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BUTLER - Schmidt earns award
(by Stephen Janoski - Staff Writer - June 29, 2008)
BUTLER - Butler High School student Stephanie Ann Schmidt was presented with Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership Award on May 10 in a ceremony at West Point, NY. The award recognizes high school juniors who exhibit exceptional performance and leadership qualities in the areas of athletics, leadership, academics, service to the community, and overall good citizenship.
High schools are allowed to select one student, male or female, to receive the award.
A committee selected Butler High School’s winner and is made up of guidance counselors and the school’s principal, William Hanisch. The Parent’s Club of West Point sponsors the award.
“I was actually kind of shocked,” said the 16-year-old Schmidt, who has lived in Bloomingdale since she was 3. “They called me down to the office to tell me, but I was worried that I did something wrong. Then they told me, ‘No, no, it’s a good thing!’ I am really excited and honored.”
On top of her schoolwork, Schmidt competes year round in gymnastics as a representative not only of Butler High, but also of the Paramus Eastern National Academy of Gymnastics located in Paramus.
Schmidt was in awe of West Point, saying, “It was so nice up there, really pretty. We got a tour, and I said, ‘Hmm… maybe I should go here.’ But I’m not cut out for the military.”
The award was presented in Eisenhower Hall and followed by lunch. Her mother, Christine Schmidt, and her brother, Michael Schmidt, accompanied her.
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