March 2024 Learner of the Month, C.A.K.E. Recipients

Congratulations to Roz, a Pre-K learner, and Mason, an 11th grade learner attending Century High School, who were chosen as the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 March C.A.K.E. award recipients. C.A.K.E. stands for Character, Attitude, Kindness and Encouragement.

Roz was nominated by her teacher, Mrs. Jordan Proctor. In her nomination letter, Mrs. Proctor wrote, “I would like to nominate Roz for the CAKE award for the joy, positivity, and kindness she shows to her teachers and classmates. Roz is always excited to come to school and eager to interact with her classmates. She greets us all by name and knows when someone is absent; she asks if they will be coming and if they are okay. She is a helper to peers who may need more support and loves to cheer them on when they are successful with difficult tasks. Roz is a great student and an example to me of someone with great character, attitude, unending kindness, and encouragement.”

Mason was nominated by Mrs. Jessica Woodland, Mrs. Cindy Youngstrom and Mr. Scott Eldredge. 

In her nomination letter, Mrs. Woodland wrote, “When I think of Mason, I think of a happy person. Every time I see Mason he has a big smile on his face. No matter what's happening in his life, he's always happy and pleasant. He is such a joy to be around.”

Mrs. Youngstrom wrote, “I would like to nominate Mason Dalton for the CAKE award because of his ongoing positive attitude under extremely difficult conditions. On the heels of his mother's unexpected passing, Mason's father began having life-threatening medical issues. During the last two years, Mason's positive attitude and cheery disposition have been inspiring for me to witness. With every hardship, Mason responds with positivity, jumping in to help solve, or at least lighten the family's burdens. Another valiant virtue Mason demonstrates is his love and loyalty to family. Because of dire circumstances, Mason's siblings went to live with extended family out of state. However, Mason chose to remain with his dad so he could support him and help him. Mason also cites that he has found comfort in his high school community and didn't want to leave Century. I smile every time I hear Mason lovingly refer to his father as "The Big Guy" and he is dedicated to serving him every chance he gets. Mason's attendance and grades have slipped at times because of the home life burdens he bears but he never gives up and he always comes back to being a student in good standing. I could give example after example of why Mason deserves this recognition but instead, I will leave you with a list of the virtues this young man lives every single day. Kindness, Love, Loyalty, Optimism, Patience, Perseverance, Resilience, Sacrifice, Service, Strength, Wisdom. I am honored to watch this young man navigate life's relentless beat down and always come out of it with a smile on his face!”

Mr. Eldredge wrote, “In my many years as an educator, I have had the pleasure of being around some incredible students. Mason stands out among those incredible students with his infectious, positive attitude. Every day he is in class, he has positively impacted his peers and myself. He faces each challenge life throws at him with optimism. As a teacher, it is my goal to offer hope and inspiration to my students, however, it's a special occurrence when a student like Mason becomes the source of hope and inspiration. Mason's ability to spread positivity and joy makes him extremely deserving of this award!”

Roz and Mason were recognized at the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, March 12,, 2024. McDonald's provides each learner and their nominators with a gift card, along with $50 to purchase books for the school’s media center in the recipients’ names. 

PCSD 25 believes a safe, supportive, caring and respectful environment is critical to student learning. The District Education Foundation, in partnership with the local Johnson Family McDonald’s, supports the Learner-of-the-Month C.A.K.E. Award to recognize students who show great character.  The district recognizes one elementary learner and one secondary learner from October through May. Nominations for the C.A.K.E. Award are submitted by a teacher who has observed the nominee’s behavior, and are approved by the school’s principal.