Sanford Middle School 8th-graders Olivia Farrington and Jack Van Gieson were recently awarded the Elks Junior Students of the Year at a banquet dinner at the Elks Club.
Farrington and Van Gieson were selected by middle school staff and their peers for the award. They were honored by Principal Pam Lydon and Assistant Principals Mike Bailey and Joe Mastraccio at the dinner. Jack and Olivia have been inspiring role models for their classmates and younger students.
Farrington's goal heading into the school year was to put her head down and focus on getting good grades. The award was a pleasant surprise.
"For me, it meant a lot because I have two older siblings that I look up to, and they set pretty high standards," Farrington said. "This whole time, I was trying to push to get good grades and be a good student. And then I got an award for it. I was like, 'What the heck?' That was really special to me."
While excelling in the classroom, Farrington participated in band, chorus, and track and field. She competed in the javelin and shot put in track and field. She plans to take on all those activities in the fall when she heads to high school.
When Farrington looked back on this school year, she said simply hanging out with the theater students and talking to them was one of her most memorable moments.
"They're super nice, super kind," she said. "They listen, and it was a super fun time to be around. So I feel like anytime I was around them, it was one of my favorite times this year."
Van Gieson is a part of the theater group Farrington hangs out with. Acting has been a passion for Van Gieson since he was younger. He recently played the role of Prince Eric in the middle school's Little Mermaid Jr. play last month. Van Gieson also competed on the school's wrestling team.
Managing wrestling and theater while maintaining good grades took hard work, and he was happy to see the results pay off.
"It is a huge honor," Van Gieson said. "I worked really hard this year, and to see me get rewarded for that. That was really nice."
Van Gieson looked back on the production and commitment from everyone involved in the Little Mermaid Jr. play and was thrilled with how it came out.
"It was just monumental," Van Gieson said. "Because of all the dedication, hard work that got put into it. And then it came out to be a great product."
Wrestling will continue participating in theater and wrestling when he heads to high school in the fall. His older brother, Mason Van Gieson, is currently on the high school wrestling, and Jack hopes to lean on Mason for guidance and put him under his wing.
SIDEBAR
Three things Jack Van Gieson would bring on a deserted island: A machete, a water purifier, and a lighter
Fun Fact: One athlete Jack looks up to is Olympic wrestler Jordan Burroughs
Favorite Social Media: "I don't have Instagram or TikTok, but I do have Facebook. I'm secretly a 50-year-old."
Three things Olivia Farrington would bring on a deserted island: A LifeStraw so she can have filtered water, a machete, and a blanker
Fun Fact: She can make a fire without matches or a lighter
Favorite Social Media: Snapchat