the first ones to arrive comes in greets me immediately hey good morning Mrs mongalo anyone that's standing around whether it's a student staff member always greets them with a smile a good morning a hello um before he's off to his cares job at pway each of our fifth graders has a job um and his is working morning announcements man is he good at his job he I'm a little worried because Miss Smith helps out with that and he's here today and Miss Smith is here today so I'm not sure how morning announcements went at Petway this morning um but he does everything from the mechanical parts of it from the technology part of it um he types up for the reporters he does the camera angles he he he also encourages and he problem solves um things happen during morning announcements that you know technology when you want it to work it doesn't he is so calm level-headed helps his peers helps everyone that he can um get through that broadcast and it's morning announcements have been so much better this year and I do attribute that to all that Leo does um in addition he's also a fabulous singer he was selected to the all South Jersey choir um by his music teacher which again goes with his dream of becoming a rockstar he is well on his way um he's also a leader in his family and in the community um he's often taking care of his brothers he has younger cousins and he's always willing to jump in and when you talk to his parents um it's never I have to remind him to do this or ask him to do this he volunteers to do it he recognizes that something someone needs help or something needs to be done and he jumps right in to do that um so he is appreciated there as well um he's kindhearted compassionate he never looks for accolades or rewards this is this is different for him he's like like he's almost shy in that regards but he's never looking for it he doesn't expect anything um which is another wonderful quality his effort his kindness and the love that comes from his heart is most certainly shown to everyone that he encounters um and we are so proud of you Leo is a Petway Patriot role model and a perfect example of a giraffe hero so we're very proud to honor you as the 24 pway School giraffe hero congratulations next up from Winslow Elementary School Ivan Cassens hope I said that right [Applause] good morning everybody I'm Carolyn ansn school counselor and this is Ivan when you think of a student who stands out for going above and beyond to help others Ivan easily and quickly comes to mind he is a true true giraffe hero and role model he always does his best and is willing to try new things he voluntarily helps others when his own work is complete he is caring respectful honest and helpful his softspoken and empathetic nature is something to be admired Ivan has proven to be consistently generous thoughtful and kind through the ways that he cares for others he is always willing to lend a hand whether to assist a younger student find his way help out in the office or clean up around the school he can be counted on to take initiative to help others without expecting anything in return he always helps others solve problems during re Across America Ivan noticed that someone had lost the tail to her costume he went throughout the school to find and return the tail later he noticed that the tail was missing again and offered to find it another time he noticed that a c member of our Captain's crew wasn't reporting to the classroom helper assignment Ivan was gen genuinely concerned and didn't want the student to miss out so Ivan offered to help the student get to the correct location on the next classroom helper day it is important to note that Ivan can speak three languages Ukrainian Russian and English he is currently learning to read and write in Russian after school Ivan is very proud of his Ukrainian culture and helps others understand the differences in cultures by sharing information he has gone above and beyond to help our new Ukrainian students by befriending them showing them the ways of an American school and assisting with translating information in their native language outside of the school day Ivan participates in chorus and soccer in his spare time Ivan's favorite things to do are read and learn about history countries and geography we are confident that Ivan will continue to apply his kind caring and helpful ways wherever he is and for this we are grateful and proud [Applause] next up from many's school Jackson Meritt [Applause] good morning my name is Miss Lon I'm the principal of many's elementary school and it is my honor to introduce our giraffe hero today Jackson you can find Jackson fluttering around many's helping everyone with a cape on so we have cole our you know a superhero pretty much everybody knows Cole the deaf dog so Cole wears a cape sometimes um and we all have all of the staff members have capes and we wear them once in a while when we're celebrating you know our superhero Powers but Jackson loves his cape and he wears it often um and he does have superpowers around many schools school so he spreads joy and happiness and um Miss n is here to say a few words congratulations Jackson good morning congratulations Jackson and congratulations to everyone um of our giraffe heroes in our district um since meeting Jackson I've noticed what an extraordinary young man he is Jackson is kind caring compassionate and he has many other positive attributes are too many to mention cuz we would be