The Barrington School District 220 board paid special tribute to some current and former locals at the last meetings of the year.
At the Nov. 1 meeting, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Steven Blake, a Barrington High school alum, was honored as part of Veterans Day tributes.
Blake led the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the meeting.
SD220 Superintendent Robert Hunt said at the meeting that the board always aims “to recognize a student in our district that has gone above and beyond,” calling Blake a “star spangled student.”
Blake graduated from BHS in 2012 and went on to attend U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, the superintendent explained. Blake graduated from there in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in logistics and intermodal transportation.
Hunt said Blake has since gone on to receive several awards, such as the Humanitarian Service Award and the Navy Marine Corps’ Achievement Medal.
Blake is currently assistant officer in charge of Strategic Sealift Readiness Group, which is composed of U.S. Merchant Marine officers working to train the Sealift Force to promote operational readiness, Hunt explained.
“I’ve been around most of the world by now,” Blake said at the meeting, “and my time in Barrington, really above anything else, prepared me for global service and for my craft.”
He pointed to the leadership skills he gained during his time as a BHS student, along with the knowledge he has gained of different world cultures.
At the end of his speech, Blake thanked the town of Barrington and gave advice to students currently at BHS: “This is a good place to learn. Ask each other questions and just have an open mind.”
Also at a 2022 meeting, the board recognized four student athletes for their achievements in the Special Olympics last spring.
Honored were Angel Zavala, who won 3rd place in mini javelin and 4th place in the 100m run; Cathy Conover, who took 2nd place in the 220m run; Connor Burns, for his 1st place finish in tennis throw; and Will Karsten, the 5th place winner of mini javelin.
The student-athletes were coached by SD220 social worker Hal Kline and special education teacher Jaclyn Pink.
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Kline told Pioneer Press that the track and field team practiced once a week for 10 weeks to prepare for the Special Olympics spring games.
“Every week, we ran drills to practice different track and field skills, such as long-distance runs, short distance sprints, long jumps, and throwing javelins,” he said. “I couldn’t be prouder of these athletes for their hard work last season and I’m so proud to be their coach! It was an incredible experience to be recognized by the school board.”
Joseph Arnone is a freelancer.