Every year the Southport Evening Rotary Club honors students in Brunswick County who are continually putting the needs of others above their own needs. These students and their actions exemplify the Rotary International motto “Service Above Self”.
The Southport Evening Rotary Club honors one student from the 5th Grade at Southport Elementary School, the 8th Grade at South Brunswick Middle School, and the Senior Class at South Brunswick High School. The teachers and staff at these schools nominate and select the award recipients.
This Service Above Self Award is not intended for the most academic, most athletic, most artistic, or most musical student. This award is intended for the most caring student, the student who always offers to help without asking anything in return, and the student who always carries a positive attitude and shares this positivity with others.
For the 2020 -2021 school year, the Southport Evening Rotary Club would like to congratulate these students on winning the Service Above Self Award:
Leo Hunter who is a graduating 5th grader from SES
Xzavier Lance who is a graduating 8th grader from SBMS
Zoe Brockenborough who is a graduating Senior from SBHS.
All recipients of the Service Above Self Award receive certificates, tickets to a Wilmington Sharks' Game, gift cards for the SES & SBMS students, and scholarship money for the SBHS graduating senior.
2021 Service Above Self Awards
Here is what the nominating teachers and faculty had to say about these students:
5th Grader: This year, we are pleased to award Leo Hunter with the Southport Evening Rotary Club’s “Service Above Self Award”. Leo is a 5th grader at Southport Elementary School, who demonstrates extraordinary behavior that exemplifies the values of this award. Leo is a hard worker, who comes to school every day with a positive attitude, and he is also prepared and ready to learn. He is always respectful, helpful, and kind to those around him, and Leo is always willing to lend a helping hand. He serves as a positive role model to his classmates in the classroom and on the playground. Leo is always eager to include others in group activities or playground games, and he enjoys going the extra mile to make Southport Elementary a great place to go to school. Leo is a thoughtful and kind young man, and we look forward to seeing all the amazing things he will do in middle school. Congratulations Leo on a job well done!
8th Grader: We would like to recommend South Brunswick Middle School 8th grader Xzavier Lance for the Service Above Self Award for 2020-2021. Xzavier is usually the first student to arrive in my classroom every morning. He always comes in with a smile and immediately says good morning and asks if his teachers have had a good evening. He acknowledges every person that comes in the room with a polite good morning or good afternoon and usually wishes them a good day. For many students, this is just a formality but with Xzavier it is easy to tell that he genuinely loves people and wants to ensure that everything is going well. We love watching him interact and help other students. He always volunteers to assist in any way that he can, whether it be cleaning up or helping other students figure things out. He is unfailingly optimistic and is always genuinely kind to all of his classmates even when it may not be reciprocated. His positivity is contagious.
Senior: There are times when the opportunity to serve falls in your lap, and at other times, we seek out the opportunity to serve. As the oldest child with a sibling with severe special needs, this student fell into the role of Service as the primary assistant for their sibling. This is done on a daily basis without complaint but with support and care.
This student also found a passion for music, not just for themselves, but to share that with others. She takes great enthusiasm in sharing her love and helping other students discover this passion for themselves. Through music, she has gained patience, learned to communicate, and persevered when things were tough. Having seen the role that music can play in students’ lives, she aspires to introduce students to the arts and help them find their purpose through this outlet. Zoe Brockenborough exemplifies the term servant-leader and will continue to serve others, to make their life more fulfilling and rich.
Congratulations to these three outstanding students who exemplify "Service Above Self".