Norwich — Student awards generally recognize outstanding achievements, but when the annual superintendent’s awards approached this fall, writing teacher Jennifer Chochoms wanted students themselves to weigh in on why they should be considered for the prestigious honor.

All 70 fifth-graders at the Moriarty Environmental Sciences Magnet School were asked to write an essay using the narrative, informational and persuasive writing skills they had just learned.

“One of my greatest achieved goals is to never give up,” winning essayist and award recipient Ashley Barragan wrote. “When I am put with people who ask me, ‘What are we supposed to do?’ I do not do all of the work; I explain it to them. At school I love to do math, science and writing and I never give up ever.”

Barragan was one of 10 students honored by Superintendent Abby Dolliver during a Nov. 17 awards ceremony for the annual Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendent's Awards.

Each student received a certificate and a medal and greeted members of the Board of Education on the stage at the Jacqueline Owens Auditorium at Kelly Middle School.

“This is one of my top most favorite nights of the year,” Dolliver said at the start of the hourlong ceremony.

She said the awards don’t always go to the top academic students, but to “all-around good kids.”

Staff members at each school are asked to nominate one student from their school — usually a student in the top grade level of the school.

Teachers at the Thomas W. Mahan School came together to discuss their individual nominations for the superintendent’s award and were not surprised to find that everyone had written Annastaysia Cruz on their sheets.

Teacher Karen Frick described watching Annastaysia struggle with a particular math problem in class one day, her eyes darting between her notebook and the teacher’s displayed example, frustration and confusion on her face.

Annastaysia then suddenly looked at her teacher and shouted “I did it.”

“Every teacher Annastaysia has had will tell you how much she wants to be successful in school,” Frick said. “We’ve said that she is like the 'Little Engine that Could.' But she not only thinks she can, but she knows she can.”

The John B. Stanton Elementary School has been a focal point in Norwich for a citywide problem of high turnover rates in school enrollment. A recent data study found that few students remain in the school district from kindergarten through fifth-grade.

But Gabriela Soto is one of them, to her teachers’ delight.

“She exudes a positive attitude and is the loyalest of friends,” teacher Jay Messina told the audience. “Gabriela is an amazing helper in our classroom. Her knowledge of both Spanish and English is a wonderful gift to our classroom community, as she is able to clarify information for her peers that are in the process of acquiring English.”

Her mother, Yolanda Carlosviza, admitted it was “a big surprise” to her that her daughter was chosen for the top school student award. But she quickly confirmed Messina’s comment that Gabriela is a big help at home as well.

“She’s always organizing everything,” her mother said. “If we’re going to the beach on Saturday, she will get everything ready on Friday night.”

Trinity Paulk, the fifth-grade award recipient at the Samuel Huntington School, brings similar organizational skills to the classroom, her teacher, Kimberly Jacobs said. Whenever students are organized into small groups, teachers know that Trinity will keep her group in line.

“Trinity is able to tell when the group is off task or in need of redirection,” Jacobs said. “She simply gives the signal for zero noise or a quiet reminder of what is expected of her group or people around her, and the others follow her lead. She is every teacher’s ‘go to person.’”

Other superintendent’s award recipients were: Adult Education: Lawonda Gaston; Uncas School: Giovanny Tavarez; Veterans’ Memorial School: Atyana Collelo; Wequonnoc School: Chloe Herrick; Kelly Middle School: Kaylee Connors; and Teachers’ Memorial Sixth Grade Academy: Jordan Ribeiro.

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