Father Sillers Legacy Leadership Award Winner

St. Mary's School announces Abigail Jackson of Aliso Viejo, as this year's winner of the St. Mary's Tenth Annual Father Ernest D. Sillers Legacy Leadership Award. Each year, St. Mary's annual Legacy Leadership Award honors a St. Mary's eighth grade student who demonstrates superior leadership skills, evidence of service, and civic responsibility. The competition focuses on four main principles called the "Four Aces" which form the cornerstones of a strong community - Attitude, Commitment, Engagement, and Service.  Each student in the competition writes two essays and is interviewed individually by a panel of judges representing local community and business leaders.

This year's judges included Judge David Thomas, Retired Superior Court bench and Harvard Graduate; Dorothy Heacock, Retired Dancer and Community Volunteer; Robert Cahall, Retired Attorney; James Littlejohn, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley and Joe McGuire PhD, Retired Fulbright Professor, Airforce Pilot and author. The judges participate in reviewing the candidates' essays, as well as judging each candidate in an oral interview. This year there were 12 student finalists.

"On behalf of the St. Mary's community, it is my privilege to offer our congratulations to Abigail on receiving this significant honor," said Headmaster John O'Brien.  "Abigail and her fellow classmates exemplify the strong qualities of leadership we work to develop in students at St. Mary's, and we are proud to recognize her accomplishments at this year's Tribute to Leadership ceremony."

Abigail has attended St. Mary's since Preschool, attended The Peck School in New Jersey for Grade 6 and returned to St. Mary's to finish Middle School. She has received a number of academic achievement awards at the School including the Headmaster's Honors which is awarded to students with a GPA of 4.0 and above and was recently one of four students honored during the St. Mary's Grade 8 field study to Washington D.C., allowing her the opportunity to lay the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Abigail is also the recipient of the Exemplar Student Award this year as selected by St. Mary's teachers and administration for recognition of exemplary Attitude, Aptitude and Achievement. She has been a member of the St. Mary's drumline since 2007 where she has played the hand bells, steel drum and French Horn, in addition to playing piano since she was five years old. Abigail has also participated in AYSO soccer for the past nine years and played volleyball and lacrosse while at St. Mary's. She was a volunteer at the P.G. Chambers School in New Jersey, serving children with learning, physical, speech and language, and sensory disorders.

The annual Father Ernest D. Sillers' Legacy Leadership Award recognizes each student's commitment to academics, leadership and civic service. The School is dedicated to building a solid foundation in leadership and social service for the students through development and support of programs such as the annual Legacy Leadership Award. St. Mary's School provides the ideal environment to cultivate and prepare students to become innovative global leaders of tomorrow by instilling a lifelong pursuit of learning, leading and serving.

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