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Giving Peace a Chance Eight area students recognized for their peace, community service efforts.

By Justin Fanizzi Thursday, March 12, 2009

Gathered in the Northern Virginia Mennonite Church, eight students from Fairfax County Public Schools were honored for their contributions to their communities and for their dedication to the promotion of peace at this year’s installment of the Peace Awards.

This year’s recipients were Emily Neal of Fairfax High, Binti Pathak of Robinson Secondary, Sarah Zaazhoa of West Springfield High, Lauren Martin of South County Secondary, Natalie Lubsen of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, Madison Singer-Riske of Lake Braddock Secondary, Ji Young Choi of Woodson High and Freddy Parada of Herndon High.

“I was very surprised [when I found out I won the award], but it is nice to be recognized,” Zaazhoa said. “Hopefully, it will encourage people my age to do things to help the community as well.”

Zaazhoa, like her fellow recipients, has given a great deal of her time to be of service to her community. Zaazhoa volunteers at West Springfield High School as a peer mediator. Her work doesn’t stop at school, she mediates disputes between her classmates outside of school. She sharpens her mediation skills by attending mediation conferences at George Mason University and has used the skills she learned there to teach peer mediation to elementary school students. She also works with the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry, which promotes tolerance among different groups.

Lauren Martin of South County Secondary serves her community by utilizing her organization skills. Martin started a program called Santa’s Helpers in which she and other Lorton residents buy toys and supplies for children living at shelters. Martin also organized a vocal talent show entitled “South County Idol,” where students from South County Secondary sang before a panel of judges in an “American Idol” format. The event raised $800 for the Child’s Life Foundation at Fairfax Inova Children’s Hospital.

“I was so honored to receive this award,” Martin said. “It was a great feeling to know that people will recognize someone like me for doing things for the community.”

Binti Pathak received the award in recognition for her service efforts in several different areas. Pathak has helped soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, rallied against drunk driving and collected presents for senior citizens and homeless children for the holidays. One of her most notable service efforts was a community fun fair she helped create that raised $4,444 for a local man to have a lung transplant.

Emily Neal is president of the peer mediation program at Fairfax High School. She was also a team leader of a multiple sclerosis walk, a volunteer for the Special Olympics and a volunteer for the Christmas in April program.

“I think that it is very important to promote peace,” Pathak said. “People my age can influence each other and are the ones that can make the biggest effort.”

THE EVENT KICKS OFF each year with the nomination of the students for the award by their respective school’s Career Center specialist. Then, a group of local churches and faith groups pool resources to fund the award and the ceremony. This year, the sponsoring groups were three Quaker Meetings (Langley Hill, Alexandria, and Herndon), the host of the event, Northern Virginia Mennonite Church and the Accotink Unitarian-Universalist Church and the United Christian Parish of Reston.

At the ceremony, the students were given a certificate, a book and were treated to a speech by Chris Gilson, manager of the U.S. Peace Corps’ Mid-Atlantic Regional Office. Gilson talked about his experiences in the Peace Corps and encouraged the students to keep pushing ahead with their service efforts.

“Everyone can be great because anybody can serve,” Gilson said, paraphrasing his favorite quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “In your short careers, you have already served and become great,” Gilson said. “I urge you to keep serving, keep believing in peace, and keep challenging yourselves to become even greater.”