Awards Ceremony Honored Some Of Newtown’s Most Outstanding Youth

By Shannon Hicks

Nearly 40 young adults were honored on May 11 when Newtown Youth Services held its 19th Annual Outstanding Youth Awards ceremony.

Parents, friends, and siblings filled the lower meeting room at C.H. Booth Library to nearly overflowing on Thursday afternoon as NYS Director of Program Services Roseanne Loring and Chris Gardner, chairman of the NYS board, presented certificates to young adults who were acknowledged “for some of the wonderful, everyday things they do,” said Ms Loring.

“It’s just awesome for us to see standing room only at an Outstanding Youth Awards ceremony,” added Ms Loring. “Not a whole lot can be better than that.

“Everyone up here,” she said, gesturing to the young adults seated on chairs and benches behind her, “has been nominated for some quality someone found wonderful in them.”

In opening this year’s ceremony, Ms Loring asked for six youngsters to join her and Mr Gardner at the awards table. These children — Andrew Gardner, Christopher and Ryan Poupon, Sean Lorenc, and Beth and Sarah Savinelli — were sitting with their parents in the audience, and approached the NYS officials tentatively. They smiled, however, when they reached the awards table and saw Mr Gardner, who was familiar to all of them.

“This year we have a special award,” he said. “This one is called The Little Shining Stars Award, and it’s for group work.”

The youngsters, Mr Gardner explained, met when they were just a year old and became playgroup buddies. Now 5 years old, the kids, he said “care for one another, still play together and are very loyal to each other. I felt that needed to be recognized.”

Next was a set of awards to young adults involved in Students Making A Difference, or SMAD, a middle school group under the auspices of NYS, created in 2004 to provide students with a means for altruistic and community service. These awards were presented to Caitlin Anderson, Emily Anderson, Brenna Calderara, Tyler Davenport, Marisa Friedman, Katie Hunt, Sam Kent, Amy Kung, Emily Moller, Ashley Peck, Sarah Smith, and Chris Winn.

Katie Kelleher and Kayla Rustici, two members of The NYS Youth Advisory Board (YAB), “have been very involved with Youth Services since their middle school days,” said Ms Loring. The two recently coordinated a 13,000-piece mailing for NYS.

“They were supposed to help me for an afternoon and ended up taking care of nearly the whole thing,” she said. “They were real troopers.”

Also on the Youth Advisory Board, Tina Hartlett and Steph Villa “volunteer for virtually everything,” most recently NYS’s Independent Living Day. Held this year on April 29, Independent Living Day volunteers helped nearly 45 elderly residents in Newtown with some spring cleaning and light repairs around their homes.

Ashley Duncan and Christie Czamecki may be new to NYS, but their help is also invaluable. Both are members of YAB, “and they have both stepped immensely up to the plate,” said Ms Loring. The evening after the awards ceremony, in fact, NYS was scheduled to present its annual talent show, and Ashley and Christie had been instrumental in pulling the event together.

“We can’t do half of what we do without youth volunteers,” Ms Loring said.

Outstanding Sibling awards were given to a group of five young adults “who go out of their way to help their siblings, parents, and even the community.” Erin Bernardi, Alex DeWolfe, Sarah Rose Hasselberger, Caroline Kurtz, and Jason Sherwood were thanked for their help in making life easier for family members.

Plenty of individual awards were presented Thursday afternoon, too. Erin Baier’s award for Service To Others, said Ms Loring, was in part due to Erin’s commitment to a statewide HIV/AIDS prevention council, her service as co-chair for Newtown Youth Creating AIDS Awareness Program (NYCAAP), her “very involved membership” in Future Teachers of America, and her nominated by staff at Newtown High School for the state-level Board of Education.

Linda Chamiec-Case was the first individual award recipient. Linda was honored for Service To Others, and as an Outstanding Friend and Outstanding Sister. In reading from part of the nomination that was submitted for Linda, Ms Loring said Linda “represents the voice of our youth with integrity and faith.”

NHS sophomore Allie Clement, who “dreams and makes things happen,” was thanked for her Service To Others. Among other things, Allie is a member of NYCAAP, a member of St Rose Youth Group, and a Sunday school teacher at St Rose.

Matthew Cole, who was unable to attend the ceremony, was named an Outstanding Peer for “being a very good role model,” said Ms Loring. Matthew has become a mentor to many of the children who attend Newtown Congregational Church, and has a strong, positive relationship with his parents and sister, among other attributes.

Brian Conroy “has embraced the call to care for others in many ways,” according to the nomination that was sent in about him. The winner of a Service To Others & Friend Award, Brian was singled out because of his willingness to travel around the country during the summer as part of Trinity Church’s youth group, helping to restore the homes of elderly and those in need.

“He works with great joy and ease … he serves on Trinity’s governing board, representing the clear voice of the youth of the parish, and he is a loyal and caring friend,” continued the letter that served as his nomination.

Emily Fiorey was honored for Service To Others and as Outstanding Friend. Emily spends at least one week each summer traveling out of the state to help elderly residents repair their homes. “She also carries on with great and loving support to her friends,” said Ms Loring.

Shannon Hayes, a member of WIRED (We Invite Rethinking about Engaging in Drugs and Drinking) and Newtown Prevention Council, was thanked for her Outstanding Service To Others. Shannon is also a Job Bank coordinator for NYS.

Keilly McQuail, a Service To Others honoree, was nominated in part because she has volunteered her time for health care since the age of 10. She has volunteered at Bethel Health Care, and is the president of the NHS chapter of Best Buddies.

“She is passionate about her work on AIDS prevention and awareness, which dates to the age of 6, when her parents took her to see the play Rent,” said Ms Loring.

Kenny McCabe, who was unable to attend Thursday afternoon’s event, was named a Good Neighborhood Leader. Kenny, a football player, often finds time to spend with the younger members of his neighborhood, acting like a big brother to children in addition to his biological brother and sister. In refusing to accept money for babysitting time, “Kenny is a refreshing example of the positive energy that teenagers have to offer,” Ms Loring read.

“Because of her generous nature … and for being a true role model of what a person should be and how a friend should act,” said Ms Loring, Shannon Paproski was honored as an Outstanding Friend.

Annie Schneider was honored for Service To Others “for her work in the community,” said Ms Loring. Annie, who will attend Wheaton College next year, was a co-creator with Emily Oliver of A Global Voice, a student-run human rights group at Newtown High School. She has long said that she would like to run an orphanage in Haiti one day.

Taylor Shaw, who was nominated because “she is dependable, loyal, and never petty,” was named an Outstanding Friend.

An Outstanding Academic Achievement honor was given to Alex Stevens.

“He has consistently met so many challenges, and recently made it onto the honor roll,” said Ms Loring. “We are extremely proud of him.”

Sarah Zuvanich was nominated by her Sunday school teacher for being a Good Sister.

“Sarah often cares for her younger brother and sister,” her teacher had written, “and she’s also a wonderful role model for so many others.

“She gives of herself in so many ways,” the nomination letter continued, including a mention of how Sarah had volunteered recently to spend the day painting at Dorothy Day House in Danbury.

NYS annually requests nominations from the community for young people who are outstanding. Ballots are distributed townwide and the Outstanding Youth Award Committee selects those youths who have demonstrated strong, healthy values and use their talents and abilities in a positive way. This award serves as a measure of hope that so many youth were nominated and chosen in such a wide variety of categories.