OWINGS MILLS -- During the Maryland Center for Character Education awards banquet at Stevenson University, Catoctin High senior Dayna Valek sat at a conference table flanked by adults.
She was joined by Catoctin High guidance counselor Dana Brashear and physical education teacher Mike Franklin.
The celebration of Character Education is attended mostly by adults: teachers, principals, guidance counselors. They came from across the state to accept awards for their schools being top character education schools.
Students are welcome to attend, and Dayna did just that. She did not want to miss an opportunity to learn new leadership skills, and she knew it was important to represent her high school.
So there she was, in a room full of mostly adults, participating in workshops.
When Dayna arrived at Catoctin High, she wanted to use her voice for good. She’s become an invaluable member of her senior class, a leader in every sense of the word.
Consider: Dayna is Catoctin High’s senior class president, the Student Government Association President and the National Honor Society president.
That’s a lot of responsibility. It means she’s planning school dances, fundraising events and volunteer opportunities year round.
All this, while taking a difficult course load. Last year, she loaded up on Advanced Placement courses. This year, she’s participating in Frederick Community College dual enrollment opportunities.
She credited Catoctin High’s welcoming atmosphere for giving her the leadership opportunities she desired. She’s been heavily involved in extracurricular activities since her freshman year. This is her third year serving as class president.
It’s never easy volunteering and completing leadership roles, which is one of the reasons Dayna said she sought them out.
“I had to find my voice,” she said. “It wasn’t going to come to me. I had to go and find it.”
Dayna ran for Student Member of the Board of Education twice. And while she wasn’t elected, she did not let that stop her. She continues to push for what’s best for the Catoctin High student body. During each of her three years as a class president, Catoctin High has been named a top Maryland School for Character Education.
“Not only has Dayna excelled, but Dayna learned and actually put what she learned into practice,” Catoctin High teacher Kati Heefner said. “Not many people, even adults, would be able to do this. She is the definition of having a growth mindset.”
It should come as no surprise that Dayna aspires to attend college and focus on political science. She’s not done serving, not done helping others, not done leading her peers.
-- Brandon Oland