Rotarian Vincent Chiravalle presents a Distinguished Student of Service award to LAHS student Alea Kretz, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos as her parents, Matthew and Jamie Kretz, share the moment with LAHS teacher Kyla Hooker, September 22, at the United Church of Los Alamos. Photo by Kurt Schoenberg.

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 fi rst 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 22, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos presented Alea Kretz, a Los Alamos High School student with aDistinguished Student of Service award. Alea is indeed one who has made service part of her life and she is a very well- rounded student. Alea is a member of the National Honor Society and she is a 2 time NHMEA All State musician. She is a member of the LAHS Choir Council and LAHS Choir Octet, as well as the LAHS Schola Cantorum where she is a sectionleader. Alea is also an MPA Student Manager, and a cantor in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Youth Choir.

In addition to these activities Alea is a member of the Varsity Tennis team where she was captain for 2 years. She is astudent athletic trainer, participates in Los Alamos County Odyssey of the Mind, where she was a captain for 8 years, and she works as a Los Alamos STEAM Lab employee.

Alea shared with the Club one of the challenges facing today’s youth; namely the global loneliness crisis and lack of social connection that raises mental and physical health risks. In her essay Alea describes how her participation in community service activities has helped create opportunities for connection to combat loneliness:

“Mother Teresa said “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” I try to live this out in my service in order to do what I can to help combat the loneliness in my community. I sing in multiple different vocal groups throughout our community, both in and out of school. Taking time to provide people with music has created a lot of connections. One of my choirs started out with very few members. I invited people to join and encouraged and helped them stick to the commitment even when it was hard. Another way I serve in my community is through mentoring and working with younger members of the community. I do this through the Odyssey of the Mind and working at the Los Alamos STEAM Lab. I provide a listening ear and genuine interest in what the kids are doing. This helps younger people to know there are people who genuinely care about them for who they are. There are so many forms of community service, which is beneficial because people can find something they truly enjoy and are passionate about as well as find a community of equally passionate people with which to serve. These connections further the larger community beyond just school, and combat the national loneliness crisis.”

The Rotary Club of Los Alamos feels that this is a very worthy effort and commends Alea for her service to the youth in Los Alamos. When receiving the award Alea was joined by her parents Matthew and Jamie Kretz and LAHS teacher Kyla Hooker, who nominated her for the award. Rotarian Vincent Chiravalle conducted the award ceremony.