Awards & Recognition

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Emma Kidwell

Newton Jasper County

Principal: Mr. Travis Wyatt

For her leadership qualities and her excellence in academic and interscholastic activities, Emma Kidwell has been chosen to receive the Scholar Attitude Award for Board of Directors Division N.

In addition to earning a perfect GPA, Emma participates in softball, basketball, volleyball, track, Scholastic Bowl, band, chorus, and other groups. She's most proud, however, of her election as Student Council President. "I am so proud of this accomplishment because I was told by the majority of the boys in my grade that I would never be able to become a girl president," she says. "I wanted to prove to them that gender doesn't matter, and that girls can do anything they put their minds to." She was even more thrilled when two females received the most votes as vice president and secretary in the same election.

Junior high can be brutal, and Emma has experienced bullying. "Many people have told me that I'm too heavy to be athletic," she says. "After being told this several times, I decided I was going to stand up for myself." Interscholastic activities have helped, she says, because of the support of her teammates. "My team helped me push past all the clichés and helped me show (the naysayers) I was more than what I was on the outside and that I was beautiful, inside and out."

After high school graduation, Emma aspires to attend Washington University with dreams of becoming a pediatrician. "I love being around children of all ages and the ability to help children with medical conditions would be a rewarding career," she says.

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