By. K.D. Norris
There are now 30 names on special purple and white banners hanging in the gym at Wyoming High School, including recent additions Julyssa Barajas-Gutierrez and Adrian Ngo.
But none are football or basketball players; they are “Champions of Character”.
Barajas-Gutierrez, a sophomore, is a band member, a person known for helping other students in and out of class, and, according to one nominating student, “the nicest person I’ve ever met.”
Ngo, a senior, is member of the National Honors Society and the National ART Honors Society, is seen as a roll model by many other students, and, according to one nominating teacher, is “composed of the desire to encourage others so all might feel success.”
On Dec. 7, as they have at the end of each semester for the last three three school years, Wyoming students and teachers honored six exemplary students with the Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character Award — two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors.
The ceremony was attended by the student body, special guests from the Wyoming community, City of Wyoming city and public safety leaders, school district administration and the Wyoming Board of Education members. There was also a special flag ceremony.
A special guest at the recent ceremony was the staff of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan and its executive director, Christy Buck, who spoke about the group’s Be Nice initiative. The program works in schools and the community to provide simple, common sense, ways to prevent suicide and be proactive to other dangers resulting from mental illness.
The Alpha Wolf program was led by teachers Jonathan Bushen and John Doyle, who started the program three years ago modeled on a program at Grandville high school, where he kids attended. But many teachers and staff members were involved.
As announced to the crowd, the Alpha Wolf is a rare and special breed — a power unto him or herself. They’re at their strongest when they empower their peers. Proactive in helping others and ever striving to set a high standard for those around them, they lead by example, going the extra mile to help a schoolmate feel welcome, spreading good cheer to all and displaying good character. On a scale of 1 to 10, the Alpha Wolf is an 11 in everything they do.
In addition to Barajas-Gutierrez and Ngo, the other first semester Alpha Wolfs were sophomore Erika Hernandez, juniors Becca Hanson and Gabriela Martinez Bello, and senior Brooke Elzinga.
Hernandez is described as someone who “settles for nothing less than excellence in all things” but “when a classmate is struggling in class, this student is the first one there to help and give encouragement.” Bello, who is also Miss Belleza West Michigan 2017, was described as “a gifted speaker this wolf is; she speaks not only for what is right, but for the rights of all.” Elzinga is described “as a leader, a member of student council, a cheerleader, a friend to all. Everyone knows this student is the definition of an Alpha Wolf.”
Hanson, in a supplied essay written after winning the Alpha Wolf award, explained the uniqueness of being so honored.
“In the past, I have sometimes been noticed for my grades and for my activity in extracurriculars, but I have never been noticed for my character and was not expecting to be seen as a good person,” Hanson said. “People receive awards for what they do, that’s the premise of awards, but this award, it’s different. This award celebrates who a person is and separates the receiver from what he/she has done — so powerful because many people feel like they are their accomplishments, not themselves.”
