By Barry Villamil
The Rotary Club of Pearlridge (RCOP) is honored to congratulate and celebrate the Highlands Intermediate Student Council for being recognized as 2024 National Gold Council of Excellence Award recipients by the National Association of Student Councils (NASC). The Highlands Intermediate Student Council is also the Highlands Interact Club which is supported and mentored by the Rotary Club of Pearlridge.
On Saturday, April 27, 2024, Rotary Club of Pearlridge President Dick Mosko and RCOP Interact Youth Leadership Program Director and RCOP President-Elect Barry Villamil, were both invited to attend the Highlands Student Council, 2024 National Gold Council of Excellence Award and Induction ceremony held at Dave & Buster’s Pa’ina Hale in Honolulu. RCOP President Mosko spoke to the Highlands Student Council national award winners, Highlands Student Activities Coordinator Eric White, and the students’ family and supporters while presenting them with a $200.00 congratulatory check to support and celebrate their exceptional leadership and community service oriented national award.
Eric White, Student Activities Coordinator, Highlands Intermediate School
“The Highlands Student Council is also the Highlands Intermediate Interact Club, training leaders through service for nearly 4 years now. Ever since we created the Interact Club our connection to the community has grown leaps and bounds through many service projects and activities. We look forward to working and learning from our mentors, our sponsors, Rotary Club of Pearlridge, for many more years to come!”
Dick Mosko, President, Rotary Club of Pearlridge
“The Rotary Club of Pearlridge is extremely proud of the prestigious award that the Student Council of Highlands Intermediate School has been awarded. This is a highly prized award to the very best Student Councils in schools. Congratulations for their hard work, leadership, dedication and outstanding agenda they planned and successfully carried out through the year. It is a testament to their character and leadership qualities they have developed over time.
Any successful program always has an outstanding advisor leading and guiding them to develop, execute and conduct agendas and programs for their fellow school students. This is attributed to their mentor and highly successful advisor, Eric White. He has demonstrated time and again the qualities of motivating the school’s Student Council and developing them to be future leaders in our society in the future. Eric, congratulations for a job well done and helping the students be a contribution to their school, their fellow students and their community.“
The Rotary Club of Pearlridge is proud to support the national award winning Highlands Intermediate Student Council and Highlands Interact Club with annual financial support and leadership mentorship generously provided by the Pearl City Shopping Center Merchants Association and Eric Fujimoto (RCOP Board member) and Ho’ea – The Foundation.
Through the Highlands Intermediate Student Council and Highlands Interact Club, our partnership plays an integral role in supporting the students academically, as well as in the community while volunteering side by side on monthly sustainable, environmental, and beautification and clean-up projects in the spirit of Rotary International and Service Above Self.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Photos by Barry Villamil | MyPearlCity.com
Video by Eric White, | Student Activities Coordinator, Highlands Intermediate School
Highlands Intermediate Student Council Earns National Award
Pearl City, HI — For its exemplary record of leadership, service and activities that improve the school and community, the Highlands Intermediate Student Council has been recognized as a 2024 National Gold Council of Excellence by the National Association of Student Councils (NASC). The NASC program is supported by its parent organization, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
The 2024 – 2025 school year exceeded expectations by providing the best, most fun and memorable experience possible for the nearly 900 students at Highlands Intermediate! The Highlands Student Council was able to accomplish this by implementing the Nintendo school theme to the maximum in all student activities and school organizations. Starting with the super amazing Welcome Back Assembly 2024 “Game On!”, the fun didn’t stop through the dozens of other amazing themed events throughout the year! On top of that, every goal set by the Highlands Student Council at the beginning of the year was met and exceeded! Wow! Wow! Wow!
“Receiving a National Gold Council of Excellence Award reflects the amazing dedication of the students and school to make their community a better place,” said NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe. “Highlands Intermediate has gone above and beyond in elevating student voice to ensure they are establishing a positive climate and culture, as well as fostering academic and social growth for all.”
“This is my 17th year as Student Activities Coordinator at Highlands Intermediate School and every year I ask myself, “How are we going to top this year? How can it get better than this?” Sure enough, we did it… and by leaps and bounds! This was the most amazing school year ever! I just want to thank this year’s Student Council for putting in the work and having the dedication to making our activities and our program the best it could be!” Mr. White, Highlands Intermediate Student Activities Coordinator
A student council must meet a variety of criteria to earn the National Gold Council of Excellence Award. In addition to basic requirements such as a written constitution, regular meetings and a democratic election process, the councils must have demonstrated successful sponsorship and participation in activities such as leadership development and service to the school and community. Learn more about the National Council of Excellence Awards.