Sara Gwynn, a 10th grade student at Beehive Science & Technology Academy charter school, has received a Certificate of Excellence from The Prudential Spirt of Community Awards, and with a President’s Volunteer Service Award.
Presented annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honor middle level and high school students across America for outstanding volunteer service.
Certificates of Excellence are given to the top 10 percent of all Prudential Spirit of Community Award applicants in each state and the District of Columbia. President’s Volunteer Service Awards recognize Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of time to serve their communities and the country (the President’s Volunteer Service Awards are also granted by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards). Beehive Science & Technology Academy Principal Hanifi Oguz nominated Gwynn for the awards. Volunteer activities were judged on criteria including personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth.
In 2016, Gwynn spent between 175 and 249 hours volunteering with Best Friends Animal Society. Gwynn said, “My role in this organization was to provide a living space for kittens as well as human interaction, food and occasionally medicine. My impact by volunteering was helping this animal shelter with housing and getting kittens ready for adoption. This organization helps promote the NKUT [an acronym for No-kill Utah] campaign in hopes of helping animals have housing, and a way to get adopted instead of being put down due to limited space in shelters. I helped to promote this as well by providing space where the shelter didn’t have any.”
Prudential Spirit of Community Award applications were distributed nationwide last September through middle level and high schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross Chapters, YMCAs and Affiliates of Points of Light’s HandsON Network.
