November 2024 C.A.K.E. Award Recipients Announced

Congratulations to Brooklyn Nalley, a 1st grade learner attending Greenacres Elementary, and Aiden Moss, a 7th grade learner attending Alameda Middle School, who were chosen as the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 November C.A.K.E. award recipients. C.A.K.E. stands for Character, Attitude, Kindness and Encouragement.

Brooklyn was nominated by, Ms. Meghan Rios.  In her nomination letter, Ms. Rios wrote, “I am the Behavior Tech at Greenacres, and I visit Brooklyn's classroom frequently; I always see her participating during whole group instruction, cleaning up after herself and others, and saying kind things to her peers. Brooklyn has demonstrated great qualities of character on many occasions. In class when another student was very upset and crying, I witnessed Brooklyn say, ‘It's okay, there's always next time. Take a deep breath; I'll do it with you!’ Additionally, she was caught on camera boldly assisting another student on the playground who needed help standing up for themself and seeking an adult; this took a lot of bravery. When one of her classmates won a sub ticket, something students in her classroom can earn by having excellent behavior for a substitute teacher and can redeem for a prize, instead of being disappointed that it was not her - she celebrated that classmate and congratulated them genuinely. I am continuously impressed by her kindness, thoughtfulness, and desire to help others.”

Aiden was nominated by, Ms. Lyndsey Matthews. In her nomination letter, Ms. Matthews wrote, “Aiden is a great student, first and foremost. He takes his education very seriously. When Aiden comes to school, he is here to learn and then to chat and have fun with friends. I can always count on Aiden to be one of the most engaged learners in the room. He will answer my questions, give me a pity laugh for my bad jokes, and get his work done. Aiden will also help anyone around him who needs help. Because he is so capable, he finishes his work rather quickly, but he never wastes class time. If he is not working on other assignments or reading quietly, Aiden will be helping another student in the class who needs it. He will also push those students to genuinely try it themselves before he helps them. 

A couple of weeks ago, when students had the time to read or silently work on assignments, one of his peers from Honors Math needed some help. Aiden and I coined the term "struggle silently" that day. Aiden wouldn't help until that student tried, without disrupting others and with true intent, for at least 5 minutes until he agreed to help. And his helping was not giving this student the answers, but actually helping this student work on the formula and equation. When one of his friends tried to sneak AirPods in during class, Aiden politely called them out and told me. This really impressed me because most kids are very loyal to their friends and think I'm strict for not allowing AirPods. 

To Aiden, doing the right thing is what matters most. He truly demonstrates great Character, Attitude, Kindness, and Engagement. He is a great learner and all-around kid!”

Brooklyn and Aiden were recognized at the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, November 19, 2024. Our Partner for this award, Johnson Family McDonald's provides each learner and their nominators with a gift card, along with $50 to purchase books for the school’s media center in the recipients’ names. 

PCSD 25 believes a safe, supportive, caring and respectful environment is critical to student learning. The District Education Foundation, in partnership with McDonald’s, supports the Learner-of-the-Month C.A.K.E. Award to recognize students who show great character.  The district recognizes one elementary learner and one secondary learner from October through May. Nominations for the C.A.K.E. Award are submitted by a teacher who has observed the nominee’s behavior, and are approved by the school’s principal.