here all day um whenever I see Jackson coming to the school from bus he's smiling car his kind heart is infectious and he's smiling throughout the school he helps um all of our students anybody who needs help get to their classroom bring things to their rooms and make sure everybody gets to where they need to be he's a role model throughout our school he believes in the common good both inside and outside of the classroom he is kind respectful to everyone he meets and is always ready to lend a h helping hand Jackson always goes above and beyond for anyone he is helping Jackson enjoys helping other students whether it be kindergarten students get to class um making sure new friends get to find their classroom reading to other classrooms or just hanging out with other students being a good friend um Jackson doesn't just help the students around the school he also enjoys helping the teachers and the other adults he often visited Miss Rose class um he go comes to me every morning says good morning offers to collect homework bring it to my classroom um or if he notices I leave something behind like usually my water bottle he um he always will grab it on his way out the door he's very thoughtful like that during class Jackson is always engaged working his best he always comes with a happy face positive attitude which spreads throughout our classroom even me when I'm having my worst days sometimes um Jackson is just there and he makes everything a little bit brighter right you always have a positive attitude always encouraging words for whoever needs it um Jackson is very intuitive when something is not going right he does his best to figure out the solutions whether it be technical timing or peer trying to work something out he's persistent kind and helpful always um everyone Jackson meets will be better off for having met this Smiley smart ambitious kind person Jackson inspires other to be kind and inspires all to be their best every day congratulations [Applause] next from depalo school Avery fiser [Applause] good morning everyone and I'm Mr Tish from uh toel Elementary I'm a fifth grade math and science teacher and I have had the privilege all year to have had Avery in my home room and in my math and science classes so on behalf of miss denenes her language arts and social studies teacher and our principal and our guidance counselor I would like to share some words with you today today I would like to present to you depalo school's draff hero Avery fiser choosing the draff hero is always a difficult decision our hero Avery she did have a lot of competition and in the end after thinking about the qualities of a draft hero someone who sticks their neck out to help others a caring and big-hearted person a problem solver the choice became clear it would have to be our Avery Avery has been described by many staff members as willing to lend a hand to her classmates and encouraging them to never give up Avery inspires all of us adults and students at uh together with her motivation and extra effort in tackling whatever obstacles are put before her she can be observed entering school in the morning with her infectious smile and it makes you want to smile too her positive attitude shines through and she is someone who definitely sees the good in everyone Avery is the captain of our safety patrol and she takes her responsibilities as a safety very seriously she has also been nominated as the dra as the classroom draft hero since first grade so every year since first grade in addition Avery gave up many recesses last year to help support our students in the autistic classes at our school Avery is dedicated to making the poto school wonderful environment she assists her classmates in assignments when they're becoming frustrated and she encourages her friends to make good choices she brings a positive Dynamic to the classroom because of her ready smile and sunny disposition a leader is someone who does the right thing even when nobody's watching and Avery has proven that she is true Leader by being that role model every day the evidence of her draft hero qualities are expressed in the words of her teachers and peers or here here are a few quotes she's just friendly to everyone she's extremely polite to adults and peers she assists willingly on extra projects she Comforts classmates who need it she perseveres in school learning in a positive manner using her free time to help others and it is for all of these reasons and so much more that we have chosen Avery as our school's draft hero congratulations Avery [Applause] next up from Rossy Elementary School Sebastian Rodriguez [Applause] good morning everyone I am Mrs Coya the assistant principal at Rossy elementary school and it is my honor and privilege as Mrs silone is up here with me as well our social worker to introduce our 2024 giraffe herau for rasi elementary school Sebastian Rodriguez he was nominated by Mr Martin who unfortunately couldn not attend today so I will be reading on his behalf over the course of my career in Violin I have worked with hundreds of students in my capacity as a classroom teacher drama director and safety patrol advisor while each student brings their own unique personality to their environment only a few select students embody the characteristics of a giraffe hero this year it is my honor and privilege to recommend one student for that distinction Sebastian Rodriguez I met Sebastian at the end of the last year and he