BROWNSTOWN
There was a very important reason for 39 Brownstown Central High School students and their parents to wake up early Thursday morning.
The students had been selected by a staff member as a very important person.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryOnce they walked into the cafeteria and found their spot at a table, they learned who selected them for the honor.
For all of them, being a part of the ninth annual VIP Breakfast was a nice surprise and a nice honor.
Of the 538 students at Brownstown Central High School, each of the 39 staff members could select one to recognize.
The selection could be based on school involvement; academics, but a letter grade should not be the only criterion, there should be “something more”; non-academics, but should recognize that the student has contributed significantly to his or her growth, the welfare of the teacher, other students or the school; or anything within the conduct of school considered worthy of special recognition.
At Thursday’s event, the students, staff members and family members ate breakfast together. Then when their name was called by Assistant Principal Mark DeHart, the students walked up to receive a certificate, a copy of the staff member’s comments and a handshake from Principal Joe Sheffer. DeHart then read the staff member’s comments aloud.
There were plenty of claps and a few hollers to go around. Perhaps the most touching moment was when sophomore Justin Brewer went back to his seat after being recognized as a VIP by teacher Kevin Gwin. Brewer is now cancer-free after battling testicular cancer, and he received a standing ovation.
Junior Devon Harmon said he was in disbelief when he learned he was a VIP. On the letter he received for the honor, the first word he saw was “Congratulations.”
His study hall teacher, Judy Johnson, selected him as her VIP.
“She’s an excellent, honest person,” he said. “She’ll tell you when you’re messing up. She has helped me be more open, be more assertive and take control of my life.”
Ava Thompson was selected as a VIP for the first time. Carolyn Ira, her basic skills teacher, picked her for the honor.
“I was just really happy, and I felt appreciated,” Thompson of receiving her letter. “I feel special. I thought I was just doing what I’m supposed to do.”
She said Ira means a lot to her.
“She’s just a great woman,” Thompson said. “She’s a great person. She has gotten me through everything — schoolwise, my stress, everything. I don’t think I could thank her enough.”
Sophomore Dakota Cossell was chosen by his math lab teacher, Sharon DeHart.
He said she helps him and other students with their homework and has made him better in and out of the classroom.
“I was surprised,” Cossell said of being a VIP. “It means I’m a good student.”
Junior Madisen Polly was named a VIP for the first time, selected by Spanish teacher Kristina Samples.
“I was really excited, and I figured it was actually probably Señora because I do love Spanish a lot, and we speak in Spanish quite a bit,” Polly said.
She said the recognition was a really big honor and made her feel important.
“When I stepped back and looked at it, when I got the (letter), it was exciting to know out of the 500-some people we do have here that I was one of the 39,” she said.
Polly has liked Samples’ class so much that she wants to study Spanish in college.
“She’s definitely the one that made me enjoy Spanish a lot more and made me want to actually study it and pursue some studies in it,” Polly said. “She’s a very enjoyable teacher, and she makes the language very easy to learn. She’s just such a kind person to everybody and genuinely cares about the students.”
Mark DeHart said the VIP Breakfast is proof the school has “really, really good kids.”
“We can’t overlook the fact that sometimes, us as adults, we get older and we say how they just aren’t like they used to be,” he said. “I think these kids prove us wrong with what they do every day. There are still some really fine young people out there.”
He also lauded the parents.
“For you parents who came and supported them today, got up early, drove in and made an effort to support them and reinforce all of the good things that they are doing, that just shows that they are making a difference,” he said. “These qualities, like hard work and helping others, they don’t just happen by accident. Those are things that you taught them, and it’s good for you to celebrate those things with them this morning.”
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Brownstown Central High School conducted its annual VIP Breakfast on Thursday in the school cafeteria. The staff members and the students they selected are as follows:
Staff member;Student
Dave Benter;Stuart Hayden
Richard Branaman;Shawna Luenebrink
Stephanie Brock;Noah Reynolds
Jerry Brown;Sydney Weddell
Maria Conklin;Grace Jaynes
Barry Cutter;Kelian East
Mark DeHart;Brayton Hattabaugh
Sharon DeHart;Dakota Cossell
Randy Greene;Jennifer Morrison
Alisha Griffin;Emily Hinds
Kevin Gwin;Justin Brewer
Blake Hackman;Tucker O’Neill
Stephanie Hackman;Shelby Stuckwisch
Rock Hurley;Madison Klinge
Carolyn Ira;Ava Thompson
Judy Johnson;Devon Harmon
Derrick Koch;Bruce Spicer
Peggy Kovert;Emma Winks
Rex Kovert;Katherine Benter
iGrad;Kiley Baker
Reed May;Gus Hogan
Tawnya Ollmann;Alison Deaton
Andrea Pendleton;Abby Stuckwisch
Robin Perry;Austin Fleetwood
Melanie Preston;Kasity Taggart
Karla Rieckers;Kristen Stuckwisch
Kallie Roller;Ashley Teipen
Kristina Samples;Madisen Polly
Katlynn Schnitker;Blaney Phillips
Dan Schwartz;Ethan Reed
Deb Schwartz;Olivia Barlow
Joe Sheffer;Andrew Vanover
Angie Sibrel;Jenny Runge
Jami Stuckwisch;KaCee Collins
Mitch Taylor;Ethan Carlin
Brandon Tormoehlen;Megan Salmon
Jamie Walker;Claire Poulton
Sandra Warren;Heather Buckles
Paula Workman;Marley McCormick
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