Posted May 29, 2020 in Articles
Congratulations to Sadie Gaye ‘23, Heaven Lash ‘22, and Na’Kyla Chisholm ‘21 on receiving the 9th annual Gonzalez-Buttelwerth award for 2020. This award, established in 2012, is bestowed upon the 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students who model the qualities of Jose and Lourdes Gonzalez and John and Rhea Buttelwerth. These students are recognized for their hospitality, commitment to community, quest for justice and racial/ethnic tolerance, care and kindness toward others, and humility.
Because we could not be physically together, the 3 students and their families joined U.S. Representative and former NFL player Anthony Gonzalez and his mother Jenna on a video call to receive their awards. We are so proud of these students for being great representatives of our school and shining examples of what it means to be Saint Martin!
Watch the Virtual Awards Ceremony here!
Read their Nominations Below!
9th Grade - Sadie Gaye
Sadie Gaye has been an exceptional student from her very first moments at St. Martin. She began the year strong, immediately joining the debate club and devoting herself to being a stellar member of the team. She showed a commitment to her peers and a humility in doing whatever it took to help her teammates out. She consistently came to practice prepared, attended every one of the Saturday debates, and worked hard to improve on her skills, winning many points for her team.
Sadie demonstrates her commitment to community, quest for justice and care and kindness towards others through her reliable participation in service opportunities at St. Martin. In fact, she has logged more hours participating in service opportunities than any other freshman student.
Sadie is a quiet leader who consistently encourages her peers, as she is always willing to help another student out or volunteer to help with any event. She has been an influential member of the Presidential Leadership Council, working with leadership to address challenges and celebrate successes in the school community. She took part in a virtual student leadership workshop through the Vox Network to help grow in her leadership skills, and has applied those skills to planning events such as a virtual spirit week to welcome students back to school after spring break.
She embodies the mission and values of St. Martin in all she does, constantly striving to work harder, contribute to her community and support those around her. Sadie Gaye is extremely deserving of the Gonzalez-Buttelwerth Award as she consistently demonstrates the values and qualities that this award represents.
10th Grade - Heaven Lash
Heaven has grown tremendously as a scholar this past year. She sees everything as a learning opportunity. When we switched to remote learning, Heaven did not shy away from the challenge, she embraced it. Heaven can often be seen in her teacher's office hours. It is rare to have an office hour without a visit from Heaven. She always makes it a point to ask how her teacher's day has been. Her curiosity for learning and desire to be the best version of herself is refreshing. She is not afraid of putting in the hard work. Her work ethic and natural curiosity have helped her excell in AP and honors courses.
Heaven embodies what it means to "Be Saint Martin" through her interactions with her peers, teachers and community members. She is a quiet leader who leads by example. She pushes those around her to exhibit the same work ethic she strives for on a daily basis. Heaven understands the value of asking for help and helping others. She is a good friend to everyone.
Heaven embodies the values and qualities that the Gonzalez-Buttelwerth Award conveys. The sophomore teachers are honored to have been part of her journey at Saint Martin and look forward to watching her continued growth.
11th Grade - Na’Kyla Chisholm
Na'Kyla Chisholm is a strong, quiet leader among the class of 2021, who demonstrates a commitment to and expectation of success for herself and her peers. As a scholar, Na'Kyla is consistently successful, showing attention to detail in her work, asking thoughtful questions in classes, and modeling what it means to be college-ready each day. As a peer and a community member, Na'Kyla is a leader and a strong voice for her peers. She is a member of the President's Leadership Council who works with leadership at school to address challenges and celebrate successes in the school community. As a peer tutor in Chemistry, she showed patience, compassion, and leadership in working with her peers to help them with their assignments to achieve higher levels of success. As a student ambassador, Na'Kyla has helped welcome prospective students and incoming 9th graders to Saint Martin during New Student Orientation and other Admissions events. Na'Kyla is consistently called upon to welcome outside visitors to Saint Martin - from 8th grade students, to company CEOs, because she is articulate, kind, and her commitment to growth and success make her a shining example of what it means to be Saint Martin.
