Soar Award

Please vote for 2 students from each grade level
Name: 


  1. 6th grader
    Ali Miklos:Ali was the one student that consistently came to SOAR excited and asked what she could be doing to get things moving! She helped anyone I paired her with and frequently stayed late to help me clean up spilled paint, wash brushes, put away supplies from other students, and run errands for me. In addition, she not only approached her role with the creativity and energy that I was asking of the students, she also filled in for missing students without being asked. She is a leader in the making!
    Jozlon Akers:was in Exploring Drama during the SOAR we just completed. As Sue and I were casting the roles for our play, Jozlon did not get one of the parts. However, she was very excited to get to be part of the stage crew. Had it not been for Jozlon, Sue and I are certain our play would have been a disaster. She single handedly brought in the props and made sure all the other students in the stage crew knew what to do and when. Jozlon is an inspiration to others. She is on my caseload--but, she doesn't allow her disability to weigh down her inspiration on others. She doesn't allow her home life to interfere with her school work or her attitude. I know firsthand where she's coming from because my childhood was about the same. She is a role model to me--just watching her reminds me daily of how I need to let the "bad things" go in life (and not worry about them) and be thankful for the "good blessings" God gives us every day, but we take for granted. She needs to be nominated--she's phenomenal.
    Hannah Beamon:Hannah did great work in this winter’s Website Design Academy. As soon as we started making our own websites, she was off to the races. She spent a lot of time at home working on her website. (In fact I think she made more than one.) She was very creative and came up with effects that I have seen before. She was also the first student to volunteer whenever I asked for help. Her cheerful, can-do attitude helped shape the chemistry of the class.


  1. 8th grader
    Miquel Delgado: The idea for Creative Solutions was to help teachers and anyone in our school or community who could benefit. Miguel Delgado has taken initiative, completed any job I asked, created plans, researched dog houses and built his own. When I may get stressed because everyone doesn't participate the way "I WANT" I was able to focus on Miguel to be on task and help me realize why I chose my topic. I am very proud of him and would love for him to win.Miguel Delgado was in my SOAR during the first semester. I was nervous about it at first, considering my SOAR was school spirit. Miguel was such a great part of the SOAR group! He was very excited to help with the Pink Week fundraiser we had for cancer awareness. He sold the most silly bands out of the entire SOAR class. He was very serious about researching cancer, and even asked me if he could ask me questions about my personal experience. When we went to visit Dogwood Forest, he was one of the first to introduce himself to a resident and talk very maturely to him. He thanked the Veterans we met, and I remember him shaking their hands and thanking them for fighting for our country. When we celebrated bus driver appreciation day, he was one of the hardest workers when we had to hammer in all of the signs in a matter of minutes. He looked the bus drivers in the eye, shook their hands, and thanked them for taking care of the students here.I understand Miguel isn’t the model student during the regular school day. When I think of what students are to get out of SOAR, I think of Miguel. He was excited to be doing something he WANTED to do in a very nontraditional atmosphere. I really enjoyed Miguel in SOAR and I think he is a great candidate for what the SOAR award means
    Marco Melendez:Marco came to SOAR every day with enthusiasm and full of questions. He willingly participated in anything that I planned for our class. He always offered to help clean up with "yes, Ma'am". He shared his family's reactions as he brought his learning home. He showed leadership within his group by coming up with presentation ideas and encouraged them to pursue it with him. He genuinely wanted to take action and make changes based on his new knowledge. At the Museum, I was most proud of him because he not only fulfilled his duty, but jumped in and lead visitors though the exhibits of other students as they left. He was a model host: He brought guests in with his smile and enthusiasm, educated them, and stayed the entire evening.
    Freddie Perez:Freddie is the kind of kid who will work his hardest everyday when you give him the chance to succeed. Freddie was successful right off the get go because he is a worker and he loves challenges. Furthermore, Freddie excelled in all demonstrations and tests of strength. He followed our directions, and he even made gains in his reading. Freddie is one of the most dedicated kids I have ever worked alongside. He will not quit! He is always pushing himself to the limit, and his personality is such that he is contagious to others. Freddie is the wind that builds the fire. Win Freddie over, and he will soar to unbelievable heights knowing that you believe in him.
    Blake DeGraff:Blake has been with me in SOAR, “History on the Pages and In the Movies”, for the last two years. He loves history and enjoys comparing the facts with the Hollywood version of the movie. Without Blake, I would not have been able to run the museum nights or elementary visits. He was here the entire time, pitched in as a docent for students who were not present, and helped me in every way (I.E. product design and production, set up, and clean up).
    Hanna Daniels:Hanna exemplifies the spirit of SOAR. She has made Authors and Poets a student run group with her leadership since the fall semester – which can be a daunting task. Can you imagine writing EXTRA every day? Hanna helped to establish the goals for this spring and has forged the way and standards for the rest of the academy. With her guidance, we are interviewing people in the community and writing their bibliographies. When an extra adult came our way and wanted her story told too, Hanna cheerfully volunteered to do an extra book! Hanna didn’t stop there. She entered an oratorical contest and memorized 4 minutes worth of a personal essay that she had to write – and then recited it on 2 different Sundays and a Tuesday. Talk about motivation! Hanna is always working hard in class and is more than willing to help others too. She volunteered to be a docent at our last museum night but made sure our SOAR was ready to present itself first. She certainly displays the SOAR spirit and passes it on to others!
    Creighton Knight:I nominated him for his outstanding service in the radio station. Creighton has demonstrated responsibility and maturity by managing the radio this school year. He has remained dedicated and focused throughout the year. He has used his time, his knowledge, and his personal technology to help make the radio station a success this year. Creighton has worked diligently in SOAR and PUSH class, but he also dedicated his own personal time to the station. Creighton arrives early to school each morning to manage the live show. Sometimes he is broadcasting with others, and sometimes, he is alone. Clearly, it can be pretty difficult to do a live show all by yourself, but Creighton has pulled this off a time or two. He spent a Friday evening shadowing Joel Williams of WDUN as he announced the Gainesville Football game. He also volunteered his personal time after school to help some local cub scouts earn their radio badges. He has worked on writing news and creating broadcasts at home . . . not because he had to or was told to, but because it was something he wanted to do for the station. In my mind, he embodies the ideal SOAR student—one is not looking for someone to support his wings, but one uses the knowledge he is given to benefit others and finds the strength and confidence on his own to fly and then to . . . SOAR. I am very impressed with this young man, and I know that he can be and will be successful in any academic or personal endeavor.
    Malik Daniel is deserving of a SOAR award. From the first day, he worked diligently. I NEVER had to ask him to get to work or wonder if he was focused on his project. He came up with a brilliant and creative idea to compare a coral reef and a civilization using Google Sketch (a 3-D animation program). He got to work every day before the bell rang, and even taught other students how to use the program. The other students then created a 3D model of a coral reef. Malik also completed an additional student lead project. He befriended and was kind and thoughtful toward students in the class who didn’t have many friends. I am extremely proud of him! I saw the model of what SOAR is supposed to be.





Chestatee Middle School
Chestatee Middle School