MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Students honored by Do the Right Thing

Special students from schools throughout Miami-Dade County were named the March winners of the Do The Right Thing Program (DTRT), sponsored by the Miami Police Department, British Airways, The Miami Herald and WTVJ-NBC 6. Winners were selected from hundreds of nominations submitted to the program for March. City of Miami Deputy Police Chief Frank Fernandez, along with assistant chief Adam Burden, presented the students with their prizes at a ceremony April 17.

The March awards were co-sponsored by the Allstate Foundation, Cookies By Design -- South Miami, Jungle Island, Metrozoo, Miami Museum of Science, Publix Super Markets Charities and Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida, which helped pay for prizes or donated them to the winners and T-shirts for all nominees. Additionally, each month's elementary Special Recognition winner receives a free trip to Walt Disney World. The middle or high school Special Recognition winner receives a free trip to London from British Airways.

Special Recognition for March in the elementary category went to:

• CYNTHIA LOPEZ, third grade, Colonial Drive Elementary: Cynthia is committed to helping others in need. Two years ago, she visited relatives in Nicaragua with her mother. She was saddened to see the children had very little clothing, shoes and toys. Last year, Cynthia decided to ''do the right thing'' and helped the kids. She started collecting toys from fast-food restaurants and used her money to buy toys at dollar stores. She also donated her own shoes, toys and clothing to children in the Nicaraguan town.

Last year, her family took four suitcases of items and watched as the children lined up around her relatives' house. This year, Cynthia is planning another trip, as she is once again accumulating items to give. According to Cynthia, ``The kids have 11 months and three weeks of sadness and I want to give them one week of happiness when I come.''

At church, she assists the small children by passing out snacks and keeping them entertained. Cynthia is also concerned about the environment. She picks up recyclable items around the park and in her neighborhood.

Special Recognition for March in the middle or high school category went to:

• CHRISTINA ANDRES, 12th grade, American Senior High: With a heart full of love and three open-heart surgeries behind her, Christina reveals her life story. The scar that covers most of her chest does not deter her in her quest to do the right thing. Suffering from a congenital heart problem at the age of 3, Christina had her first heart surgery. The doctors corrected the heart murmur and repaired the mitral valve, which was leaking. Unfortunately, the leak caused additional strain on her heart, causing it to enlarge. Other surgeries were performed at ages 8 and 16. A true miracle, Christina's road to recovery has been long and painful. For the rest of her life, she must be on blood thinners. Weathering out all of these medical interventions, Christina has maintained her focus on school. On numerous occasions, she has made the Principal's Honor Roll, received perfect attendance and citizenship awards. She is an active member of the Drug Free Youth In Town (DFYIT), Women of Tomorrow and the Yearbook Staff. She takes dance and gymnastics classes and is involved in the salsa club and the Diamond Girls ensemble.

• BRYAN CUADRA, sixth grade, Lawton Chiles Middle: Bryan makes giving to those in need a top priority. Every Christmas, he visits nursing homes, where he plays the violin, a talent he mastered at 9 and brings goodies for the elderly. He also used his money to buy items for earthquake victims in Peru. He bought water, canned food and toys. In addition to his community efforts, Bryan is an excellent student who maintains A's and B's in conduct and academics and has been part of the Sunskippers Jump Rope team since first grade.

• RYAN EDWARDS, fifth grade, Colonial Drive Elementary: Ryan performs acts of kindness every day. Each morning, you can find him behind the scenes, directing his school's news announcements. He is in charge of the scripting and setup. Three times a week, Ryan also helps pre-k children arrange their tricycles for daily rides. Ryan also helps arrange books for book fairs. He always can be counted on for being at the right place at the right time to help. For instance, when a teacher lost her cellphone, it was Ryan who located it. When chairs are needed, it is Ryan whobrings them from the cafeteria. He also pitches in to help teachers carry boxes and books. Academically, Ryan receives honors for attendance, scholarship and conduct.

