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‘Twenty Under 20’ students lauded for leadership, community work

Tribune Chronicle / R. Michael Semple Ryan Jones, 18, a senior at Howland High School, is all smiles Thursday as he gets a hug from his sister, Lauren, 12, after he was named the top recipient of the Twenty Under 20 award. Jones won the honor partly for founding a program inspired by Lauren, who has Down syndrome.

WARREN — Saying it was ”a tremendous honor” to be selected as the top recipient of the 2016 Twenty Under 20 award, Howland High School senior Ryan Jones credits his younger sister for inspiring him to start a special club at the high school.

Jones, 18, son of Ken and Michele Jones, was presented a $500 stipend Thursday as the ”outstanding student” winner of the fourth annual Twenty Under 20 awards program co-sponsored by the Tribune Chronicle and Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley. The banquet was held at DiVieste Banquet Center in Warren.

Jones and 19 other Trumbull County students were honored for their volunteer efforts at school, at church and in the community, their leadership abilities, their academic achievements and their extracurricular activities.

Other Trumbull County students honored in the 2016 Class are: Hailee Elza of Bristol High School; Robin Forsha of Badger High School; twin sisters Britany and Jasmine Hickey of Bristol, who attend Trumbull Career and Technical Center; Taylor Hopkins of Howland High School; Gabrielle Jones of Warren G. Harding High School; Elizabeth McCue of John F. Kennedy High School; Georganna Norris of Hubbard High School; Conner Orr of Bristol High School; Isabella Orr of Harding High School; Lauren Paczak of Lakeview High School; John Payiavlas of Harding High School; Da’Jahnae Provitt of Harding High School; Caitlin Seifert of Niles McKinley High School; Preston Sheets of Lakeview High School; Wil Thompson of Mineral Ridge High School; Victoria Woods of Harding High School; Jessica Wylie of Hubbard High School; and Madyson Yocum of John F. Kennedy High School.

In addition to Jones, the four other honorees in the Top Five where Jasmine Hickey, Taylor Hopkins, Elizabeth McCue and Da’Jahnae Provitt. The four runner-ups each received a $125 stipend to donate to a non-profit organization or to use on a new or existing project that they lead or participate.

Jones said his younger sister, Lauren, 12, who has Down Syndrome,  was his inspiration for starting the  ”You’ve Got a Friend in Me” mentor club at Howland High School. It provides students with an intellectual or developmental disability an opportunity to be with fellow students as tutors and participate in in-school and after-school activities with a friend. The program brings acceptance for students with disabilities and encourages social interaction, promotes self-confidence, aids in school work and fosters friendships, according to Jones.

”My sister is the biggest role model in my life,” Jones said. ”It’s a tremendous honor to receive this. This means a lot to me to be recognized for the ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ club,” Jones said.

Charles Jarvis, publisher of the Tribune Chronicle, said Twenty Under 20 is one of the Tribune’s favorite projects of the year because it honors “20 outstanding young citizens of Trumbull County.”

He said the students were selected from a large number of applicants based on talent, service, time and leadership to community projects.

”These are 20 great stories. You give of your time to help others and to improve your communities. When you give your time, it is extremely valuable and cannot be replaced or recaptured. When you give of your talents you are giving what is needed to get a job done. You are all caring and productive. You have the real leadership to envision projects and to bring them to fruition ,” Jarvis said.

During the program, a short biography was read and a slideshow was presented on each honoree that noted their accomplishments in school and in their community. The top five winners had a short video shown where they shared what they do in their schools and communities as well as testimonies from those who nominated them.

Each honoree was presented a red glass flame statue and a proclamation

Jasmine Hickey said she spends many of her volunteer hours helping at Champion Assisted Living and Trumbull Memorial Hospital.

”Being involved there has helped me to give of my time to others,” she said.

Hopkins has held a toy drive for Someplace Safe and collected books for local schools and food for Bolindale Food Pantry.

”If I can make just one person smile or one dog’s tail wag, then I feel I am doing something right and inspiring someone to do something great,” she said.

Elizabeth McCue has traveled on mission trips to India and organized the Alex’s Million Miles Walk as part of the Clean Water project to get clean water to India and Kenya.

”It was there that my eyes were opened to the suffering and the great need that I wanted to be part of helping,” she said.

Da’Jahne Provitt has been active in the Air Reserve Component Teen Council to help youth adjust to family members serving overseas away from home by providing counseling and support.

”I want to reach out to those youth in our community who need that support,” she said.

Sue Shafer, community events coordinator for Tribune Chronicle, said ”this is a very inspiring group of young people who are leaders today and who will excel even more in the future.”

bcoupland@tribtoday.com

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