Central student receives gold medallion, scholarship, trip to D.C. for volunteer award

Central Magnet School student Wills McAdams — who recently earned one of only two of Tennessee’s 2017 youth volunteer awards — was presented with a gold medallion during an assembly in front of his peers this morning at the school.

McAdams, an eighth-grader, earned what is known as the Prudential Spirit of Community Award, which includes the gold medallion, a $1,000 scholarship and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., in early May when Prudential will name the 10 national winners, David Capozzi, a financial planner with Prudential said during the presentation at the school.

“We hope by recognizing and honoring these young volunteers that others will be inspired,” Capozzi said.

Wills earned the award by spending his summer volunteering at the York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro. He worked five-hour shifts that evolved from observing professionally trained physical therapists to basic hands-on training in assisting veterans with various tasks.

“I want to thank all of you,” Adams said to his fellow students during today’s presentation, “for giving me this great opportunity to represent all of us in Washington D.C.”

Students at Central are required to complete community service hours as part of their education experience and to learn the importance of helping others, a point principal Dr. John Ash emphasized during the assembly.

“We are always excited when one of our students excel,” Ash said. “As you know, we take volunteering very seriously here at Central.”