First Do The Right Thing Program of new school year honors students from Bayshore Elementary, North Fort Myers High
Staring the school year right by doing the right thing had local students honored by an ongoing program by the Lee County Sheriff s Office.
Each month throughout the 2011-2012 school year, the Lee County Sheriff s Office honors the positive actions of our community’s students through the Do The Right Thing Student Recognition Program.
The goal of Do The Right Thing is to reinforce positive behavior among youths and to establish students as role models for their peers, said John McGraw, who heads the program.
Do The Right Thing partners law enforcement, local government, the business and Lee County educational community together in an effort to make a lasting positive impact on our community’s young adults.
Bayshore Elementary in North Fort Myers has been the program’s top elementary school for several years in a row.
“We were the only elementary school honored for the first awards for the school year,” Principal Lynn Herrell said. “We are very proud of the two students who helped a new kindergarten student. That caring is the spirit around here.
Claudia Miguel and Jer mari Buchanon are both from Fort Myers and fourth grade students.
The students were nominated by first grade teacher Tammy Morrison of Bayshore, who wrote in her nomination letter that Claudia and Jer mari helped a new kindergarten student at their school. The child was crying because she was lost and could not find her classroom. Claudia and Jer mari observed what was happening and decided to console and help the child. After helping her calm down, they took her to the school office and found out where she needed to be. Then they walked with her to the correct classroom.
Making a positive start for what could be a lasting school memory for that child made the caring students special, Principal Herrell said.
Other honorees included two from North Fort Myers High School.
North Fort Myers High School students Luke Gainey and Cesar Valencia, both of Cape Coral were honored with Austin Strong of Cape Coral, a student at Edison Collegiate High School.
The three helped beautify a local school through volunteering this past summer. Another North Fort Myers student, Kyle Christopher Hebrank of Cape Coral, was nominated by his sister for a more than heroic act.
“He saved my life in what could have been a car jacking or a kidnapping,” she said.
Look for a more detailed report in the next issue of The North Fort Myers Neighbor (Oct. 3 issue) on the local North Fort Myers High School students.