ALABASTER – Five Chelsea students were honored with Character in Action Awards at Family Connection Inc. on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

“We see children make poor decisions,” said Juvenile Court Judge James Kramer, who initiated the awards. “I was hoping we could get something to show the good decisions kids are making.”

Though the students honored have strong academic records, Emily Littrell, school social worker with Shelby County Schools, said the awards are focused on students’ character.

“This award was created to celebrate the positives in our kids and our schools,” Littrell said.

Each Chelsea school nominated one student for the award.

For the first time, the honorees included two siblings.

The students’ parents were also recognized for their work in raising children who are good examples for their classmates.

“We also want to acknowledge what parents are doing on the homefront to instill good values in their children,” Littrell said.

Award recipients included:

• Lilly Blevins, Mt Laurel Elementary School. “Lilly treats others with utmost respect,” read the student’s nominating form, in part. “She is considerate of other people’s opinions and feelings. When a friend did not make the school math team, Lilly did not hesitate to walk over to the friend and tell her that it was OK and that she did a good job. She is very respectful and polite to all teachers and staff.”
• Sara Mae Blevins, Chelsea High School. “Sara has a very kind heart and has a special bond with a group of students at our school. For the last couple of years, Sara has been a special peer in our special needs classroom. Through this experience Sara has been able to participate in many activities including Special Olympics and Special Needs Prom. Sara loves these students and finds joy in working with them every day.”
• Tanner MacNicol, Chelsea Middle School. “Tanner chooses his friendships wisely. However, I have seen Tanner in a situation where students were ridiculing another student, and he chose to not laugh and join in. He actually encouraged those around him to stop by just shaking his head no. Several students followed his lead. The ridiculed student walked away and so did Tanner. Others followed. I admire how he made a good choice and took others down that path with him.”
• Joseph Peters, Forest Oaks Elementary. “Joseph consistently comes to class prepared to give his best. I truly have never seen a more hard-working student. Whenever I give him a task, he attends to it and completes it to the best of his potential. He perseveres when he faces challenges, but also knows when to ask for help. On one occasion, Joseph studied and practiced on his own for a fifth grade math test. As a result, he scored a perfect score on his own. When others shied away from the work or complained of the difficulty of the skills, he leaned in and was rewarded for his perseverance.”
• Jordan Webster, Chelsea Park Elementary School. “Jordan always goes the extra mile to make everyone feel good. He reaches out to those that seem to distance themselves from others. I have witnessed Jordan offer his snow cone money to a student that was the only one that did not have one. At the book fair, Jordan noticed that one of his friends did not have money, and he offered to buy him something. Jordan exhibits the character of a true friend. He has a heart of gold!”