• ADAM FOWLER, 12th grade, Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High: Adam exhibits a true dedication to our country and our soldiers. Since August, he has been sending packages to our troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, while volunteering at the American Legion Post No. 32. Adam has sent more than 80 care packages and has volunteered over 300 hours. He spends his weekends collecting donations and has raised more than $8,000 and donated items. He also spends time during the week, in between homework and other responsibilities, to prepare packages. Adam has received letters from our soldiers thanking him for his support and thoughtfulness. His interest in helping soldiers stems from his father, who is a disabled veteran. Adam is in the top 5 percent of his class, with a weighted GPA of 4.95. He is the sports editor for the school newspaper and captain of the bowling and badminton teams. Currently, he is the Silver Knight nominee for athletics and is representing his school as the Male Hall of Fame Athlete of the Year.

• DONALD KRUSE, sixth grade, Homestead Middle: Donald has been through more than his fair share of tragedies, but he always smiles. He was there when his father passed away from a heart attack four years ago. Donald and his father were close. From fishing and diving, to dirt bike racing and bicycling, you never saw one without the other.

Despite his trials, Donald's maintained focus on school, never missing a day. He can turn a bad situation into a positive one. For example, when he turns in a paper that doesn't meet his teacher's standards, Donald does it again for a better grade. Donald has set goals to reach.

• BRIANA NAPPER, eighth grade, Madison Middle: Briana came to school a few months after the school year had started. She was being home-schooled due to leukemia. But eventually Briana felt it was time to live her life and experience middle school. When she returned, the other students were curious and a bit inappropriate at times, due to her hair loss. However, Briana always had a positive attitude. She took every opportunity to educate her peers about cancer and her experience. This resulted in her school participating in the Relay For Life in March. She immediately became active in school joining The H.E.A.R.T. Club, Drug Free Youth in Town (DFYIT) and the 50 DIVAS. Although she goes for treatment every Monday, Briana is able to maintain A's and B's academically and conduct.

• PHUC DIEM NGUYEN, 12th grade, American Senior High: Diem's mother succumbed to an unexpected heart condition when Diem was 12. At that moment, Diem knew she wanted to pursue a career in medicine specializing in cardiology. According to Diem, her mother's death made her a stronger and better person. Diem is reaching her dream through her hard work, dedication and commitment to her studies. With a weighted GPA of 4.914 from Advanced Placement classes, she will place in the top 2 percent of her graduating class. Diem came to the United States from Vietnam when she was 10. To do well in school and translate at home, Diem had to quickly learn the language. She has been a member of the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools since 2005. Diem's accomplishments led her to be a Silver Knight nominee, and she will be the first in her family to attend college. She received a certificate of education from the University of Cambridge and earned a certificate of invitation to the Congressional Student Leadership Conference.

• JASMINE VEGA, first grade, Skyway Elementary: Jasmine often tells her classmates about the danger of fires, and it's not a surprise she does. Last year, she woke up to a smoky scene. She called out for help. Her older brother entered the room and they both tried to wake up their mother, who was unconscious due to smoke inhalation. The older brother pulled their mother to safety thinking Jasmine was nearby but, in fact, she was not. At the time, Jasmine, not thinking of the danger to herself, had gone after her little brother, who was unable to walk due to a birth defect. She carried him out of the burning house. She is an Honor Roll student and a good citizen.

• HALEY ZILBERBERG, sixth grade, Arvida Middle: Haley is a gifted student in the Global Academy at her school. She has received Principal's Honor Roll with straight A's for 17 straight semesters. She has received honors such as the Principal's Award for the highest GPA and won the school's Math Bowl. Haley is a member of the Student Council, where she organized a blanket and towel drive to help rescued animals at Fairy Tails Adoptions. Haley also participated in a recycling collection and canned food drive this year. Haley is a member of the Environmental Coalition of Miami Beach. Since kindergarten, she has participated in her school's United Way fundraisers. Haley also helps cancer patients, in memory of her two grandmothers and cousin, by donating her hair to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for cancer patients.