Three Westfield High School students have been recognized with the Lift While You Climb Award, in honor of the late WHS principal Dr. Derrick Nelson.
Nelson, who died in 2019 from complications suffered while donating bone marrow to a boy he didn’t know in France, once said: “We have an obligation to our fellow human beings that if we are in a position to help someone, you do it. You lift as you climb. If you can do that, you have contributed more to society than anything your bank account can produce and, ultimately, contribute more to your own well-being.”
Nominated by WHS faculty and staff for Fall 2024, the three recipients of the Lift While You Climb Award are 12th grader Ethan Selvers and 11th graders Jose Flores Rodriguez and Chloe Martin.
Selvers - nominated by the WHS Counseling Department - is described as going “above and beyond to help his school community.” The counseling team writes: “As part of Model United Nations, Counseling Ambassadors, and other community service projects outside of school, Ethan shows selflessness and a genuine interest in helping others.”
“Jose is a new student at WHS from Panama,” writes Spanish teacher Pilar Vasconez Urigelz in her letter of nomination. “In a short time, he has demonstrated a very positive attitude towards the school and community. Jose has taken the risk to be part of the WHS community in spite of the language barrier and the cultural shock. He participates in all his classes, is one of the founders of the Board Game Club, and is very excited to be part of the volleyball team next spring.”
In her letter of nomination, French teacher Samantha Carrington says Martin is “well-rounded and profoundly dedicated to helping the community. She volunteers at Children’s Specialized Hospital and for a rescue squad and is on the girls field hockey team, all while maintaining a healthy relationship with her academics and peers.”
The award is sponsored by the WHS Counseling Department twice during the academic year, in the fall and the spring.