Seniors chosen for character awards

Six Newport-Mesa Unified seniors were surprised in their classrooms last week with the announcement that they had been chosen for the district’s character awards program.

Supt. Fred Navarro visited students at each of the district’s high schools — Costa Mesa, Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar, Early College, Estancia and Back Bay — to share the news.

The goal of the program, which was started last year, is to identify six seniors district-wide who represent the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

“We at [Newport-Mesa] truly do have a wealth of incredible students, and it’s gratifying to annually recognize a few of them with our character-counts designations,” Navarro said.

Each high school principal nominates seniors in each of the six categories. Navarro then reviews all the nominations and selects one senior from each high school to represent each of the pillars.

CdM student Taylor Daoust received an award for her caring demeanor. The oldest of four children, Daoust is always the “go to” person when one of her siblings is struggling with an issue, according to the nomination.

“After college, Taylor would like a job that will have a positive impact on the world,” the nomination states. “Whether she is a brain surgeon who saves lives every day or working at a soup kitchen, she wants to put her talents and everything she learned to positive use.”

After a rocky start at Back Bay High School, Marcelo Morales was nominated for the respect pillar.

His nomination highlights how much the senior has matured over the past two years.

“Marcel came to us with a big chip on his shoulder,” the nomination states. “All his teachers now report Marcelo is a pleasure to have in class. We can always count on him to greet staff with a friendly ‘good morning,’ hold open a door and apologize for the occasional tardy.”

Harbor student Tony Gallegos, who has been a Police Explorer for the past four years, was selected to represent the citizenship pillar.

Gallegos plans to study criminal justice at Cal State Fullerton and eventually become a police officer.

“He understands the importance of citizenship because he is always a team player,” the nomination states.

Estancia student Abigail Garcia was honored in the fairness category for her work in production drama.

Garcia is always fair when making casting decisions for school productions and does her best to help her fellow students shine, according to the nomination.

“She understands that she may not always get what she wants, but she will always be in the best position for her and others,” the nomination states.

Early College High senior Mayra De La Cruz was selected to represent the pillar of trustworthiness.

As a member of the National Honor Society, De La Cruz tutors struggling students and shares advice with classmates.

“This year, Mayra noticed that a couple of sophomores were not highly organized,” according to the nomination. “As a result, she spoke to them about the importance of organization and helped them to create a daily planner.”

Costa Mesa High student Loralee Sepsey was honored in the responsibility category for her dedication to academics and several student organizations, including her work as editor of the school newspaper.

“You would never know many of these things about [her] because she is also one of the most modest and humble young people I have met,” the nomination stated.

Last year’s winners and current recipients will be honored at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board meeting June 10.