CS Recognizes 2016 Local Hero

On February 4, Community School honored Monique Ingram with our Local Hero Award. This award, inspired by the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is an annual learning experience for our middle school students. They seek nominations from across the valley, decide on the recipient, write speeches, create an an original work of art, and host award ceremonies for the general public and our school community.

The students chose to honor Monique for her work as a health educator and her volunteer efforts with Girls Rock Roanoke, Project: Real Talk, and Showtimers Community Theater. Below, Monique displays the mosiac created by our students for the award.

The students were impressed by other nominees and wanted to honor them as well. Sam Rasoul was nominated for his dedication to Roanoke, and specifically for his work in supporting refugees in Roanoke and around the world. Sam could not attend our award ceremony because he was in Richmond for the General Assembly, but his family came to accept the award in his honor.

The students also recognized J.T. Clark who was nominated for showing grace and forgiveness in a time of pain and sorrow. After J.T.’s brother and sister-in-law were killed in a car accident, J.T. paid the fines of the man who was driving the other vehicle. At the award ceremony, he shared how he has developed a friendship with this man, and how communities were brought together by this tragedy.