More than 30 Sponsors make the gala celebration of good character possible
Over 350 guests gathered on May 28 at the Mirabeau Park Hotel and Convention Center to celebrate 48 outstanding students who personify the PACE character traits. Three local businesses were also recognized with PACE Partner “Best Practice” Awards for their efforts to support and promote good character in our community.
Emcee, Robyn Nance of KXLY welcomed the attendees who filled the room to honor students from Freeman, Spokane Valley and Tekoa-area schools who exemplify the PACE character traits of Fairness, Honesty, Diligence, Trustworthiness, Courage, Integrity, Generosity, Gratitude, Respect, Responsibility, Citizenship and Caring. The students honored are listed below.
Keynote Speaker, Stu Cabe of Ovation Company tells attendees to “Work hard. Play fair. Be nice.”
Keynote Speaker, Stu Cabe of Ovation Company, recognized parents and other family members for instilling good character into the honorees from the start. He also shared his motto of “Be Nice,” illustrated by his big elephant story, where he encouraged everyone to be the big elephant that chooses to do what is right and leads others to do so too.
“Acknowledging and celebrating the development of character in the individual shapes and defines the community as a whole,” said Stephanie Watson, PACE President and East Valley School District Administrator. “Character education is not just an in-school activity. Spokane Valley has supported and embraced a community-minded approach to strengthen our foundation through Bringing Character to Light! Our partnerships with schools, businesses, public agencies, residents, faith based organizations and service groups contribute to the development of our community’s culture, a culture where good character is part of our infrastructure and day-to-day conversations.”
PACE Partner “Best Practice” awards were presented to The Current, Ellingsen-Paxton Orthodontics and Yoke’s Fresh Market for their strong, ongoing support of PACE and good character in our community.
Thank you to all who help to make the PACE Awards possible.
Forty-eight Spokane Valley, Freeman and Tekoa schools each selected at least one student to represent their school and be honored for their good character with a 2015 PACE Award.
The 2015 PACE Award recipients are:
Adams Elementary School: Ashlynd Furtney, Grade 5
Arthur B. Ness Elementary School: Makayla Peterson, Grade 5
Broadway Elementary School: Maria Kamau, Grade 5
Central Valley Kindergarten Center: Jackson Vinic, Grade K
Chester Elementary School: Kylie Heaton, Grade 5
East Farms STEAM Magnet School: Alesiya Abramchuk, Grade 5
Freeman Elementary School: Nolan Holt, Grade 5
Greenacres Elementary School: Jonathan Harold, Grade 5
Liberty Lake Elementary School: Annemarie Rau, Grade 5
McDonald Elementary School: Melanie Jones, Grade 5
Opportunity Elementary School: Rachel Conrad, Grade 5
Orchard Center Elementary School: Telli Rivas, Grade 5
Otis Orchards School: Josilynne D’Angelo, Grade 5
Pasadena Park Elementary School: Alle Herzog, Grade 5
Pioneer School: Seth Bachman, Grade 5
Ponderosa Elementary School: Erik Wolfrum, Grade 5
Progress Elementary School: Hyrum Aballay, Grade 5
Seth Woodard Elementary School: Jacob Geiger, Grade 5
South Pines Elementary School: Kennedy Kreider, Grade 5
Sunrise Elementary School: Zoe Crockett, Grade 5
Tekoa Elementary School: Delani Lehn, Grade 5
Trent School: Teodoro “Teo” Diaz-Gopar, Grade 6
Trentwood School: Emma Glore, Grade 6
University Elementary School: Tyler Furukawa, Grade 5
Valley Christian School: Caden Kaiserman, Grade 6
Washington Academy of Arts & Technology : Annika Kemp, Grade 4
Barker High School: Greta Dauer, Grade 10
Bowdish Middle School: Dustin Santora, Grade 8
Centennial Middle School: Jaiden Davis, Grade 8
Continuous Curriculum School : Natalie Donohue, Grade 8
Central Valley High School: Gabe Grabowski, Grade 12
East Valley High School: Krista Anspach, Grade 11
East Valley Middle School: Vanessa Ivie, Grade 8
Evergreen Middle School: Kyle Thiede, Grade 8
Freeman High School: Jami Pratt, Grade 12
Freeman Middle School: Meg Neely, Grade 8
Greenacres Middle School: Kylar Cahalan, Grade 8
Horizon Middle School: Matthew Ranniger, Grade 8
North Pines Middle School: Amanjot Kaur, Grade 8
Spokane Valley High School: William Bryant, Grade 10
Spokane Valley Learning Academy: Talitha Call, Grade 7
Spokane Valley Tech: James Helm, Grade 12
Summit School: Grant Hill, Grade 8
Tekoa High School: Kimberly Groom, Grade 12
University High School: Tate Orndorff, Grade 12
Valley Christian School: Iavis Kopets, Grade 8
West Valley City School: Isaac Smith, Grade 8
West Valley High School: Cameron Conner, Grade 12
