Student & Alumni Spotlight

Carys Walter

Carys is a top-tier student who should be recognized for her leadership skills. Though she carries a 4.0 GPA and her test scores are in the 99th percentile, those are not the things most notable about her. 

What is truly admirable and exceptional about Carys is how she has responded in intelligent and meaningful ways to needs she has encountered in our immediate community and the world. Starting in middle school she handmade scarves and sold them to raise money for hurricane relief in the Philippines. Working with both her church and our school, she headed up creating care bags for the homeless and boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Taking the boxes a step further, she traveled to Denver to help volunteer at the central distribution center where thousands of boxes where prepared for shipping. When she became aware that some missionary friends of ours in Uganda had their valuables stolen, she organized her classmates to make items to sell. The students raised enough money to replace the stolen electronics, which was their main way to communicate with their friends and family back home. Carys also raised money to go on a three service-learning trips to Oaxaca, Mexico. There she used her Spanish skills to visit and read with the children at the Campo Real School.

Being an exceptionally gifted student, Carys has chosen to benefit others less fortunate and younger than herself in many different areas.  After competing in middle school in the Future Cities Engineering Competition for three years, she has continued to mentor subsequent teams. We have an all-school musical theater production for students K– 12. Not only has she had prominent roles but also she has volunteered and was selected to be the dance captain and then Director’s assistant. After excelling in dance competitions she worked with one of her peers to offer classes to younger students as an entrepreneurial endeavor. She has handled all of these challenging roles with diligence and optimism. 

Carys has quietly spent countless volunteer hours after school and in the summer working behind the scenes in all of our school activities: painting, cleaning, baking, making costumes, organizing, editing, childcare, whatever is needed. Her cheerful attitude is encouraging for the adults and an example to her peers.