MORGAN HILL RESIDENT ANDRE’ THOM, a junior at MONTE VISTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL in Watsonville, has been honored with a President’s Volunteer Service Award.
The award recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities. It was presented by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, on behalf of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
Thom participated in the Spirit of Community program this year as a representative of Monte Vista.
Thom’s volunteer work has been done at Listen School, which serves developmentally disabled teens in Santa Cruz. When he visits the school, he plays sports with the students, goes on outings, and engages them in conversation. “Playing sports helps them learn how to follow rules, how to do things in sequence, and how to work as a team,” he said. “The most important part of what I do is being their friend.”
Sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program evaluates volunteer activities on criteria such as personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact, and personal growth.
Jeff Hoogeveen, assistant superintendent of academic affairs at Monte Vista, said he was glad to see Thom receive this recognition. “He’s a great student and he has a real commitment to reach out to people in need. Andre’ sets a good example for all of us.”
