Lift While You Climb Award
Westfield Public Schools
Twice a year, the Westfield High School Counseling Department sponsors the “Lift While You Climb Award” to recognize students who exemplify the qualities expressed by the late Westfield High School principal Dr. Derrick Nelson. Dr. Nelson — who died in 2019 from complications he suffered while donating bone marrow to a boy he didn’t know in France – is quoted as once saying “We have an obligation to our fellow human beings that if we are in a position to help someone, you do it. You lift as you climb. If you can do that, you have contributed more to society than anything your bank account can produce and, ultimately, contribute more to your own well-being.”
Nominated by WHS faculty and staff, the five recipients of the Spring 2024 “Lift While You Climb Award” are pictured l-r: Joshua Dias, Addison Mulholland, Garrett Gao, Jillian Almendral, and Isabella DeMatos, pictured with WHS principal Mary Asfendis.
Photo by Westfield Public Schools