immediately impressed me with his politeness and respect for staff and students alike as a fifth grader this year Sebastian has stepped up and done a remarkable job as the sergeant of our Anthony Rossy safety patrol in that role he has demonstrated helpfulness courage persistence and an undoubting ability to seek the common good for the entire School Community he has received his praise from all his teachers for his calm demeanor dedication and our school community and his big heart Sebastian also displays a rare quality among 11-year-olds humility when approached to apply for safety patrol at the beginning of the school year fashion had never considered it a possibility he weighed his athletic familial and academic responsibilities before ultimately deciding to apply and in effect he has managed to balance it all and stay on top of his responsibilities in this way like a giraffe does Sebastian reached his neck out for the betterment of his school Community Sebastian is demonstrated he is always willing to step up and help do whatever needs to be done anytime he sees a teacher or student carrying a large load HE steps in and offers a helping hand immediately without hesitation or asking Sebastian will hold a door for staff help students to class and has managed a rapport with our kindergarten students which was clearly demonstrated during our annual Easter egg hunt when he was swarmed by our littlest Learners Sebastian is very eager to always do the right thing and checks in constantly to ensure he has the correct understanding of directions due dates and responsibilities he's an exemplary safety patrol officer and model student he does not shy away from telling students to exhibit appropriate behavior in the hallways while on post and in doing so demonstrates courage in maintaining a calm positive educational environment I have observed him numerous times respectfully but firmly enforcing our school guidelines and ex expectations for his safety post by helping his fellow students his teachers and maintaining a positive sta safe environment for learning Sebastian has distinguished himself as an exemplary Safety Patrol member we can't say enough about Sebastian's dedication kindness and responsibility he truly exemplifies all of the qualities of a giraffe hero we recommend him strongly with no reservation we look forward to what his future holds congratulations Sebastian [Applause] next up from sabater elementary school Dy Campos Perez [Applause] good morning everyone my name is Maria Garcia and I am a fifth grade bilingual teacher at sabater elementary school I am deeply honored to be here today to talk about a remarkable student in our district di Campos Perez I have had the privilege of being D's teacher during her third and fifth gr years allowing me to witness her academic and personal growth and to get to know her wonderful family to make this moment even more special for her parents I will first read The Narrative I wrote for her nomination in Spanish followed by the English version Di Cor d empt respons I am honored to have nominated a phenomenal fifth grade student dile Campos FES for the giraffe hero award for 2024 school year Diley is an exceptional fifth grade student who continuously demonstrates incredible thoughtfulness fairness and compassion towards her peers she has a heart of gold and is always looking for ways to help others without seeking recognition for herself she's a wonderful friend and many reach out to her for comfort and advice she always has words of encouragement Diley is very mature and understands what she can advise her peers on how to solve a problem but she also knows when to refer them to an adult who can provide the necessary resources in a more serious situ situation her courage shines through as she fearlessly tackles challenges and stands up for what is fair and just Dy never hesitates to lend a helping hand whenever she sees a problem and she persists in finding Solutions until the issue is resolved Diley has faced some educational challenges the school year but has embraced those challenges as opportunities for personal and academic growth She was transferred to our high transitional bilingual class and initially struggled with the change but has flourished she embodies our District's portrait of The Graduate demonstrating the targeted competencies empathy adaptability perseverance responsibility communication and critical thinking DIY is one of our officers for safety patrol this year and has embraced that opportunity to grow in her leadership Journey making an impact in our school her genuine kindness and selflessness makes her a true role model for her classmates and a shining example of what it means to be a caring and thoughtful individual I am proud We have selected di to represent our sabater stars as the recipient of our giraffe hero award for 2024 thank you [Applause] just next up is barcy Elementary School yaneli [Applause] Marcado hi good morning my name is Miss Caitlyn Muller I teach third grade at barcy and I have the absolute privilege of being Jessie's teacher she is an absolute pleasure and um it's not surprising that she is honored with this award because year after year teachers have told me how amazing she is I even have her kindergarten teacher banging on my door trying to steal her back almost what daily after recess so not surprised that she's getting this award um so basically every day janeli exhibits the qualities of a