By Tina Jenkins Bell
BAPA School Liaison
This is a great time of the year. School is out. Vacations and summer plans are rolling out, and good wishes and appreciation are in order for so many reasons.
Thank you to Ridge Run School Teams. BAPA extends great appreciation to school families and schools who organized running teams and participated in the races including Clissold, Kellogg, Morgan Park Academy, Queen of Martyrs, Sutherland, St. Barnabas, St. Cajetan, and Vanderpoel.
Congratulations to All 2022 Graduates. Matriculating from one grade to the next is a great accomplishment. Graduating from Pre-K, Kindergarten, 8th grade, or high school is an even greater achievement, and we extend our heartfelt well wishes to all community graduates.
BIA Community Service Award Winners. Every year, the Beverly Improvement Association (BIA) selects two students to receive Walter Pilditch Memorial Community Service Awards for outstanding graduating 8th graders who exemplify leadership and dedication through service. Dr. Pilditch was a Chicago Public Schools educator who served students for 50 years as principal for Morgan Park and Marie Sklowdowska Curie High Schools. Pilditch was also an active civic and religious community member who positively impacted generations of students and Beverly/Morgan Park residents.
The two students selected for this year’s award are Nicholas Pullos from Christ the King School and Shanel Brown from Kellogg School.
Pullos was noted for his exemplary community service as an active member of the Boy Scout Troop #608 who helped other members complete their Eagle Scout projects. He also helped out at St. Paul Lutheran Church by painting walls and building sheds. He was an altar boy at Christ the King Church for four years, assisted with food and clothing drives, and participated in community clean-up efforts at Cosme Park. Pullos also volunteered at BAPA’s Ridge Run and attended the Professional ABCs business program for youth.
Kellogg’s Brown volunteered over 85 hours in one school year. She has helped the elderly, worked on various church projects, and assisted Kellogg’s running club.
Shemeka Nash Chosen as Torch Bearer by the Sri Chinmoy Peace Run. Our very own Shemeka Nash, band leader and teacher at Morgan Park High School, was selected as a Torch Bearer award recipient by the Sri Chinmoy Peach Run in May. The run highlights peace and good will across the globe and has occurred in over 150 nations.
Torch bearers, like Nash, come from all walks of life and have exemplified the Peace Run’s mission. “I have always tried to make sure students have great opportunities through music, just as I did when I was their age,” Nash said.
That’s all I have. Enjoy your summer!
