Discus Awards

 Abigail Cline is a junior in high school from Florida who has already accomplished some amazing things in the attributes of arts, community service, and green.  One of her most impressive projects involves her work in the arts.  About 3 years ago, Abigail started learning American Sign Language (ASL) through her Drama program.  During her junior year, Abigail was charged with the task of leading her Drama program's performance of Hairspray; the catch was that the entire performance was to be both signed and voiced by the entire cast so the hearing-impaired members of the audience could also enjoy the performance.  As Abigail describes her experience, "I translated the lyrics and script, taught it to the 60-person cast, and we all performed it for thousands of people, many of which were Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing."

In addition to her great theater project, Abigail has done research and participated in programs focused on environmental conservation and also been recognized for her acting performances.  Read more about Abigail's impressive work in her winner's profile.

Filed under: Discus Dan • All-Around High School Students • Discus Award Winner of the Day

For you pet owners out there, losing your furry friend is a nightmare that you wouldn't wish on even your most bitter enemy.  Sadly, a large majority of lost pets are never returned to their owner.  Enter Allie Woodhouse, high school sophomore from Texas and a '10-'11 Discus Award winner.  In the seventh grade, Allie founded an organization designed to help return lost pets to their owners.  In just 4 years, more than 150 lost pets have been returned to their owner through Allie's neighborhood-wide program.

Allie is now taking this show on the road, presenting to other communities in her area and educating them on responsible pet ownership.  She also helps these communities set up what she calls "pet registries," which is a database and email system that helps return the lost creatures to their owners.  As a result of this project and her other community service work, Allie was awarded the President's Service Award in both her freshmen and sophomore years.

Allie is also a star in the classroom, where she is a straight "A" student and ranked in the top 5% of her class.  Additionally, she is a star on her school's speech and debate team, and when you mold all these incredible activities together, you have the Discus Award Winner of the Day.  Congratulations, Allie!

Filed under: Discus Dan • All-Around High School Students • Discus Award Winner of the Day

Allison Nguyen is a high school senior from Texas who was honored by the Discus Awards for her achievements in community service, arts, and academics. Her sweetest endeavor is Iced Capades Cakery, a project she founded with her friend that serves baked desserts to shelters around the country. Each month, Iced Capades Cakery donates more than 550 cupcakes to more than 225 children in homeless and women's shelters. Through this project, Allison is able to serve 7 shelters in Texas and also has chapters in California and New York. She has received fantastic attention for this program, including an appearance on the Rachael Ray Show (video below).

...continue reading

Filed under: Discus Dan • All-Around High School Students • Discus Award Winner of the Day

Jesse Darrow, a high school sophomore from Florida, is a 2010-2011 Discus Award winner, recognized for his achievements in community service, green, and other achievements.  At the beginning of his freshmen year, Jesse founded Operation Peanut Butter and Jelly, a program that provides weekend meals to the families of students enrolled in the free or reduced lunch programs at his high school.  In just one year, Operation PB&J has provided more than 32,000 meals to more than 120 people.

In addition to his more than 500 hours of work for Operation Peanut Butter and Jelly, Jesse leads his high school's Environment and Technology Committee. One of his responsibilities in this position includes running his school's recycling program through which he's helped recycle more than 200 tons of recyclable materials.  Jesse, explaining some of the other community service work he's involved in, writes, "I also volunteered for two years at my city's local nature facility, where I helped to lead nature walks, feed the animals, and test algae samples from local water sources."

Congratulations, Jesse, you are today's Discus Award Winner of the Day!

To read more about Jesse, visit his winner's profile.

Filed under: Discus Dan • All-Around High School Students • Discus Award Winner of the Day

Laura Wheeling, a high school senior from Idaho, was recognized as 2010-2011 Discus Award winner for her achievements in arts, athletics, and other achievements. Once a highly competitive gymnast, Laura's ability to overcome difficult challenges defines who she is and why you should know about her. Diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis her freshmen year, a chronic, inflammatory arthritis primarily affecting the spine, Laura was forced to give up gymnastics. She had been a gymnast for 14 years and was a Level 9 gymnast when she was forced to retire. During the course of her career, Laura qualified for 8 strate championships and 4 regional championships.  Even though she can no longer compete in gymnastics, she is currently in the process of being accredited as a gymnastics judge.

In addition to her passion for gymnastics, Laura is a junior representative for the band council and the lead singer, keyboardist, and guitarist in a local band She is also an actress who performed in a summer musical production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and a writer who has a poem published in a national middle school poetry anthology.

Laura on her future: "I'm looking forward to college and eventually medical school to pursue my dream of being a pediatric rheumatologist, to treat children like me, and advocate awareness for juvenile arthritis."

To learn more about Laura, visit her winner's profile.

Filed under: Discus Dan • All-Around High School Students • Discus Award Winner of the Day