giraffe hero in our School Janel is a wonderful role model in her classroom as well as in our school she was elected by her peers as the treasur of our classroom um and she here she leads the daily math calendar routine and assist students throughout the day she always demonstrates empathy with her classmates and shows respect as she works with her peers on Special Projects she listens to others effectively and um exemplifies Superior uh communication skills with both staff and students this empathy um was evident when janeli did a very courageous act on the school bus as well she saw another student being bullied and she intervened and stood up for the other student um until she was able to tell a trusted adult this kind of cage courage is exactly what we hope to see in our students it shows janeli um has integrity and Goodwill janeli exemplifies the characteristics of a giraffe hero outside of school as well she is a member of the Girl Scout Troop where she has participated in numerous service acts she has collected food donations for food banks and has made holiday cards for senior veteran homes she values the importance of our Local Heroes and First Responders such as police officers firefighters and healthc Care Professionals to thank them for their service she collects many Girl Scout cookies and donates the boxes to them so they know how they how appreciated um she is of them Janel is collected socks and toys for the less fortunate she's also became a little entrepreneur Janel runs her cookie business by herself she displays the qu qualities and responsibility and commitment by advertising managing her money and running her social media posting to um to accomplish her goals janeli is very understanding when it comes to others who have special needs as well she is a sibling with autism so this cause is near and dear to janel's heart she makes others aware that it is okay to be different and it's okay to be themselves but most importantly one should always remember to be unstoppable she shows perseverance and supports others with special needs she helps them when they aren't able to use their voice she also feels it is important to defend them when needed Jessi truly exemplifies all that a giraffe hero is made of she is a well-rounded student who sticks their neck out for others she goes above and beyond for her class school and Community she is an amazing young lady and we are pleased that she is being recognized for her efforts we're lucky to have Janel at barcy she is truly a giraffe hero congratulations [Applause] C next up from Wallace Middle School ja [Applause] Thompson good morning my name is Jamie e I am a seventh and eighth grade language arts teacher at Wallace and on behalf of Miss Rosado Miss Mars and myself we are very excited to recognize Jayla as our giraffe hero this year um and I also before I continue want to reiterate uh Miss Rolo in thanking her parents for raising such an amazing young lady um although I have not had Jayla in class this year I've had the pleasure of getting to know her through both safety patrol and the National Junior Honor Society um and she truly is a very amazing young lady um I've seen her help others and not only help them but with true excitement and genuine empathy for those that she is working with um Jayla and her father sponsor car shows in our community and not only do they do so for the community of vinand but the car show that they sponsor every November also organizes a toys for Tat drive so their help extends beyond our community as well so not only are they helping those in vinand but they're helping Way Beyond those in Vinland um in addition Jayla joined some of our other safety patrol members in December in helping with a senior lunch at the North Italy club and Jayla went very well beyond just walking around and serving drinks and helping with their food I observed her genuinely taking time to have conversations with the community about their holiday traditions and plans and getting to know members of the community and what they were going to do for the holidays and sharing some of her holiday traditions and plans and really developing connections with people outside of just those in our building um and I was really proud to see that and not only did I observe it but I had people at the luncheon come to me and compliment Jayla and you know speak about how good it made them feel to have her really take the time to talk with them and get to know them and not just say can I get you something to drink um so that made me very proud as well um one thing that Jayla does that probably most wouldn't know and also probably makes me the most proud I had tasked both the National Junior Honor Society and the safety patrol with collecting some items for uh vinin and sp's niku for babies that have to stay in the hospital just a little longer until they're healthy enough to go home and for me this was extremely close to my heart and important because my daughter was premature and spent some time in the ncu as well one of the things that the NICU needed was blankets um Jayla took it upon herself instead of buying blankets to make blankets and has crocheted some blankets on her own time that will be donated to the niku when they are completed and they're beautiful by the way um and a lot of times you can actually see her crocheting these blankets on her safety patrol post as she's also working to make sure that the students in our building are