HALL HIGH'S KEY CLUB PRESIDENT VALARIE VALDEZ RECEIVES
TULLIO JACUZZI OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARD

From 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Monday, 4 February 2008, Thomson Hall at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Little Rock was the site for the Tullio Jacuzzi Outstanding High School Senior Awards Banquet, hosted each year by the Kiwanis Club of Pulaski Heights (sponsor for the Key Club of Hall High School). In addition to presenting awards, Pulaski Heights Kiwanis Sponsored Youth Chair John Goss (who also serves as the Missouri-Arkansas coordinator for the Kiwanis-sponsored Key Leader program) outlined the mission ("changing the world, one child and one community at a time") and values shared by the entire Kiwanis International family of service organizations (Kiwanis, Aktion Club, Circle K, Key Club, Builders Club, Kiwanis Kids). Pulaski Heights Kiwanis President Vikki Stefans delivered remarks emphasizing the tremendous service potential of today's high school students. The program also included yearly perfect-attendance awards to Pulaski Heights Kiwanians,
among them Hall High's Key Club Faculty Advisor Alita Mantels (previously named Kiwanian of the Year) and longtime member Tullio Jacuzzi (credited with 60 years of perfect Kiwanis attendance). (It is noteworthy that all Tullio Jacuzzi's children graduated from Hall High School: Linda in 1966, Richard in 1967, Kathleen in 1969, James in 1970, Jane in 1972, Nancy in 1976, Andrew in 1978, Julie in 1979, and Robert in 1982.)

Hall High's recipient of the prestigious 2008 Tullio Jacuzzi Outstanding High School Senior Award is Valarie Lynn Valdez, daughter of Christine Gausden and Daniel Gill. The following is an excerpt from her recommendation, provided by Pulaski Heights Kiwanian and Hall High Key Club Faculty Advisor Alita Mantels: "Valarie was elected president of Hall High's Key Club when it was re-chartered last fall and then re-elected last spring; she also serves as vice president of Hall High's PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association), Student Council, National Honor Society, and Beta Club. Because of her desire to improve service to her school and community through effective leadership, Valarie was sent (by the Kiwanis Club of Pulaski Heights) to Kiwanis International's Key Leader training (at Camp Ferncliff near Little Rock) during September 2006; because of her exemplary leadership after that training, she was chosen to serve as a student facilitator for Key Leader training (at Camp Winnamocka outside Arkadelphia) during November 2007. While maintaining an above-average academic standing, Valarie has worked tirelessly during 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 to exemplify and spread Key Club and Key Leader values throughout Hall High School and the Little Rock community. (The core values of Key Club [the world's largest student-led service organization, www.keyclub.org] are leadership, character-building, caring, and inclusiveness; its vision is to develop competent, capable, and caring leaders through the vehicle of service. The mission of Key Leader [www.key-leader.org] is to inspire young people to achieve their personal best through service leadership; its objects are personal integrity [doing the right thing], personal growth [developing in mind, body, and spirit], respect [showing consideration for self, others, and property], building community [developing relationships to achieve positive goals], and pursuit of excellence [expecting and achieving the best].) Valarie is an impressive example of a Key Clubber and Key Leader in action."

ALITA MANTELS