Journey Wise, Grace Igel, Jack Swinson and Bear Schickel are the recipients of President’s List honors at The Bolles Schools.
Head of School Dave Farace awarded each student a medal and sent a letter home to the students’ families notifying them of the honor.
Journey Wise has been a steady volunteer at the Northeast School of Special Education since Grade 9, both through Bolles Buddies and on her own. While she was one of many students who joined Bolles Buddies, she distinguished herself by earning its highest service award and taking her commitment to higher levels. For years, the school has manufactured dog treats, selling them at local markets to raise money for the school. Wise wanted to find a way to raise money that would be able to involve the students at the school, and she spearheaded “Buddy Beads.” Through this program, she has coordinated with the director of the school, ordered special pendants and other jewelry-making material and taught dozens of students how to make special bracelets. Her next step is to sell the bracelets at local markets.
Igel and Swinson were recognized for the “exemplary job” the students performed on orientation day and in the months leading up to the event. They began planning for orientation day in March of the 2015-2016 school year and worked diligently over the summer on organizing a new program that involved 73 student volunteer ambassadors. They created a sign-up for volunteers, oversaw the making of signs for new students and put together planners, schedules and nametags to make the day run smoothly. The new format of the new student and freshman orientation included two new activities, and these two students were instrumental in their success.
Bear Schickel made a difference by teaching chess in an outreach program in the Mandarin Library, where he traveled one Saturday a month to work with children interested in learning more about the game. When the library approached Bolles about the idea, he met with the librarian, researched the needs and helped guide a group through the approval process to get the program started. The librarian describes this honoree as “a wonderful young man and a great representative for Bolles who is, kind, patient with the kids and a good teacher.”
The First Quarter Honors Convocation begins with an announcement of the quarter’s President’s List recipients. Selected students demonstrated servant leadership “above and beyond” the ordinary. A faculty committee considers the nominations from faculty, staff and students. In addition to having passing grades and exemplifying the Bolles Values Statement, President’s List winners must have made a “significant contribution beyond the level of performance expected of the Bolles student to create a positive impact in an area of service to the school or in the community.”
