Kennedy Awards Role Model Students

Kennedy High School’s Student Government recently announced the recipients of its Cougars as Role Model Americans (C.A.R.M.A.) awards.

In September, Kennedy seniors Samantha Finkel, Jordan, Horowitz, and Ross Iscowitz were recognized for their service. These three students are the founders of an organization known as Tutors for a Cure. Read more about their organization here.

For October, the award was granted to Shaun Cohen. As part of his science research project, Cohen examined the acceleration of learning skills by autistic kids. His project focused on the differences between those working with a psychologist and those working with a teenager of a similar age with no therapeutic experience. Although Cohen's research for this project finished in June, he found it so rewarding that he continued to volunteer at the home.

C.A.R.M.A. recipients from November are Camila Agudelo, Brianna Goedel, and William Goedel. These three students worked together to initiate Kennedy’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). The students wanted to create an organization that would establish an environment at Kennedy that would allow students to express themselves freely. This past spring, they worked with Mr. Jimenez and Mr. Maresca to form GSA, which has grown from 15 members to more than 80 members.

In the month of December, the Student Government granted the C.A.R.M.A. award to Brett Keller and Alec Schnur. Keller worked with the Rein Community Service program. The Rein Community Service program allows children to give back to the global community by volunteering with people and animals across the world.

Schnur had poor vision as a child, but a trip to the optometrist gave him a new chance to experience the world. As a result of this opportunity, he saw the need to help those who suffer from the same problem he once had. He found One Sight, an organization which works to correct the vision of people who do not have access to care. Schnur collected one thousand pairs of glasses by putting boxes around the community and spreading word of the problem. In addition to providing one thousand people with eyeglasses, he also volunteered on the One Sight mobile van, an RV turned into an optometrist’s office.