Brunswick, Ohio — Collin Grossenbaugh, Grade 8, at Saint Ambrose Catholic School, part of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Ohio, will receive the NCEA 2023-2024 Youth Virtues, Valor and Vision Award from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) for selfless service, determination, innovation, and ideals that are changing the world. NCEA Youth Virtues, Valor and Vision Award honors students making a difference in their communities across the nation.
“Teaching the whole child is not just about what the student learns in isolation; it’s about how they relate to their community,” said NCEA President/CEO Lincoln Snyder. “The students who have won the NCEA Youth Virtues, Valor and Vision Awards articulate the goal of Catholic education to educate and nourish the whole person, to understand that Jesus loves us so much and He asks us to do something great for others. These young people have answered that call in light of our faith and are examples to us all.”
Collin was chosen from more than 1.6 million Catholic school students nationwide! Collin was celebrated at Saint Ambrose Catholic School’s all-school Mass and will be presented with a Chromebook tablet from Archangel Education.
Saint Ambrose Catholic School Principal, Mrs. Lisa Cinadr, had the opportunity to honor Collin with Father Bob Stec, , Diocese of Cleveland Superintendents, Collin’s parents and the school community at a recent Mass for his commitment to leadership, service, and character. She proudly shared Collin’s award and achievement with our school community.
“Collin is a true example of the type of student our Saint Ambrose Catholic School forms and graduates. I am proud of him for knowing that his future includes and depends upon Jesus Christ and our awesome Catholic faith. Collin is a talented young man who seeks to be the best version of himself by learning and honing the gifts and talents God gave him – and who also seeks to share Jesus Christ who is Everything for us. Our modern culture needs many more young men like him.”
“Collin embodies what it means to be a servant leader, remarked Father Bob Stec. The best part of his leadership is that he consistently invites his peers to serve with him. He helps bring out what is best in each person and our school community.”
Our school operates through a uniquely different lens. We empower each student to reach his/her full potential while ultimately finding and sharing his/her God-given gifts and talents. As an example of empowered student leadership, one of our 8th-grade students, Collin, spearheaded and led a toiletry collection because his heart was moved by a connection he made this past summer while serving at St. Herman House, a homeless shelter for men in Cleveland, Ohio.
Thanks to his leadership and support from Mrs. Maria Grama, our school campus minister, our school community crushed the goal of 200 kits by providing enough toiletries to make 318 hygiene kits for the guests of St. Herman’s!
Collin said, “Knowing that these toiletry packs are going to people who truly need them was so impactful on me.”
The NCEA Youth Virtues, Valor and Vision Awards program is made possible, in part, through the generosity and support of Archangel Education + Technology, a full-service supplier of classroom technology for K-12 schools in the United States. Archangel offers comprehensive technology solutions to meet each school’s individual needs and provides support to guide schools through the decision-making and implementation processes while offering flexible financing options that allow Catholic schools to get more devices in students’ hands faster to remain competitive and technologically current.
For more information about Saint Ambrose Catholic School, please visit our website at www.SaintAmbroseSchool.us
