St. Thomas student receives top award

On March 17 at a special buffet breakfast at The Metropolis in Arlington Heights, Daniel Walsh of Palatine received a Student Recognition Award from the Illinois Principals Association of the North Cook Region.

Regional Director Dr. Michael Merritt and guest speaker WGN personality Paul Konrad presented the awards to the recipients.

Walsh was one of 25 recipients chosen from thousands of students in the North Cook Region. Elementary, middle and high school students, in the fifth, eighth and 12th grades who exemplified the traits of responsibility, dedication, compassion and leadership were nominated by their principals for the honor.

"Daniel is a role-model; he is a leader in the school community," said Mary Brinkman, principal of St. Thomas of Villanova School. "It was hard to choose one, but Daniel stood out consistently."

An eighth-grade student at St. Thomas of Villanova School in Palatine, Walsh regularly serves at Mass and is part of the "buddy program" with the school's third-graders. He has been part of the Appalachia Project to fix houses for people in Appalachia and serves on projects like the food truck.

"I like to think I can provide an explanation for problems. People like my input and I like to think very logically," Walsh, a Palatine resident said. "St. Thomas is like a second home; my two older sisters went here."

"While we expect academic excellence from our students, we believe in a lifestyle of sharing our talents," Brinkman said. "Recognizing and addressing the needs of the community in service projects - locally and globally - is using the gift of ourselves to develop our talents to further our faith."

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