The State Board of Education Thursday honored 15 public school students who have demonstrated acts of kindness and compassion with the 2018 Student Heroes Award, including one from Odessa High School.
The students range from a first-grade student to high school seniors.
Their good deeds include blanket drives, raising funds to provide free chemotherapy treatments, and launching efforts to make sure no child eats lunch isolated and alone.
These students are recipients of the 2018 Student Heroes Award. One recipient is selected per State Board district. Local ceremonies are being held to present the award to each student, who receives a plaque and certificate.
Impacted by a suicide in her own family, Mayely Carrasco, a sophomore at Odessa High School, wanted to make sure that no student struggled alone with depression, a news release stated.
She created a suicide prevention group that meets weekly. The group provides support and encouragement to classmates. Carrasco also helped make a video to educate students and staff about teen suicide and provides informational material about community resources.
