The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents' Student Leadership Award is given to three students at both Sage Park Middle School and Windsor High School who show leadership to the school, academic prowess relative to ability, and service to others in the community. The goal of the award is to focus on students whose accomplishments and activities go beyond academic success and include service and leadership, making them role models for other students.
This year's recipients chosen from Windsor High School are: Evan Roche - Academic Excellence Jerren Langford - Community Service Kruti Dharsandiya - Leadership
Read WHS Principal, Mr. Parker's brief bios of these amazing students below!
Service: Jerren Langford
Jerren Langford and family pictured with Principal Parker, BOE Members and Superintendent Hill.
Over the course of Windsor High School students' high school career, students are asked to complete a minimum of 20 hours of community service. Many students exceed this requirement and this is the case for Jerren Langford. Over the course of the 4 years, Jerren has completed a total of 475 hours worth of community service!
He has been a member of Windsor High School's Black Excellence, Future Educators program and the Action Club. In addition, for the past 3 years, Jerren has been an active member of the Greater Hartford Youth Leadership Academy (GHYLA). The youth develop strategies and interventions using a multi-stage analytic process linking data from root causes and local conditions. Jerren devotes his time weekly and adds great value to this program.
He has led many team activities such as participating in the Raising Youth Voices Podcast, participation in the Hartford Communities that Care Deliberative Forum and Legislative Roundtable events examining gun violence prevention resources, and engaging in dialogue with Congressman JohnLarson on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act regarding the racial injustice issues related to police accountability.
Jerren has also co-presented for the Child Safety forward work group where he introduced the
keynote speakers, Connecticut State Treasurer Shawn Wooden in 2021 and the Vice President of Public Relations and Community Engagement at Charter Oak Health Center, Tiffany Young in 2022.
Jerren's plans after high school include attending a 4-year college/university to focus on Urban Planning or Psychology.
Jerren greats an excited Dr. Hill at the November 15th BOE Meeting.
Academics: Evan Roche
Evan Roche has an innate ability to learn and excel in the classroom; he simply doesn't know any other way. Evan began earning his high school credits while at Sage Park, and has carried a heavy AP load since his sophomore year. Not only that, there is not one grade on Evan's transcript coming into his senior year that is below an A.
Evan uses his organizational and time management skills to assist him with completing his work
efficiently and completely and always on time. Evan's transcript is truly reflective of his academic talents and it provides a snapshot of his diligent work-ethic. This work ethic carries over into his extracurricular activities, athletics, community service, and his part-time job as he approaches all aspects of his life with the same attitude and fortitude, which is why he is such a successful, well-adapted, and well-rounded young adult.
Evan's easy-going personality is welcoming to all, and he serves as a role model in the classroom as he engages with and supports those around him, so that all students benefit from his presence. If you have ever heard the song "Humble and Kind" and listened to the words, this is who Evan Roche is and what he represents every day; just what we want from our students at Windsor High School.
Evan is planning to study Business in college and pursue a career in marketing or real estate.
Leadership: Kruti Dharsandiya
There is not an area of Windsor High School that Kruti Dharsandiya has not had an impact on. From officer positions in student organizations to being one of the faces of Social Emotional Learning at Windsor High and in Connecticut, Kruti embodies leadership in our building. To give just a few examples:
She is President of our Student Government.
She has served as a student member of the School Governance Council.
She is a Student Advisory Leader.
As a sophomore, she was one of two students to lead a faculty assembly on our students' view of our dress code. Those of you who know Kruti know that she is still working on saying "no" to opportunities, so it should not surprise anybody that she is involved in a number of organizations outside of Windsor Public Schools.
She is a Co-Chair of Million Women Mentors, an organization focused on empowering women and young girls in STEM.
She is a member of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Student Equity and advisory board.
She represented Connecticut at last summer's National Student Leadership Summit.
Kruti really is extraordinary. She is always willing to help when asked. She has the respect of her peers, her teachers, and our administrators. Perhaps most importantly, if Kruti does not think something is working, she is not afraid to let you know it. She is truly an example of leadership and as deserving of this honor as any student could be.
Kruti plans to study Accounting after leaving WHS.