.png)
Danny Bastosiewicz, front, second from left, was presented with the Courage of Gabe Award. From left: Blake Spyker, Danny, Barrett Pasco. In back, Principal Kimes, Jeff Bastosiewicz, Don Pasco, Elizabeth Pasco.
Spartan News is a presentation of Mason County Central School District in partnership with Mason County Press.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
SCOTTVILLE — For 12 years, Mason County Central Upper Elementary School Principal Kevin Kimes has awarded the Courage of Gabe Award to a fifth grade student who has over come obstacles. It is named after 2021 MCC graduate Gabe Sessions, who was the first recipient of the award. Sessions has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rapidly progressive form of muscular dystrophy.
This year’s Courage of Gabe Award was presented to Danny Bastosiewicz this morning during the MCC Upper Elementary end-of-the-school year awards ceremony.
Kimes said Danny, the son of Brea Bair and Jeff Bastosiewicz, has overcome many social and academic obstacles during his three years at the upper elementary.
Helping Danny through that process have been two other boys who have also faced their own challenges, Blake Spyker and Barrett Pasco. Because of the boys’ friendship and support of each other, Kimes presented them with No. 1 Pier to Pier Awards.
“This award could have gone to any of these three boys,” Kimes said. “They have each shown great growth over the last three years and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Blake is the son of Michael Dittmer. Barrett is the son of Elizabeth Pasco and Don Pasco.
During the awards ceremony, students were recognized for maintaining grades of all As and all As and Bs, improvements for Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) testing scores, students of the month, and perfect attendance.
Parent Christy Kessel was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year.
Christy Kessel, center with her son, Levi, left, and Principal Kimes.
_______________
Please Support Local News
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.
Alternative methods:
- We can send you an invoice each month, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
- We also accept Venmo payments.
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress). We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2024, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.
.jpg)
