We at HSLDA Online Academy believe
education should engage the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. We strive to craft courses
which embody that belief, and when Academy
students embrace this spirit of learning and
take it beyond the classroom, the results are
beautiful to behold.
Case in point: the winners of HSLDA Online
Academy’s 2022-23 Student of the Year
Scholarship competition. Academy instructors nominate students for this contest, who
then submit an essay, video, and evidence of
a special achievement for consideration by
Academy judges.
All three of our winners are gifted in writing,
public speaking, and academics, but that’s
not the only thing that made them stand out.
Though they have different talents and interests, each one exhibits a desire to give rather
than to take, and the maturity to recognize
what will truly matter when they have left the
classroom. These qualities illustrate the power
of a holistic approach to education and transcend any individual accomplishment.
Beauty and truth: Daniel Colaner
The first-place winner, Daniel Colaner, is
a musical prodigy who was diagnosed with
brain cancer as a toddler. His doctors recommended music lessons as cognitive therapy.
He has since performed on organ and piano at
St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Carnegie Hall and
is currently studying in the Cleveland Institute
of Music’s Pre-College program. After that? He
hopes to attend the Eastman School of Music
once he graduates high school in 2024.
Daniel’s musical achievements fade into the
background when he considers the larger role
of music and what it does for the world. He was
greatly impacted, for instance, by Beauty for
Truth’s Sake by Stratford Caldecott, a text he
encountered in an Academy class. In the book,
Caldecott discusses an expansive view of truth
and beauty and the intrinsic link between them.
The book transformed how Daniel views his
education and musical talent. Now he performs
with a renewed purpose: to communicate truth
in his art. For him, his music is more than just
the notes he plays—it is all-encompassing.
“I want to be a complete musician and a
complete person,” he says.
The joy of service: Cece York
Runner-up Cequyia “Cece” York is likewise
concerned with more than just her personal
achievements. A member of the National Math
Honor Society, and ranked 2nd-best swimmer
in Alabama by USA Swimming, she is continuing her education and swimming career
at Emory University. But her true passion lies
in serving others. She has organized donation
drives for seniors in her community and advocated for changes that would make it easier
for homeless veterans to vote. Cece describes
these acts of service as her “most precious joy
and achievement.”
Cece’s words highlight the impact of a
holistic education. This approach encourages
students to look beyond individual accolades
for validation. Perhaps serving others takes
time that could be spent on studying harder or earning money. However, these acts
of service provide students with precious
knowledge and experiences that will have an
impact long after they have graduated.
Opening up: April Racicot
April Racicot, another
runner-up, also understands this
point well. After a lifetime of riding
horses, she recently started volunteering with an equine therapy center that serves children,
teens, and adults who face a
variety of health challenges.
Although nervous at first, April
quickly fell in love with volunteering. She enjoys interacting with
different people at the therapy center
and watching them slowly come alive through
horseback riding.
“There was this one girl,” April recalls. “She
was very quiet. She never talked. She never
wanted to answer any questions, but once she
started riding she just opened up.”
In an essay titled, “The Paralysis of Perfection,” April acknowledges her own feelings
of inadequacy and how she has struggled
in the past with believing her worth is measured in straight A’s and zero errors. Many
high-achieving students find themselves in
this trap. But through her volunteer work,
April discovered an important truth: Serving others feeds her soul in a way that pure,
unadulterated “excellence” never will.
The whole person
In their own ways, Daniel, Cece, and
April exemplify the result of an education
that emphasizes the whole person, not
merely academic achievement. All of these
students have found their own unique
ways to serve, whether through music
performance, community engagement, or
volunteering.
These skills hold a value that will last
long after report cards have faded and
crumbled to dust. Their talents and work
ethic will take them far, and we thank them
for their example of discipline and service.
