Rotarian Vincent Chiravalle presents a Distinguished Student of Service award to LAHS student Evelyn Drake, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos as her parents, Adam and Tracy Drake, share the moment with LAHS teacher Christine Engelbrecht, September 8, at the United Church of Los Alamos. Photo by JamesWernicke.

BY VINCENT CHIRAVALLE
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

The motto of Rotary is Service Above Self. To support this motto in each academic year, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos honors “Distinguished Students of Service” in their junior year of high school. Students are first nominated by their teachers who are asked to select those who:

 Have given positive contributions to their high school and/or in the community;
 Have a good attitude toward learning;
 Are good citizens, are respectful of their peers and teachers; and
 Have good grades, attendance and classroom participation.

The Club then selects students based on demonstrated spirit of service and exemplification of the Rotary 4 Way Test:

 Is it the truth?
 Is it fair to all concerned?
 Will it build good will and better friendships?
 Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

On September 8 th the Rotary Club of Los Alamos presented Evelyn Drake, a Los Alamos High School student with a Distinguished Student of Service award. Evelyn is indeed one who has made service part of her life and she is a very well- rounded student. Evelyn is a member of Navy Junior Officer Reserve Training Corp (NJROTC). In addition Evelyn has volunteered for numerous service activities both at school and in the community. She has completed over 150 hours of community service during three years of high school, the majority of this time, up to 60 hours per year, with NJROTC.

In her essay Evelyn shared with the Club one of the challenges facing today’s youth; namely a struggle with self- centeredness and a tendency to rarely look beyond one’s own immediate needs. Evelyn described how community service has helped her place the needs of others before her own:

In the Navy the phrase “Service Before Self” describes sailors who prioritize the mission over personal gain. I have integrated this philosophy into my life through several community initiatives. For the past three years I have volunteered as a “faux Santa” for the Children’s Christmas Bazaar. I spent hours assembling and wrapping gifts for underprivileged children. Additionally, I have dedicated myself to the LA Cares Food Drive. Each year my NJROTC unit collects over 1,500 items for families in need. Through this initiative, I learned that food insecurity affects many families throughout Northern New Mexico. Finally, I volunteer at the Posse Lodge “Cowboy Breakfast”, where I vividly remember speaking with two Vietnam veterans about their service while clearing their table. This interaction taught me that giving back is not always about grand gestures; often it is about providing a listening ear and showing respect to those who have given so much to our country.

The Rotary Club of Los Alamos feels that this is a very worthy effort and commends Evelyn for her service to the youth in Los Alamos.

When receiving the award Evelyn was joined by her parents Adam and Tracy Drake and LAHS teacher Christine Engelbrecht, who nominated her for the award. Rotarian Vincent Chiravalle conducted the award ceremony