Heroes:

trouble with the law.

Students selected as unsung heroes were nominated by their individual school districts for the award. Each was identified as a person who does great deeds but receives little or no recognition for themselves.

forward. Children who had relocated multiple times were acknowledged for their determination to adjust to new environments and navigate relationships. Others persevered through mental health and physical challenges. Still others regularly performed random acts of kindness despite an overload of personal commitments.

“This award represents the recognition you deserve,” wrote the Prosecutor’s office in the program containing the names of all of the recipients. “Whether you have overcome obstacles, preserved in the face of great challenges, or improved academically, your faculty and administrators have deemed you worthy of this prestigious honor.”

As part of their recognition, the students were given a certificate and a bag full of goodies and presented with a challenge coin. Challenge coins hold great significance and represent an honor highly valued in military and law enforcement communities. The coins are given as tokens of appreciation and recognition for individuals who have completed a difficult task or distinguished themselves in some way.

Representatives from each of the school districts took turns at the podium to share the qualities that led to the selection of their district’s unsung hero nominee. The presenters represented a variety of roles within the schools, from principals to teachers to social workers and school counselors.

Some of the students faced heart-wrenching losses that profoundly impacted their lives, and had to work diligently to move

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There was a noticeable trend among the selection of unsung heroes, as the same set of admirable adjectives was repeatedly used to describe each award recipient. Words such as determined, dedicated, resilient, positive, proactive, compassionate, kind, and empathetic appeared to embody the character traits of nearly every student recognized.

Most did not notice that Billhimer diverted from the program and skipped over the student named as the unsung hero from the Frog Pond Elementary School in Little Egg Harbor.

“I wanted to handle this in a respectful way,” shared Billhimer. “The student, Michael Browne, who was nominated for the unsung hero award was in an unimaginable accident and passed away earlier this year.”

Frog Pond Principal Tom Denning and Vice Principal Paul Nazarck took their place at the podium. Nazarack emphasized that Michael had been selected for the award before his death. Indeed, the remarks offered by Denning reflected a much happier time.

“At a young age, Michael faced experiences in his family life that would have caused adults to pause and ponder how to face life’s challenges,” said Denning. “Fortunately,