Springfield High School Spotlight “Teen Leadership Award” By Liam Kurasz On May 1, four Springfield students received the Group Teen Leadership Award of Lucas County at the 11th annual awards ceremony. This award recognized their hard work to break the stigma, and raise awareness about mental health.
They were nominated by their advisor, Andrea Smith. Behind the scenes, Liam Kurasz and Olivia Colvin work within the middle school and intermediate building in an internship called Share the Shine. They, alongside Mrs. Smith, work to help and teach the young minds in the district important values such as boundaries, closure and self-worth. Share the Shine also values the importance of giving these students the opportunity to give back to their community. They have been able to help the Dwelling Place church, Sunshine communities, as well as make blankets for hospice. Alongside the internship, Drew Bensmen and Alexa Bellman have been crucial members of the Springfield Coalition. They have been active members for multiple years, giving a younger perspective to decisions being made about the district. Together, these kids have been able to make such an amazing impact in so many lives. Their hard work and determination is taking them to great places.
When asked, Mrs. Smith had wonderful things to say about these individuals, “Drew has been with the coalition the longest—four years. I’m really proud of the leader that he’s transforming into. He’s great, because not only does he advocate for healthy lives for youth, he lives one. Alexa joined the coalition two years ago. Since the moment she joined, she’s been very open, vulnerable and engaged. Alexa and Drew attended the National CADCA Youth Leadership Conference and came back with several ideas on how we could make Springfield a better place to live. Olivia and Liam, while it is both of their first years with the coalition, jumped in with both feet. Both quickly became very involved and landed paid internships teaching Share the Shine in the MS and Holland. Olivia has really come out of her shell and it’s cool to see how the younger students relate to her. She’s been a sweet addition to SAPC. Liam has really grown a lot in a short period of time. She has great energy and really takes charge when she’s leading a session. The students easily look up to her because she always opens up and gives personal examples when teaching. These youth are huge role models and our district is lucky to have such a wonderful group.”
