WHS Finalists for Bronze Tablet

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WESTFIELD – Westfield High School principal Charles Jendrysik announced the three finalists for this year’s Bronze Tablet.

Below are the essays from each of the finalists.

Fiona Cioch

I feel honored and humbled to be one of the many nominees for this award and I am grateful for the wonderful educators and staff within the Westfield Public School system who have helped me along the way. Over the past four years I have loved being an active member of this class and being involved in several different organizations has not only made high school fun for me, but I have also learned so much from my experiences and made wonderful friends as a result of my involvement. I believe I am a worthy recipient of the Bronze Tablet award because of my commitment to the Class of 2018, and a great majority of my free time has been dedicated to the welfare, good name, and progress of Westfield High School.

• Class President 2015-2018; organized fundraisers and senior events and nagged our class about dues and obligations! It wasn’t always easy but I got to know everyone and I felt honored to hold this position and serve our class, this year in particular.
• Spoke at the Westfield Public Schools Convocation Ceremony 2017; honored to be selected by WPS superintendent Stefan Czaporowski to address Westfield Public Schools administrators and staff.
• Four year member of the Field Hockey Team 2014-2017; 2014 served as Junior Varsity Captain, 2017 served as Varsity Captain; won PVIAC All League Award (2017) and WHS Unsung Hero Award (2017).
• Four year member of the Student Council 2014-2018; planned spirit week and other school-wide events, including talent shows, fundraisers, etc. and worked closely with my peers to achieve a common goal of student involvement within the high school to improve and maintain school spirit, and a sense of belonging.
• Four year member of the Council on Peer Education 2014-2018; fundraised for different local causes, ran food drives for our local food pantry, educated peers about important current topics such as opioid abuse, melanoma awareness and distracted driving, amongst others, and helped to organize the first ever WHS Health and Wellness Fair in 2018.
• Four year member of the Concert and Marching Band 2014-2018; participated in concerts, football games, parades, and memorial events.
• Two year member of the Spring Track and Field Team 2014-2016; almost died running the 800 and but still had a good time!
• Two year member of the Ski Team 2015-2017; I was the athlete that made everyone else on the team feel better about their performance!
• Two year member of the National Honor Society 2016-2018; maintained high academic standing and volunteered within our local soup kitchen, our local libraries, churches, elementary and middle schools, Stanley Park fundraisers etc.
• One year member of the Student Advisory Council 2018; worked with other students on a committee to help improve school climate, and by climate I am not referring to the temperature of the school in June- AC will not be installed anytime soon!
• Served on a Search Committee for new WHS Assistant Principal 2017; selected by Westfield Public Schools administration to assist in the screening and interview process for all applicants. Shoutout to Mr. Paquette, we love you!
• Wyben Union Church Youth Group Leader; active member of Wyben Church and have served on music and fellowship committees.
• Westfield Sons of Erin 2017 Colleen Court; honored to be selected as a member of the 2017 Colleen Court to represent the City of Westfield.

Kohl Lunardini

As a freshman, I knew I wanted to make a difference in the school. I knew that I could. Being highly involved in our school changed my life and I hope that I’ve changed others’ lives too. There are so many other individuals that deserve this award as well simply because the people around me have been the biggest part to any success I’ve had and I cannot thank them enough.

I feel that I’ve made my high school experience worth it and have accomplished a lot. Freshman year I ran for Vice President of my class and I ended up with my very first leadership role. This role continued throughout the rest of my high school career. I have done endless fundraising and volunteering for our school. From selling shirts to raise money for my class to helping with production of dances for the seniors above me. When running for vice president I also was selected to be on student council. With student council we did walks for charity, coordinated dances, pep rallies, student actives, spirt weeks and much more. I also earned the role of Media Director in the high schools Key Club. I shared events and charity we did for our school such as volunteering at the soup kitchen. One of my absolute favorite parts of high school was athletics. I participated in three varsity sports; cross country, skiing and lacrosse. Sports motivated me to help others and always have the backs of my peers. I learned how to be a teammate and a leader since I earned the role of captain in all three sports. My all-time favorite part of my school day took place as a PE Student Leader. I was selected to be a student leader my junior year and continued to be throughout my senior year. I helped instruct physical education and my goal as a student leader was to motivate students to be good people and look at the positives in the world. I loved pushing students to do their best. Seeing students having fun made every day so much more enjoyable. My junior and senior year I took part in creating the senior video. The senior video is a tribute to the graduating class and is shown at graduation each year. This was a great way to make the end of the year special for the people graduating high school. Along with the senior video I created each year’s thankful video. This was show at the fall pep rally. I was selected my senior year to be a part of the student advisory council. We made surveys to get input about the school and talked about what we could do to make the school the best it can from playing music in the halls to fixing social issues. Lastly, I was able to join and serve on the Executive board of computer club. We worked with all sorts of technology and attempted to do a start up for a tech services program.

