Megan Navarro
KYLE — As they get ready to embark on their next journey, Lehman High School seniors also had time to reflect on the last four years for the chance to be named a recipient of the Totem Awards.
Back in the early 2000s, one of the school’s founding faculty members, Debra Flynn, crafted the idea of having totems — or pillars — of LHS, which are integrity, wisdom and pride. Since the first graduating class, a boy and girl student were selected to represent the totems for each school year.
The awards have continued and blossomed into being more inclusive, regardless of gender, honoring the students who best fit the school’s motto, said Jennifer Guinn, LHS Advanced Placement English teacher, who helped take over the program in 2019 when Flynn retired.
“We were seeing our first graduating class back in [2007] and [we] just wanted to make sure that we started traditions that honored our students,” she said.
The students are nominated for the awards by LHS teachers and staff. Then, the students submit essays on how they exhibit one or more of the totems for judging. The panel this year consisted of Hays CISD board trustee Raul Vela, LHS principal James Cruz, former ROTC Commander John Berry and several other teachers on campus, Guinn explained.
“It's March that we typically send an email out to the staff and to nominate students that might fit one of those categories. I think March 28 was the deadline this year for them to be nominated and the kids have about two weeks, maybe three, to actually write an essay on why they are worthy of that particular nomination,” said Orlando De La Fuente, AP environmental science teacher, who also helps organize the program. “Then, we filter that to the panel. The panel goes through the essays and then, we meet as a group to kind of hash things out and the winners are chosen.”
The awards are important because they can reflect on their time in high school and how they have evolved from freshman to seniors, Guinn shared.
Senior Kyia Miller, for example, reflected on her time in athletic competitions: "Going to powerlifting competitions and hearing the whispers about ‘Lehman is here’ in a respectful tone is always nice. Usually, when sports go against Lehman, they assume they’re going to have an easy win, but with powerlifting, it’s different,” read an excerpt from her essay. “I take pride in hearing the positive recognition about Lehman rather than the negative. I will always be proud to be one of the captains of the powerlifting team because of the hard work they put into the sport, and the positive outcomes that come with it. These positive outcomes shift people’s views of Lehman, showing that we can achieve excellence.”
A couple of other seniors — Frank Ramirez and Sheyla Muro — also shared excerpts from their essays, noting what they have learned throughout high school and how they exhibit the tenets of the school’s motto.
"Those on the outside of my school or even some of those within who do not truly understand it may not see what there is to be proud of here, but those who have come to understand this school as I have, see — not a perfect school — but a community that is undoubtedly worth appreciating,” Ramirez wrote.
"Pride, for me, started at home. It was shaped by my parents, who came to this country as Mexican immigrants and built a life for our family through hard work and sacrifice,” Muro wrote. “Watching them, growing up, taught me that pride is not about recognition; it is about resilience, responsibility and representing your roots with integrity.”
The following student recipients were recognized Wednesday, May 13, at the senior awards ceremony.
Integrity:
Maribel Camacho Duran
Joshua Power
Wisdom:
Stella Becirovic
Gabriela Correa
Pride:
Mylei Donahue
Kyia Miller
According to Guinn and De La Fuente, the students' names will be displayed in the halls of the school to inspire future generations. They will also receive a glass acrylic star award.
