Five Charlotte County students are going to be recognized at the first Do The Right Thing Award Program on September 3, 2015.
De’Otishea Whitfield is a student in East Elementary School’s fifth grade. De’Otishea is the son of Cherlyn Scott and Johny Lloyd.
We can all do the right thing when we think others are watching us. De’Otishea recently found a cell phone which was unattended. Instead of putting the cell phone in his pocket, or doing something else with it, he immediately turned it in to an adult so it could find it’s way back to the rightful owner.
De’Otishea loves football, was a member of the Punta Gorda Police Department’s Jammers basketball program and a 4H member. He loves to ride horses and basically likes anything related to the outdoors or animals. De”Otishea gets god grades in school as well.
Our next DTRT winner for September 2015 is Danielle Handwork. Danielle attends Lemon Bay High School where she is a freshman. She is the daughter of Ryan and Rebecca Handwork.
The person nominating Danielle had this to say. Danielle is an amazing young lady. Her leadership qualities and personality are far beyond any 14 year old I have ever met. Danielle strives to do her best every day, and has maintained an A average the entire year. In addition, she is the first to help classmates if they are struggling to understand material, and does so in a kind, compassionate nature. She always volunteers to help me (her teacher) with everyday tasks such as passing out papers, running to the office, or assisting with supplies for the class. Recently, there was a medical emergency in my classroom where she jumped into action without hesitation. Her assistance allowed me to focus on the child that needed help, while she was able to contact emergency personnel. As a result, our efficient team work led to the safety of the child in distress. Danielle is extraordinary, and should be honored.
She loves spending time with her friends and playing X-box. She spends a lot of time helping the coaches at Lemon Bay High School and loves working with kids. As we have already heard, Danielle is also an “A” student in school.
Next on our list of people we would like to recognize is actually a birthday girl, Kaja Aiken. Kaja attends Murdock Middle school where she just entered the sixth grade. Kaja is the daughter of Tanja Aiken.
Here is what the person nominating Kaja had to say. Kaja called 911 when she noticed a brush fire on her street that was dangerously near a neighbor’s house. She then knocked on the door to let her neighbor know so that she could move to safety. When her neighbor did not answer the door, Kaja went inside and woke the sleeping neighbor up. Kaja’s classmates and I feel she should be recognized for acting quickly and responsibly to protect a neighbor.
We have all read and viewed the tragic fires in our country the past several months. Hats off to Kaja for doing the right thing. Not only did she notify the authorities,
In her spare time, Kaja loves anything related to the outdoors including skateboarding, rollerblading and swimming. She has won art contests in the past and was recently very active in ballet dancing. Kaja’s mother informed us that Kaja is an “A” student in school.
Our next 2015 recipient is a young man by the name of Max Anderson. Max is in the Punta Gorda Middle School where he just entered the sixth grade. Max is the son of Teri and John Anderson.
A physical altercation broke out on a school bus while it was in motion. Most of the other students just watched but Max jumped into action by restraining the aggressor. He held the student until the bus driver could safely pull over the bus and come to the back to separate the students. Max is always ready, responsible, and respectful in and out of school. His actions on this day proved that even further.
Max plays basketball for both the Harold Rec Center and the Charlotte Swish. He has the dream of becoming a professional gamer and can be found with his X-box in his spare time. He also likes to spend time with his brother and likes to swim. We hear that he gets good grades in school as well.
Last, but not least, we would like to recognize Gavin Morgan from Meadow Park Elementary School where he is in the fifth grade. Gavin is the son of Corina and Jeff Morgan
Gavin was told by a student that they had a weapon on campus. Gavin told his mother and she then called the school. Even though Gavin didn’t know the student’s name he was able to give a great description of the student and the student was found. This also led to other students being found with weapons on campus.
Gavin’s biggest interest outside of school is fishing. That is followed by more fishing. When he is not fishing, he loves boating and the beaches. Guess we could say, Gavin is an outdoor kind of kid who loves anything related to the water. His father said that he also can be found on his X-box when not fishing and loves art work. Gavin is on the honor roll at his school.
We always like to hear about all of the wonderful things our youth are doing in our communities. If you know of a youth in Charlotte County doing good deeds please nominate them for a Do the Right Thing award at www.puntagordapolice.com or call the Executive Director of Do the Right Thing of Charlotte County, Tony Pribble at 941-639-4111.
Prepared by:
Tony Pribble
Executive Director – Do the Right Thing of Charlotte County
Punta Gorda Police Department
(941) 639-4111
apribble@pgorda.us