Megan Lamb, a seventh-grade student at St. Anne School, and Daniel Ryan, a sixth-grader at Whitman Middle School, are among 24 middle-school students in the greater Seattle area honored by the Mayor's Scholars Awards Program for service to their schools and communities. Each of the students received $500 that can be used for education or donated to a charity. They also were presented with a letterman's jacket and certificate. Mayor Greg Nickels presented the awards on May 30.
At an early age Lamb battled a life-threatening disease, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which she says has made her a stronger person. She plans to donate her award money to Children's Hospital for research.
Lamb gives back to her community by raising money for different charities. She organized a team of family and friends to climb up the Columbia Tower for the Big Climb for Leukemia. She also helps her grandmother make sandwiches and deliver them to a homeless shelter.
She hopes to make a difference in the world by going to college to research and find a cure for cancer or other diseases. In the words of one of her teachers: "Megan is not only a caring classmate, but also is the first to come to a student's aid at a time of need whether it is a social or physical problem."
Ryan, who lives in Magnolia, will divide his award between college and piano lessons. He likes to disassemble and reassemble electronics and says that the more complex they are, the more fun he has. His college plans are to study computers and become an IT professional, with a goal of inventing a hard drive that never runs out of space.
And speaking of drive ... last year when his mother was ill, Ryan helped care for her by preparing special meals for her, cooking for his family and cleaning the house. He also helped a fellow Boy Scout paint the school cafeteria, volunteered at Magnolia Historical Society events, served as a school crossing guard and volunteered at the library.
His elementary school principal says, "Danny is an exceptional young man who has great potential, not only due to his academic achievements but because of his 'heart work.'"
Criteria for selection include overcoming obstacles or meeting challenges, giving back to the community, and maintaining good academic standing. Students wrote short essays about how they contribute to their community and how they would use a $500 cash award. In addition, students were required to provide several recommendations from adults familiar with their service work.
The Mayor's Scholars Awards Program is coordinated by the Office for Education, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and is funded entirely through private donations to the Alliance for Education, a 501c3 organization. For more information, call 233-5118.
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