Name: Sir Amos
Grade: 4th Grade
School: Bethune Elementary
Sir Amos is a hardworking fourth grader at Bethune Elementary School. Sir has a distinct passion for science, and he enjoys learning new things each day.
Sir was recently awarded the Citizenship Award at Bethune Elementary. He always exhibits good citizenship skills and serves as a productive and caring student. Sir is currently on the Honor Roll, and he is striving to be on the Principal’s List by the end of the first nine weeks.
Sir says he is motivated to do well in school because his parents encourage him to do his best. Additionally, he enjoys being recognized for high academic achievement and the incentives he receives from doing well in school.
Beyond academics, Sir is also involved in many activities at school including the Eagles Speak Club, Robotics Club, Reading Bowl team, and he plays football at a local recreation center. In his free time Sir enjoys archery, learning about computer science, and making things out of wood.
Even in elementary school, Sir is already planning his collegiate future. He recently went on a college tour in Pennsylvania to visit Valley Forge Military Academy and College. During his tour he learned the daily routines of military life including where the soldiers eat, sleep, and purchase essential items. Sir learned about the differences between military life and civilian life throughout his visit, and he is now considering a future occupation in the U.S. Army.
Name: Dayla Webster
Grade: 5th Grade
School: Finch Elementary
Dayla Webster, a fifth grader at Finch Elementary, is an enthusiastic student with a positive outlook and attitude in the classroom. Dayla is always eager to learn new concepts and ideas, and her creativity exudes through hands-on projects. Additionally, she is very thorough and pays great attention to detail.
Dayla’s teachers describe her as self-motivated and attentive in class, which has helped her achieve her goal of being on the Principal’s Honor Roll throughout her elementary school years.
Dayla’s fifth grade teacher, Ms. Gurley, noticed her exemplary academic performance when she was in the fourth grade.
“I was very impressed with how she handled herself as a young lady and how she performed in the classroom,” Ms. Gurley stated. “Since Dayla entered my classroom, she has done everything I have expected of her and more. She comes to class prepared and ready to learn, and she is very open-minded about exploring new things.”
Dayla’s parents are her greatest motivation, and they continue to emphasize the importance of academic excellence. Dayla is a respectable and dedicated leader who serves as a positive role model and great example of character to her classmates. Dayla’s favorite subjects are math, reading, and language arts, and she aspires to become a doctor or an actress in the future.
Name: Zoe Green
Grade: Kindergarten
School: Whitefoord Elementary
As a kindergartener, Zoe is a star student at Whitefoord Elementary for her impressive reading skills, creativity, leadership, and strong focus in school. Zoe is a talented reader, and already reads on a second grade level. She is comfortable with reading the books out loud, and reads as often as she can. She loves to read about frogs and toads, because they are her “favorite things,” and enjoys making the sounds they make. “I like when they ribbit, and I learned that they make a lot of noise, and they teach me how to be a good friend,” Zoe says.
Zoe’s other talent is creating writing. She writes stories about herself in different situations with her vivid imagination. “Once I wrote a story where I was a worker at Macy’s and Dollar General,” Zoe says.
Zoe displays leadership at her school, by helping other students around her and always finishes her schoolwork on time. She hopes to become a doctor when she grows up like her mother.
“She’s one of my eager readers, and reads many books about frogs and toads,” says Mileeka Frank, Media Specialist at Whitefoord. “She is also loves Dr.Seuss books, and is an all-around great leader in school, even as a kindergartener.”
Name: Vashti Byrd 
Grade: 11th
School: Coretta Scott King (High School)
When she was eight, her biggest challenge was remembering not to yell-out in class. At 12, she was challenged with being a responsible dog owner. And today, at 16, Vashti Byrd finds herself facing what she calls her biggest challenge yet – surviving her first year enrolled in all Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The CSK junior realizes that things have definitely changed since third grade.
“I was goofy when I was younger,” says Vashti, laughing at the memory of her childhood antics. “I was so silly – I was always laughing – even when there was absolutely nothing to laugh at!”
Vashti began shedding some of that silliness as the years passed, but the teenager believes her true evolution began when she entered 10th grade. As proof of this, she points to her work in JROTC, an organization she joined in ninth grade.
“I’ve wanted to be in JROTC since eighth grade. At first it was all about wearing the uniform,” says Vashti, “But in 10th grade I worked hard and got a lot more responsibility; then it was about the leadership, the service and citizenship.”
Vashti’s academic performance also changed. She went from finishing her ninth-grade year in the top 10 percent of her class to finishing 10th grade as one of the top 10 students in her class.
The ‘CSK experience’ keeps Vashti busy throughout the year. She believes this one-of-a-kind high school experience has transformed her into a focused, high-achieving student while giving her plenty of opportunities to have fun.
The varsity cheerleader is a member of the Beta Club, the CSK basketball team and softball team, and an athletic trainer – a job that requires her to patch up injured CSK and B.E.S.T. Academy athletes during football, basketball and soccer games.
When she explains her impressive 30-year-life plan, Vashti details how she will combine the two things she loves most — healing the human body, and participating in JROTC— to pursue a career as a military doctor.
Vashti’s biotech teacher, Nicole Chapman calls Vashti a leader who exemplifies the skills and abilities of a dedicated and determined young lady. Chapman adds, “Vashti is definitely creating a legacy for herself.”