090610Wooster student receives national Head Start Alumni Award

  • By Sharon Haught
  • August 28, 2010
  • 266
                        
One of the Wooster City School District’s own has received recognition on the national level for her spirit of volunteerism. Wooster High School freshman Dreya Holmes was recently selected by the National Head Start Association to receive the organization’s “The Dream Lives On” national Head Start Alumni Award, a prestigious award which honors accomplished students and adults who have completed the Head Start Program. Holmes and her family will travel to Washington, D.C. on September 22 for the National Head Start Association’s 45th anniversary celebration, during which she will be presented with the award. Holmes path to receiving the award began when the training coordinator and the chief program officer at Community Action Wayne Medina included information about Holmes in their monthly report on Head Start success stories to the Ohio Head Start Association. The Ohio Association in turn, included the information in its report to the National Head Start Association, who made the final selection of the winners of the award. According to Wooster City School District Superintendent Michael Tefs “after reviewing Dreya’s long list of accomplishments, the organization asked that she join them on September 22 to be recognized for all she’s done for her school, her family and her community.” “I’m kind of embarrassed,” said Holmes. “It’s nice to get these awards, but so many other people have done more,” said Holmes adding “I wish they could be recognized as well, especially the people that have helped me and my family.” Joining Holmes in receiving The Dream Lives on Alumni Award are White House Director of Political Affairs Patrick Gaspard, Counsel for the Exxon Mobil’s Compliance Group Ramona Ortiz and United States House of Representative member Ramona Ortiz. “Dreya is receiving this award alongside prominent business professionals and those in the political arena, which is a testament to the hard work she puts in to everything she does,” said Tefs. “We are very proud of everything she has accomplished in such a short time. We can’t wait to see what she does while in high school,” said Tefs adding “she is the perfect example of what drive, dedication, a supportive family and a world-class education can do.” Tefs noted that the National Head Start Association Alumni Award is the latest in a series of recognitions Holmes has received in recent years. Earlier this year, Holmes was named as one of two State Honorees from Ohio in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for exemplary acts of volunteerism. For her work on the Knights’ Field Spray Park project, she also won the Kohl’s Kids Care Competition and was among the team of representatives from Wooster that traveled to Florida to make Wooster’s presentation during the All-American City Award Program. The Dream Lives on Alumni Award was presented by the National Head Start Association. According to the organization’s web site, the National Head Start Association is a private not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to meeting the needs of the over 1 million children, 200,000 staff and 2,600 Head Start programs in the United States by advocating for policies that strengthen services to Head Start children and their families, providing extensive training and professional development to Head Start staff and developing and disseminating research, information, and resources that enrich Head Start program delivery. Created in 1965, Head Start is the longest-running, national school readiness program in the United States and provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families. Since its inception almost 25 million pre-school aged children across the country have taken part in the Head Start program.


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