2009-10 National PLA Winners

NASSP and Herff Jones are proud to announce the national winners of this year's NASSP/Herff Jones Principal's Leadership Award (PLA) national scholarship program. These eight winners advanced from the state winner level to receive national awards in the four categories listed below. Herff Jones will present plaques to each of the top eight winners at their respective high schools.

2009-10 NASSP/Herff Jones PLA National Winner ($12,000 Scholarship Award) Emily Martinez-Lanza, Gulliver Preparatory School, Coral Gables, FL; Patrick Snay, Headmaster

National Finalist ($8,500 Scholarship Award)
Elizabeth Holmes, Michael J. Petrides School, Staten Island, NY; Joanne Buckheit, Principal

National Semi Finalist ($5,000 Scholarship Award)
Daniel Edmondson, Boulder City High School, Boulder City, NV; Ann Nelson, Principal

Regional Winners ($1,500 Scholarship Award Each)

• Lindsay Robinson, Shawsheen Valley Technical High School, Billerica, MA; Robert Cunningham, Principal
• Meredith Medlin, Centennial High School, Franklin, TN; Terry Shrader, Principal
• Christopher Brockhoft, Winner High School, Winner, SD; Gerald Witte, Principal
• Arpan Prabhu, Morgantown High School, Morgantown, WV; Robert DeSantis, Principal
• Casey Caton, Rogers High School, Rogers, AR; Robert Moore, Principal

National Winner ($12,000)
Emily Martinez-Lanza
Patrick Snay, Headmaster
Gulliver Preparatory School
Coral Gables, FL

For Emily Martinez-Lanza, the PLA national winner, a family tragedy was the catalyst that inspired her to take action. The death of a close family friend that resulted from domestic violence motivated Emily to form the group, Teens Against Domestic Abuse, to raise awareness among her peers and help prevent this kind of tragedy from happening to other families. Her tireless efforts in arranging speaking engagements, organizing new chapters at other schools, collecting used cell phones for distribution to needy women, and fundraising have been recognized and applauded by the area police departments, the Chamber of Commerce, and local media as well as by CBS and NBC news for national release. Over the first three years of high school, Emily has completed an incredible 1,272 hours of community service in many endeavors. She has also earned the highest GPA in the history of her school in grades 9–11.

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National Finalist ($8,500)
Elizabeth Holmes
Joanne Buckheit, Principal
Michael J. Petrides School
Staten Island, NY

Elizabeth Holmes is a stellar student who has accomplished something that few teenagers can boast. Elizabeth founded a charity—Blessings: A Dollar Makes a Difference—that benefits teens and disabled children from China by preparing them for financial independence after they age out of the orphanages. Adopted from China herself, Elizabeth knew she had to do something to help her fellow “brothers and sisters” who were not as lucky to be adopted. She began the program by asking students to contribute a dollar a month and the charity has already sponsored 17 orphaned teenagers. In addition, Elizabeth has extended her reach to other school organizations. She founded a Habitat for Humanity chapter at her school, represented the school at leadership conferences, and is a member of the Key Club and Junior Statesmen of America Club.

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National Semi Finalist ($5,000)
Daniel Edmondson
Ann Nelson, Principal
Boulder City High School
Boulder City, NV

Encouraged by his family to be a contributing and active member of society, Daniel Edmondson founded the organization, Teens Actively Contributing—a city-wide service group of teenage volunteers. He led the group by providing after-school tutoring, organizing food bank collections, helping the local library sort computer recyclables, and assisting Rotary clubs in community events. He has also orchestrated other fundraising events to help the elderly and assist a student with medical bills. His principal, Ann Nelson, considers Daniel to be a well-rounded student whose involvement spans athletics, activities, and academics. His leadership abilities have been recognized at a national level with a Presidents Volunteer Service Award and recognition as a Boys Nation Senator. Both honors garnered Daniel trips to Washington, DC.

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Regional Winners ($1,500 Each)
Lyndsay Robinson
Robert Cunningham, Principal
Shawsheen Valley Technical High School
Billerica, MA

Excelling in one of her school’s most difficult programs, Business Technology, Lyndsay Robinson is currently ranked number one in her class with a 3.99 GPA. But what sets her apart the most are the significant contributions that she has made to her school and community. Throughout her high school career, Lyndsay has been involved as a class officer and has participated in student council, the school newspaper, and the yearbook. She has held leadership roles in several organizations, including Business Professionals of America, Skills USA, Oratory Club, and the National Honor Society. Lyndsay also participates in the Special Olympics and the Doug Flutie Foundation and is a member of the school’s cross country and swimming teams.

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Meredith Medlin
Terry Shrader, Principal
Centennial High School
Franklin, TN

Attributing her strong leadership skills to the positive example set by her mother, Meredith Medlin has certainly kept herself busy throughout her high school career. She is involved in nearly a dozen extra-curricular activities and holds leadership positions in six of those activities. As senior class president, Meredith has been able to influence her peers to help make a difference in the local community. Case in point—when Meredith was in downtown Nashville one day visiting museums, she was approached by several homeless people for money. The experience made her determined to help in some way, so she went home and made several sandwiches and distributed them to the hungry. That’s how Feed Our Souls—the organization that Meredith created—was born. Meredith told her friends about the project and they decided to pitch in. For two years now, they have been making sandwiches and distributing them at least once a week to the needy.

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Christopher Brockhoft
Gerald Witte, Principal
Winner High School
Winner, SD

Christopher Brockhoft has approached his high school career as an opportunity to “lead by example,” something he believes his family has done for him. As president of the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Christopher has had the opportunity to be the voice for over 220,000 student leaders from all across the country. His voice can also be regularly heard on KWYR Radio, the station where he has worked as an on-air personality since 2005. With his 4.0 GPA, Christopher has proven that he is not only dedicated to activities, but also to academics. He’s the student council president and the senior class president at Winner High School, and as his principal, Gerald Witte, said, “Christopher’s leadership experience and personal level of commitment to his duties set him apart.”

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Arpan Prabhu
Robert DeSantis, Principal
Morgantown High School
Morgantown, WV

Quite literally believing that everyone deserves a free ride, Arpan Prabhu helped spearhead a partnership between the local youth commission and Morgantown’s transit authority to give high school students greater access to public transportation. The Free Ride Program allows high school students in the county to ride the buses for free. Arpan wanted all students to be able to participate in activities without having to worry about getting rides to and from home. Arpan himself is very involved at his school, and he started the Academic Games Club at MHS. He is also enrolled in numerous AP and Honors courses and maintains a 3.9 GPA.

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Casey Caton
Robert Moore, Principal
Rogers High School
Rogers, AR

As his principal verifies, Casey Caton sets a positive example for those around him, encouraging his classmates and teammates to give 100% in all that they do. Actively involved in sports, Casey can often be seen lifting up the spirits of his teammates when they get discouraged. He has also taken on leadership roles in his church as well, helping to establish a mentoring program for younger students. Each summer, Casey travels around to various cities to help paint houses for those who do not have the ability or means to do so themselves. As a result of doing this volunteer work, he was inspired to organize a similar volunteering program through his church youth group. Casey also shines in academics—he has a 3.9 GPA and ranks third in his class.

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