Looking back on my four years of high school I am satisfied with differences I’ve been able to make in the school and in my peers. As I pursue my career in the Air Force, I will remember the lessons I’ve been taught and skills I have learned. I am motivated and to continue learning and help those who surround me.

• Class Vice-President (9^th-12^th)
• Student Council (9^th-12^th)
• Key Club (11^th-12^th)Media Director (12^th)
• Varsity Lacrosse (9^th -12^th) Captain (12^th)
• Varsity Cross Country (10^th-12^th) Captain (11^th-12^th)
• Varsity Ski Team (9^th-12^th) Captain (11^th-12^th)
• Computer Club E-Board Member (12^th)
• Senior Video Editor (11^th) Director (12^th)
• PE Student Leader (11^th-12^th)
• Student Advisory Council (12^th)

Nelson Gabriel Santos

First and foremost, I would like to thank those who have supported me on my nomination for the Bronze Tablet Award. I feel honored to be a part of the WHS Class of 2018, and I am grateful to be a part of an amazing young group of people that inspired me to become an active leader in my community. Although most see me as a positive figure, all I have achieved has not come easily. Growing up, I have had to overcome the obstacle of a father absent home and a mother suffering from muscular dystrophy. These challenges brought me to encounter homelessness. My experiences have driven my passion to help those less fortunate. I have truly strived to improve the communities of Westfield and Westfield High School.

I believe that I have contributed a great deal to the welfare and progress of our school and community. During my four years at Westfield High School I have represented my class student body as an active member of the Student Council, National Honor Society, The Council on Peer Education, PE Student Leading, WHS Student Assisting, and have engaged in sport activities including Varsity Basketball and Volleyball.

I have also played an active role in my community by serving as an advisor to the Mayor’s Office through the Westfield City Hall’s Youth Commission. As Co-Chair of the commission it was one of my responsibilities to represent the youth of Westfield and bring forth changes that needed to be made. Through the commission I helped in the establishment of the Spray Park at Sadie Knox; as part of the Student Council I have participated at the JDRF walk for Type 1 Diabetes, and led the Dance Showdown at the pep rally.

I have contributed to the good name of WHS by representing our whole entire state  as the Massachusetts State Youth of the Year for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. This opportunity allowed me to represent over 4,000 youth across the state of Massachusetts. I was not only representing myself, but I was representing the Westfield High School Community. As the MA YOY it is my mission to empower the voices of youth that desperately need support and a purpose. I had the opportunity to speak at the MA State House on Beacon Hill to spread the word on the impact the Boys and Girls Club has on youth in my community. I have also had the chance to implement many programs at the Boys and Girls Club and be a leader in the STEM mentoring program. I have also served as the Vice-President for the Keystone Elite Club and have organized events like the Veteran’s Breakfast and the Thanksgiving Dinner. I’ve also had the opportunity to attend the Advanced Leaders Institute where I received the President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award for completing over 250 hours of community service at the Boys and Girls Club and in my community.

Your vote for the Bronze Tablet Award would be an absolute blessing and means the world to me. If I can impact one life through my service, I have fulfilled my purpose of making a difference. Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves, as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop. I found my purpose in community service. I am grateful to have impacted the lives of my peers and the westfield high school community. I want my legacy to serve as a constant reminder that your service has the power to change the world and inspire many to achieve their dreams.