Tempe Top Teens rise above in community

Tempe+Top+Teens+rise+above+in+community

Kassandra Perez, Editor-in-chief

The city of Tempe is having their annual Youth Fest for Tempe Top Teen where 46 students are nominated and recognized for each of their different exemplary academic achievements.

YouthFest 2016 is organized by the community in efforts to recognize different teens that have helped their community and have shown leadership. The students receive recognition in two different categories: Courage awards and Tempe Top Teens.

 “There were 10 students chosen from McClintock, based from the application and year of the students. I make the determination based on the requirements that the application requires,” Activities Vice Principal Molly Saddler said.

According to the YouthFest flyer, to be nominated for this award students have to fall under these categories: “nominate teens for their exemplary efforts in academics, athletics, arts, music, citizenship, community service and or demonstrate a social conscience.”

 Upperclassmen, juniors and seniors, are the group of students that are nominated for the Tempe top teen award. Ten students were chosen from each high school: Marcos De Niza, Corona Del Sol, McClintock High School, and Tempe High School. Five students were chosen from Compadre Academy and one student was chosen from Tempe Preparatory Academy.

“First of all, I am honored and privileged to be a top teen. I am glad that they have recognized my actions and everything I’ve done for the community. I think I was nominated because of my many achievements in orchestra and my academics. My involvements outside of school are so significant. I am in the phoenix youth symphony, and spend most of my time volunteering, mostly playing music in the church worship. I’m in many clubs and see myself as an overachiever in everything I do,” junior Samantha Castro said.

Students are not only nominated and chosen for this award but also have a dinner banquet in where they can invite family members to the dinner and be recognized with a certificate and also get to meet the Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell.

“Typically there will be one of the Tempe High schools preforming arts department providing the entertainment, from there [ the administration] read off the students nominated and say why they are so great and students receive his or her award and shake the hands of the administration and the mayor [ Mark Mitchell],” Saddler said.

Each group of students get a group picture taken and are officially recognized as the Tempe Top Teen. Each student will also get the opportunity to take a picture with the mayor and be given a certificate. Students will receive a copy of both photos.

“ It was a huge honor and I was very surprised that I was nominated as a Tempe Top Teen,” senior Huanvy Phan said.

The dinner banquet for the students was on Mon., March. 28, and took place in the Tempe Mission Springs hotel at 6 p.m. Various community leaders and Mayor Mark Mitchell were the hosts for this event.