Quincy High’s Sarah Hoffman earns Principal’s Recognition Award for excellence
By Roni Java
Special to PlumasNews.com
QJSHS senior Sarah Hoffman received high praise from her teachers and earned the Principal’s Recognition Award during the Dec. 16 online school board meeting.Photo submitted
Quincy Junior-Senior High School (QJSHS) Senior Sarah Hoffman earned the spotlight Dec. 16 during a video teleconferenced broadcast of Plumas Unified School District’s (PUSD) regular meeting of the Governing Board of Trustees.
QSJSH Principal Tom Brown honored Sarah as the high school’s recipient of the prestigious Principal’s Recognition Award.
“I’ve gotten to know Sarah fairly well and I’m pleased to say she is certainly more than worthy of being here to be recognized before the school board,” Brown said with a smile.
Adding that Sarah enjoys the support of her parents, Kristy and Joseph Hoffman, Principal Brown described the 12th-grader as an outstanding student who tops the QJSHS list of hardworking local high schoolers doing their utmost to complete their education during the COVID-19 pandemic protections for public health.
PUSD School Board President Leslie Edlund and her fellow Trustees Joleen Cline, Dave Keller and Traci Holt, clerk of the board, smiled from their remote logon locations and congratulated the student for her achievements. Trustee JoDee Read logged on soon afterwards.
“Sarah, fantastic job!” Edlund said.
Principal Brown told the school board members that Sarah is intelligent, caring and respected by her friends and teachers. She is also an excellent student team leader and is ranked as the number-one senior in her class, a well-deserved recognition in a competitive group of achievers.
“It’s close,” he said of the student who currently holds a 4.1 GPA. “Her transcript, it’s literally all As. I searched and I could not find anything else for her, clear back to junior high school. That’s impressive.”
Sarah challenges herself, especially academically, Brown noted. She has taken five AP (advanced placement) classes between her junior and senior year and is currently serving as Quincy High’s 2021 Senior Class President.
In addition, Sarah has been a longtime member of her school’s Service Club, known as the “S Club,” which is sponsored by the Soroptimist International of Quincy chapter to promote community service and local improvement projects.
Principal Brown said he was pleased to share comments from Quincy High teachers who have enjoyed working with Sarah for a number of years. Many characterize the senior as “kind and sweet,” with a quick smile who serves as a positive example for others.
One educator’s statement said Sarah was “the first student in my early career that really made me want to step up as a teacher so she would be as successful as possible.”
Another teacher said Sarah perseveres through challenging curriculum, that her focus is exceptional and she shows “understanding with wisdom beyond her years.”
Others described Sarah as one of her school’s most thoughtful, responsible and hardworking students. She is known as “a joy to have in class,” and is someone who consistently goes above and beyond what is required. Her teachers stated they appreciate that Sarah “participates and takes risks in class discussions while listening and encouraging her classmates.”
Principal Brown said the QJSHS team sees Sarah showing personal strength, discipline and integrity as she navigates the current challenges of distance learning with maturity.
“Sarah has quickly learned to adjust to these new forms of learning and her teachers describe her as one of the most conscientious students they’ve had the pleasure of working with,” the principal told the trustees.
Brown said Sarah exhibits the qualities for which the Principal’s Recognition Award is earned because she is trustworthy, mature and responsible. He added that one teacher called her “the epitome of what students should be,” and others agreed wholeheartedly that Sarah’s dedication to her studies benefits her and other classmates as well.
“She demonstrates a high quality of work,” the principal said. “And through her contributions to class discussions, our teachers say that Sarah is highly collaborative with her classmates and respectful of those around her. Others tell me they are impressed with her study skills and motivation.”
For example, distance learning has required creativity and purpose-driven dedication from Plumas students and teachers alike.
“Her teachers have told me that Sarah makes it a point to join every Zoom lesson, even completing every optional assignment,” Brown advised the school board members. “They’ve said she’s a teacher’s dream student because she shows a passion for learning.”
Concluding his presentation of the award, Principal Brown said, “I know that was a lot, but the staff had unbelievable things to say about Sarah.”
Indeed, the teachers praised Sarah for always being willing to work on her education and “take it to the next level,” saying she is one of those students that teachers recognize as a true gift.
“Sarah embodies our core Trojan pride values and works to make the world a better place through her positive example for others,” Principal Brown said. “We couldn’t be more proud of her. Congratulations, Sarah!”
The Plumas County Unified School District and its County Office of Education enjoy recognizing exceptional pupils who do well academically and also accomplish great things both in and out of school.
The Principal’s Recognition Award honors outstanding students who display the characteristics that PUSD’s governing board promotes in its mission statement and within the vision adopted for Plumas schools and students countywide.
Each school chooses to award a student for demonstrating personal achievement. The honor recognizes students for developing the skills necessary to be self-directed, productive and responsible citizens.
