LAHS Principal Brad Parker questions Ruby Selvage about her roller derby experience as she begins her roller derby career with the Los Alamos Derby Dames Junior league, the Cherry Bombs. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen
The smiling Selvages, Derek, Kim and Ruby, after learning that the reasons called to Principal Brad Parker’s Office at LAHS Wednesday were all good ones. Photo by Bernadette LauritzenC’YA News:
Champions of Youth Ambitions (C’YA) ended the month of March with the presentation of the first annual Community Youth Award.
When the 2015 year ended without a single youth being nominated for the annual Community Asset Awards, the Board of Directors knew the community valued youth enough to do it, sometimes the end of the year wrap up, just leaves somethings off the to-do list.
So even though anyone can be nominated throughout the year for the annual event, the team decided it was too important for youth to go unmentioned and important enough to highlight monthly.
So March 2016 kicked off the first of their Community Youth Awards with Ruby Selvage being brought to the attention of the board by community member Corrina Hughes.
“Ruby has a wonderful, positive attitude in everything she does,” Hughes said. “She is very involved and is always happy to help and also seems to bring out the best in others around her.”
Hughes found her to be an outstanding role model for other young ladies with her volunteer work, by demonstrating leadership with her efforts for the United Way by being proactive and patient. That patience and leadership will show off on the playing field, too, or the roller rink as the case may be. Selvage recently started playing roller derby.
“A little toughness and fun are great things to add to her resume,” Hughes said. “Thank you for all that you do, Ruby!”
Ruby’s brother Derek was asked to conspire with C’YA after LAHS Principal Brad Parker agreed to make the first presentation. Derek informed his mother after a lunch date that she was required to sign papers in the principal’s office.
When Ruby was summoned to Mr. Parker’s office under similar pretense, all fears were alleviated when Parker began to read the nomination for the Community Youth Award aloud to those in attendance.
Selvage received a gift bag of sweet treats to reward her good work. The contents remain a secret for now, but calls awareness to fact that the student is still a kid at heart, pays homage to their teens and reminds them to take time with friends along the way.
Community members Claire and Martyn Swinhoe and the Preceptor Beta Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi were the first to make donations to the project.
The 501-c-3 asks residents to donate $5 to the program or bake a plate of cookies, present them to a teenager and send a photo to document their good deed.
To nominate a youth for the monthly project or anyone of any age for the annual awards event, forms are available by emailing cya.org@att.net.
