Another school year has reached its end, and it’s time to recognize students who have distinguished themselves through their hard work this year. One of our core Quaker values at Friends is service. The Starkweather Community Service award is earned by the student or students who exceed the school’s requirement on service and impacts their community in a significant, positive way. The award was created by the Board of Trustees in recognition of Howard W. Starkweather Jr. ‘44. The plaque in the upper school lobby reads: the award was given for his “enduring example of service.” This year’s Starkweather award has been earned by Andrew Conces ‘16, Ty Moyer ’16, and Naza McMillan ’16.

Each year students can nominate themselves or another student who has gone above and beyond the service requirement to be considered for the award. Andrew served the Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring Project (DREAM) as a freshman. He spent seven days in the Dominican Republic working with children and improving/repairing local school buildings. In his junior year, Andrew organized a donation project to collect used baseball gear for Dominican children. He collected over a half ton of youth bats, gloves, balls, gear, and also raised $1,264 for shipping costs. Andrew has also served with the Appalachian Service Project (ASP), where he repaired homes in Central Appalachia. Andrew has volunteered with Trinity Presbyterian Church to raise money for ASP through fundraisers and has served as a mentor at the Boys and Girls Club. Ms. Puritz-Fine, Upper School Dean of Students, comments, “Andrew truly “let his life speak” by actively working to share the personal joy he has found in baseball with others who also love to play but needed help to get the essentials to join in the game.” The school is proud to present the Starkweather community service award to Andrew for his hard work this year.

Ty Moyer has also earned the Starkweather award for his contribution to the community through service. Ty has completed 624 hours of service at the Ashland Nature Center over four years. Being a camper as a middle schooler, he wanted to return and give other children the same experience he had. The school is proud to present this award to Ty for his commitment to service.

The third recipient of the Starkweather Award is Naza McMillan. Naza has volunteered at his church for over four years., where he supervised children and provided assistance to families entering the church. Ms. Puritz-Fine shares, “I’m so happy for the families who benefitted from Naza’s generosity of time in their support at his church. I can’t think of a better role model for children: one of strength, kindness, and integrity, delivered with consideration and respect.”

These students have impacted their communities in significant ways. lects on the students: “I feel that every student benefits from the service they have completed at WFS…in college and throughout life. It reminds us of the opportunities and blessings that we have, and puts life in perspective; no matter how much we’re struggling, there’s always someone else with bigger challenges. These guys have, in Quaker terms, let their lives speak.” Andrew, Ty, and Naza have earned this award through their hard work and dedication to their respective services. The school looks forward to seeing what they do next in college and beyond.