Schools

Cinnaminson Students Honored for Good Deeds

Cinnaminson High School held its annual People's Choice Awards, recognizing students who went out of their way to perform random acts of kindness throughout the year.

Twenty-one Cinnaminson High School students were recognized Thursday for performing good deeds—some subtle, some obvious—and random acts of kindness throughout the past year.

The school's 14th annual People's Choice Awards honored the students for a variety of gracious acts: offering a kind word and a helping hand to a teacher, intervening in instances of bullying, or keeping a lonely fellow student company during lunch.

A trio of girls—Genevieve Cherubini, Charlotte Day-Smith and Grace Shallow—had volunteered for Contact of Burlington County's (a 24/7 crisis helpline) TeenLine, "a teen-to-teen confidential helpline," after hearing about it in the morning announcements.

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Guidance office secretary Kathy Alven, who makes the announcements, said the girls went through 20 hours of training and, as a result of their volunteerism, the school received a certificate of appreciation from Contact.

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"It’s just a great thing that they’re concerned with the welfare of their own peers," said Alven.

Another example was provided by guidance counselor Alexis Mancinelli, who praised student Carley Oldfield for sitting with—and engaging with—a student who had no one to sit with during lunch. 

"That takes character. That takes a genuine person. At 16 years old, I don’t know if many people in this room would do the same thing," said Mancinelli. "If you can remember back to high school, sitting by yourself at lunch can be difficult ... I categorize (Oldfield) as someone who is the definition of ‘pay it forward.'"

Mancinelli lauded all the students receiving awards, as well as their parents, saying, "That’s one of the reasons I like to work here, is because I find that the kids are very genuine, and I commend you as parents for that. Because it’s not something you can learn in school. It’s something they’re taught in their homes and how they’re raised."

Although the students' stories of kindness varied, Superintendent Salvatore Illuzzi said one theme united all of them.

"Not once was someone asked to do something," he said. "They did it on their own."

The following is the list of students who received People's Choice Awards:

  • Adam Berenato
  • Jana Callaghan
  • Genevieve Cherubini
  • Alysha Cook
  • Charlotte Day-Smith
  • Bryan Dwyer
  • Kevin Fisher
  • Samantha Fitch
  • Christopher Gedling
  • Marcus Mayer
  • John Merget
  • Michael Moreno
  • Alex Mosesku
  • Carley Oldfield
  • Wesley Perkins
  • Grace Shallow
  • Ashleigh Tindall
  • Alexandra Weitzner
  • Katera Williams
  • Michael Wooden
  • Gabriella Wright

Congratulations to all the winners!


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