remaining safe and walking and not running and not acting crazy as they go through the building um and that just really kind of touched my heart because something as simple as a blanket when you're the parent sitting in a Niko looking at your child wondering when they can come home makes a big difference um so for these we reasons and many many more that I could go through but we would be here all day um I believe that Jayla truly deserves this giraffe hero award and I am super proud of her and I am only sorry that I haven't had the chance to meet and get the pleasure to get to know Jayla before this year so congratulations we're super proud of you [Applause] next up Giana Deno from Memorial Middle School [Applause] good morning everyone I'm Christina Luciano I'm the social worker at Veterans Memorial School and this is Mr Mas at our principal um Giana was actually um nominated by two teachers and unfortunately um they couldn't be here today so I'm going to read uh the narrative by her abic teacher Mrs Eller um and her also her choir director when the opportunity came to nominate students for draft her award I could think of many students in our school who are hardworking kind helpful and polite one one student however stood out in my mind above all the rest is having these qualities and More in such abundance in which such great genuiness that I can think of no one else as deserving as GI denofo Giana is the kind of person whose heart is so full of positivity that overflows to the people around her and makes our school and our world a brighter place looking back on giana's academic achievement ments I discovered she has received a cumulative honor role and principal list on each report card in addition to her High academics are shining comments from many of her teachers highlighting her great attitude excellent participation and tremendous effort Giana has always set a high standard for herself to do the best she can possibly do in all of her subjects and has succeeded with great accomplishment she is currently in all advanced classes and is striving her best to striving to be her best all around Giana is a true representative of school pride for Veterans Memorial School it is her enthusiasm joy and spirit that often light up the room at our warar rallies in our classrooms and in the hallways Giana doesn't just participate in displaying school spirit but rather is a true true leader energizing others towards pride and positivity Giana has a pure heart of kindness I have seen her on several occasions reaching out to her peers to offer them help and sincere friendship when she could sense that they needed it she reaches out in kindness with no expectation or of a reward or compliment but solely because that is the type of person she truly is in her heart Giana never boasts or br about her many acts of kindness she is a model of quiet strength respectful confidence and sincere humility Giana is involved in numerous activities in our school and in the violent Community she is a member of the New Jersey Honor Society a reach tutor a member of the safety patrol and the school choir she also plays soccer and the violent Community as well as volunteers at the South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter Giana is a member of the community's youth Advisory Board which brings awareness and information to the public about mental health in our choir of which I the director Mrs Eller um Gian serves Sor in the leader leadership position as choir vice president and I have seen her countless times going above and beyond to be an exceptional role model and helper she is a able to guide others towards positive behavior and participation and delegate responsibilities with admirable communication integrity and creativity Giana is the finest example of school involvement pride and success when I was out of work due to my father's having heart surgery Gian reached out to me to see how my father was doing and if I was okay it is with the same thoughtfulness care for others and kind spirit that Gian shows in her school in community that is is the portrait of a true giraffe hero [Applause] next up from pill Middle School Kristen paracone [Applause] hi um my name is Stephanie super and I teach sixth and seventh grade at pill Middle School um and when I received the email um about nominating a giraffe hero I did think um as well of a bunch of students which is awesome it's a testament to the great kids in vinand uh to the parents students to Administration um but one particular student that stuck out to me was Christen um Kristen has shown kindness all throughout the 2023 2024 school year she has remained positive polite and helpful in class to all students she helps teachers without being asked she even remembers my class guinea pigs I have three class guinea pigs and Kristen comes in every day with fresh cucumbers for them and when they see her they start squealing it's the cutest thing so Kristen leaves no one out um I also have her in yearbook Club where there are many types of students with um many different diagnoses um and Kristen is always so supportive of their ideas even when other students tend to sometimes be a little critical or shoot them down not Kristen um she listens to everyone she has patient and kind uh she encourages students she supports them and she makes everyone feel valued um she's an excellent student taking all accelerated classes and um she has just been an absolute