The Kiwanis Club of Sedona-Bell Rock helped West Sedona School celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and awarded the first set of winners for the Terrific Kids program during a school assembly on Oct. 23. The program recognizes students who are thoughtful, enthusiastic, respectful, responsible, inclusive, friendly, inquisitive and capable.
“Just today, as we were exiting, Ibrahim [Martinez Arcos], who is in second grade, the stopper came out of the door, and from the inside, he noticed I was trying to get in,” West Sedona School Principal Alisa Stieg said. “So he pushed the door open and stood there and let me come in. And that is what we see on our campus pretty routinely. So thoughtful was a hard one for our teachers to pick because most of our kids are very thoughtful. But I loved that he did that, and I thought, ‘Well, there’s a perfect example of why you got chosen to be the thoughtful kiddo.’”
The initiative functions as a character-development framework designed to celebrate pupils who work to adjust their habits. Participants establish personal definitions of success, set individual targets and rely on peer support to stay on track week by week.
“I feel good,” 10-year-old fifth-grader Savia Spyra said of receiving the award. “I was a little scared at first, and then once I got it, I felt good. I believe I’ve been really nice to my friends and stuff, and there’s this one kid that just transferred, and I guess I was helping [text cut off in scan]
Kameren Moyer, also 10 and in the fifth grade, was among the students recognized alongside Spyra.
“When people cry, I help them calm down,” 10-year-old fifth-grader Alison Ruiz Arias said of earning the award.
When asked how she helps someone calm down when they are crying, Ruiz Arias said she tells them, “It’ll be OK. I’m with you.”
The program will return for the November WSS assembly to celebrate the WSS students who embody enthusiasm and to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.
Students can be chosen to be celebrated at the next assembly based on goals they set with their families during parent-teacher conferences this week, whether that is earning all A’s on spelling tests, learning all of their high-frequency words or math facts, or arriving at WSS on time daily.
The Kiwanis Club of Sedona-Bell Rock’s next monthly meeting is on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 11 a.m. at the Sedona Elks Lodge, 110 Airport Road, with speaker Damien Browning, executive director of Steps to Recovery Homes.
Lunch is $20 per person. For more information or to RSVP, contact Liz Wilson at 517-282-1273 or kiwanisliz@aol.com.
Terrific Kids
Katherine Linden’s Class: Cristian Aldino Cirilo, Alison Ruiz Arias
Derek D’Avignon’s Class: Kameren Moyer, Savia Spyra
Kelly Cadigan’s Class: Yair Bustos Avilez, Melanie Tapia Marcial
Trevor Turner’s Class: Lucas Williams, Stella Paplemik
Becky Parks’ Class: Karsen Lookhart, Jamin Caballero Hurtado
Logan Haga’s Class: Ibrahim Martinez Arcos, Natalya Carmona
Aubrey Lewis’ Class: Hugo Diaz Maldonado, Samantha Sorgenfrel
Alicia Pallares’ Class: Gabe Phelps, Lia Diaz Cervantes
Maritza Serrano’s Class: Idris Qutbidinov, Daleyza Arizmendi
Patty Falsetto’s Class: Diego Ramos, Kiva Martin
Janice Goimarac’s Class: Kaleo Carr, Juliana Taylor
Mindy Zarlingo’s Class: Mateo Diaz, Delilah Wyatt
