Good Deeds Breakfast recognizes acts of consideration, maturity, kindness, and courage at Shepard

Schools celebrate academic, athletic, and artistic achievement in many ways, so Shepard High School’s decision to recognize acts of kindness, maturity, generosity, and good character felt most appropriate.

For students, however, the Good Deeds Breakfast caught them off guard.  They didn’t expect recognition, and that made administrators all the prouder.

“Think about it.  You didn’t have to return that iPhone or purse, you didn’t have to prevent a fight,” said Assistant Principal Carleton Rolland.  “Not everyone acts
like you did.  But what would our world look like if they did?”

Students recognized include Mike Andrasco, Ariana Brook, Xavier Bumpers, Ariana
Cisneros, Emilie Crofton, Jenifer Fitzgerald, Zaira Gomez, Kelly Kozlowski,
Tiffany Moreno, Noah Oprodek, Nathan Oquendo, Jennifer Rodriguez, Adam Samad, Davina Sanchez, Chris Verdin, and Amy Weiss. 

“I went to the bathroom and when I walked out I found a purse on the ground.  No one was around so I didn’t know whose it was, so I decided to take it to security,” Sanchez said.

Many others returned lost phones.  “I found a backpack outside, too, and turned it in,” Verdin said.

Thinking back about what motivated the return of lost items, students said they empathized with others.  “It feels good to know that I helped someone get their phone back,” said Crofton.  “Because if I had lost my phone, I would want
someone to turn it in so I could get it back, too.”

Dearion Stokes and Nick Loquercio faced tough decisions that required quick thought and action.  Like any other high school, Shepard occasionally experiences fights. 

Stokes intervened when he saw a teacher unable to separate two students. 

“Coming out of second period, a fight broke out and I saw a teacher try to break it up,” he said.  “But she couldn’t, so I pulled them apart until security came.”

“It feels good to know that I probably stopped two people from getting suspended,” said Loquercio, who prevented a fight from happening.

Receiving recognition and a breakfast in their honor left students feeling proud. 

“It feels good, but I wasn’t expecting anything like this because I didn’t think it was a major act that deserved recognition,” Fitzgerald said.

“It feels great knowing that I helped someone.  The fight could have been bloody and someone could have been hurt.  The breakfast is just a bonus,” Stokes said.