St. Thomas student receives Principals Association award

Ryan Regan of Palatine received a Student Recognition Award from the Illinois Principals Association of the North Cook Region March 15 at the eighth annual Student Recognition Breakfast, held at The Metropolis in Arlington Heights.

Regional Director Paul Kelly and guest speaker Brian McBride, a U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer and three-time U.S. World Cup Soccer team member, presented awards to the recipients.

Regan was nominated for the honor by the principal of St. Thomas of Villanova School, Mary Brinkman. He was one of the students chosen from 32 area elementary, middle and high schools who exemplified the traits of responsibility, dedication, compassion and leadership.

"This event offers recognition for students who are leaders," Brinkman said. "Ryan leads by example as our student council president."

As president, Regan, an eighth-grade student at St. Thomas, has been working to improve programs and activities that are already in place.

"We do projects and fundraisers. We're working on things together so the projects will be better and there will be more activities," said Regan. "We're proud that we can give money to those in need through our fundraising."

Being part of the "buddy system" with the third-grade class, serving at Mass and having parts in the school's yearly musical productions, including playing Horton in "Seussical, Jr." this year, keep Regan busy.

Academically, his strength is in math; he attends geometry class at Winston Campus.

Regan loves sports and is active in a variety of them. At St. Thomas, he is on the volleyball team and the basketball team. He also plays basketball and football in the Palatine Park District. And he plays golf " … for fun."

Brian McBride's keynote speech resonated with what Regan believes.

"He spoke about what it means to be a leader," Regan said. "You must have integrity."

"According to McBride, leaders aren't afraid to stand up for what they believe in and who they believe in. You learn from your mistakes and move on," Brinkman added. "Ryan exemplifies this."

In the fall, Regan will attend Palatine High School. He has set academic goals for himself, as well as wanting to play on the golf and baseball teams.

"I want to push my academics to the next level and play sports," Regan said. "I want to take challenging courses, preparing me for college and law school."

"As a leader and as a student, Ryan makes my heart smile when I see him," Brinkman said.

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