Mahomet-Seymour Junior High’s first-quarter Luke Busch H.E.A.R.T. Award winners have been announced.
The quarterly award is given to one student in each grade. Teachers and staff nominate students who exhibit H.E.A.R.T.: Helpfulness, Effort, Acceptance, Respect and Tolerance. The honor is in memory of Luke Busch, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness when he was a student of Mahomet-Seymour Junior High.
Sixth-grader Vance Clark was nominated by Caroline Hopper for his willingness to help others by looking out for them and for being on time.
“Vance shows a great deal of compassion towards his peers,” Hopper said.
His parents, Melissa and Travis, said Vance is also caring towards his brother at home.
They also enjoy watching their son play basketball and football. His goal is to play professionally.
Quentin Torney, a seventh-grader, would like to go on to be a neurosurgeon so that he can save lives when he is older.
“I want to discover the world and build new technologies so that lives can be better,” he said. “I would like to go to many different countries to learn about them.”
Torney was nominated by Brittany Immormino.
His parents, Valerie and Francois, were happy to hear that their son was being honored in this way.
“As parents, we feel a swell of pride that our boy exemplifies the values we try to transmit to him through our everyday parenting,” they wrote. “We shared with him how proud we are that he applies these values at school and at home. These values and the behaviors they entail are an important part of the foundation he needs to establish to reach his goals as a person.”
Eighth-grader Jack McPherson is also doing what he needs to in order to accomplish his goals.
Nominated by Alice Smith, McPherson has “become an example for the other students.”
His parents, John and Kelly, say that their son is a miracle.
“He was born 16 weeks early and has overcome more in 14 years than most,” they wrote. “Jack continues to amaze us with the young man he is becoming, we couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Jack’s dream is to go on and work with computers and develop games.
Students receive a certificate and $15 cash as an award.
