Community Leaders of the Year Honored at Spring Conference

The Community Leaders of the Year Award was started by the Student Executive Council several years ago, as a means to recognize middle and high school students involved in leadership and service to their school and community.  The following is a list of the five students and some of their accomplishments.

Angeline Fugere
Angie Fugere has been active in leadership for the past 3 years at LaSalle High School, where she is also a scholar-athlete, and a member of National Honor Society.  She’s been involved in many service projects, but she notes that the one that impacted her the most was working at a soup kitchen in California for several days, serving impoverished migrant families.  As she stated, “Only with that type of experience, not that of books or the news, but the hands-on, deeply personal kind, can one even begin to understand how to solve the major global issues we face today.”

Erika Linden
Erika Linden, a senior at Roseburg High School, has been involved in leadership and ASB, National Honor Society, Link Crew and Stars.  According to her advisor, “Erika is a volunteer like no other I have witnessed in my fifteen years as leadership advisor.”  One thing that sets her apart is that she takes pleasure in all aspects of a job—whether it’s serving as the chair of a committee—or simply helping out.  One of her favorite projects has been her involvement for the past 4 years in Umpqua Partners, a drug and alcohol prevention coalition.

Joe Reedy
Joe Ready, from Bethany Charter School, may be an eighth grader, but his list of accomplishments is long.  He’s been on student council for 2 years, and has participated in their school canned food drive for 3 years, as well as their annual school auction and carnival fundraisers.  He has also acted as a mentor for younger students.  His advisor says this about Joe: “His enthusiasm can be very contagious to others and prompts them to actively participate in an activity whether it is an assigned classroom project or just spirit fun.”

Julia Sheets
Julia Sheets, a junior from LaSalle High School, has many leadership roles at her school.   She’s in student council, National Honor Society, and is a peer helper.  She’s an athlete, who has also received numerous academic commendations.  This spring, she and fellow classmates and teachers participated in JOIN Immersion.  They spent 24 hours immersed in the world of the homeless population in Portland, with inadequate food and clothing—and in wet weather.  The experience was unpleasant, but gave her a new perspective and understanding of what the homeless experience every day. 

Kelsi Spratling
Kelsi Spratling is an 8th grader at Sunridge Middle School, and has been in leadership for the past 2 years.  In that short time she has helped organize canned food drives, coats for kids, and their Santa Gram project.  But the service project she is most proud of is when she joined a group that helped to clean up the small town of Adams.  They cleaned up trash and graffiti, painted buildings, fixed a bridge, and their baseball field.  She says: “The town went from dull and ancient looking to new and colorful.  I am glad I was able to serve the town of Adams.”