JDCHS student leaders receive service award

Friday, Jul. 28, 2023

DRAPER — Juan Diego Catholic High School student leaders returned from a recent camp with an award  and tons of ideas on how to make the upcoming school year the best ever for their peers.

Twenty-eight students from the incoming sophomore, junior and senior classes and their student body officers participated in the June 5-7 Utah State University Leadership Camp. During the camp they participated in workshops, round tables, a ropes course, a volleyball game, a dance and training to help them plan events and assemblies for the upcoming school year. They also heard from keynote speakers, who included past student leaders.

The camp, which draws student leaders from all across the state, allowed JDCHS student leaders to meet with their peers at Judge Memorial CHS to see how they can foster connection between the two schools and their student bodies.

This year’s camp was a very beneficial experience, said JDCHS senior student body officer Hannah Bradshaw, who attended the camp for the third time.

“The most helpful part of the camp is spending those three days with your student government just to fully think about next year and bond together and have ideas for what’s going to happen,” she said.

At the camp, the JDCHS students received the school service award, which is given to the school whose students pitched in the most and were the most helpful during the camp.

“To be recognized with the school service award acknowledges our commitment as a school to servant leadership and it shows in our students,” said JDCHS Director of Student Activities Nathan Tack. “Our motto is ‘Spiritus Donorum,’ or the spirit of giving, and these students truly exemplify that by giving their time and talents to many others.”

“I am so proud of our team of students who exemplified what it means to be a JD student and leader by being servant leaders throughout the week and assisting the conference staff and fellow students in many ways,” Tack said.

Bradshaw credited Tack’s efforts in ensuring the students live out the school motto for their success; he has taught the students that they represent not just Juan Diego but all Catholic schools, she said. “We’re not just representing a random school; we have a name behind us.”

While other awards were given out, this one was the most meaningful to the Juan Diego students, she said.

“We all collectively wanted this award because we felt like we deserved it; we really worked for it,” she said. “Getting the hospitality award feels like something we all collectively tried to achieve, by trying to be helpful.”