pleasure to teach and I speak on behalf of all the teachers who have ever had her um she is very deserving of this award and I just want to say congratulations [Applause] next up from Johnstone Middle School Anthony dear [Applause] good morning everybody excuse my voice um I'm Heather vinck I am the physics teacher for the amsa program at Johnstone and Anthony was my student last year um he's an amazing kid you can imagine the kind of pressure that taking physics in seventh grade can put on a student um Anthony not only Rose to that occasion but on a daily basis made an effort to make make sure that all the other students in the class were not struggling and if they were struggling he made sure to have positive and kind words for them to help them along and helped in any way possible to make it a little bit easier for everybody in the class um he would even go as far as to create online study sets that he would send me and then say hey I think we should do this in class because I think it's going to be fun and it's going to help people to understand and I just thought that was amazing because that was not something I asked him to do um and it just quite frankly made my job a little bit easier so he's an amazing kid uh I love seeing him in the hallways every day now as an eighth grader seeing him um be part of our school Community he always has a smile on his face and he always has positive words and kind words not just for his peers but for the staff and he's always willing to help in any way possible um myself and his sixth grade science teacher e forz nominated Anthony and we kind of had a little battle as to who was going to be here today and she actually won but then it turned out she couldn't so I have a speech that she wrote for Anthony that I'm going to read on her behalf as well I have had the pleasure of knowing Anthony for the past several years and I can confidently say that he is an exceptional individual who embodies the qualities of a true leader and caring member of the community Anthony has impressed me with his courage and willingness to chart his own path demonstrating strong leadership qualities at such a young age he is not one to follow the crowd but stands out as a thoughtful and independent thinker his caring nature and big heart are evident in his dedication to volunteering as a peer tutor for his fellow students in this role he has displayed remarkable patience and compassion always going above and beyond to help others in need Anthony is quick to offer assistance whenever it is Acquired and consistently seeks out ways to improve and enhance his support for his peers Beyond his academic achievements Anthony carries himself with respect and maintains a positive outlook on life that is truly inspiring his inquisitive nature and thoughtful approach to problem solving make him a standout student in our school Community Anthony consistently demonstrates a genuine interest in learning and personal growth always striving to better himself and those around him in conclusion Anthony is a remarkable individual who has made a positive impact on our school Community through his leadership compassion and dedication to helping others I have no doubt that he will continue to excel in all his future endeavors and will be a valuable addition to anywhere he chooses and we feel confident that he will continue to shine brightly in all that he pursues so thank you and last but not least from Durant da Dominguez [Applause] Vega good morning everyone um I am honored to be here today to speak to you about Duran's own draft hero Diego who's so dedicated to our school that he ran in our 45th annual Duran run before coming here um he's a dedicated fifth grader who has distinguished himself not only in my classroom but also as a leader in countless extracurricular activities he is a safety patrol Lieutenant a member of the sports club and the stem Club he excels at playing the trumpet and flag football Beyond his clubs and activities Diego applies what he learns in school to his daily life this is evidenced by his remarkable initi itive to build his very own computer he is also a true leader in the classroom he shares his expertise with his classmates fostering collaboration and academic Excellence Diego's classmates describe him as the epitome of teamwork persistence kindness and Leadership Diego's commitment to helping others extends beyond our school walls at home he has dedicated himself to supporting his mother's journey to become a United States ien quizzing her diligently with flashcards her oath day was on May 17th congrats mom this act proves Diego's unwavering belief in his mother's dream and his immense love for his family he takes pride in caring for his little sister and lends a helping hand whenever needed without a hint of complaint Diego is the definition of being selfless Diego you have inspired your peers and made our school a better place your dedication and kindness will leave a lasting mark on us all danan is proud to call you our giraffe hero thank you [Applause] so what I'm going to ask is that um all our giraffe Heroes grab either your stuffed giraffe or your plaque and go down there so miss Gia here can get a picture of you all and then parents she'll have an opportunity when Gia is done to come up and get a group shot if you like it and I'm going to cut the cake thank you guys all for coming and we'll be serving cake in a few if anybody's still hung help yourself