Dutcher Middle School eighth-graders William Cooke and Catherine Smith are the Turlock Unified School District’s Character Counts Students of the Month for the character trait of fairness.
Cooke is an eighth-grade immersion student and he holds a 4.0 GPA. At Dutcher, he is involved in jazz band, the soccer team and the Orators Club.
Cooke provided the inspirational message for Tuesday night’s board meeting and he spoke about the topic of fairness, in which he noted that nearly everyone struggles with fairness as a child. He recalled that when he played soccer on the playground at his elementary school games were often unfair and outcomes were often questionable.
“As a kid playing soccer in elementary school it was frustrating, but if everyone (as adults) played by the rules of decency rather that corruption and greed this world be much better,” said Cooke.
He challenged everyone to make the world a better place by correcting the slightest injustices in their everyday lives and that to remember that fairness is kindness.
Cooke’s future plans include attending Turlock High School, where he plans to participate in soccer, track and the Speech and Debate Team. He would like to attend University of California, Santa Cruz, or any other coastal university, and major in journalism.
Smith is also a 4.0 GPA student and president of the Orators Club. She is also involved in the Dutcher’s Drama Club. In her free time she enjoys archery, making friendship bracelets and participating in girl scouts.
Her future plans include attending Pitman High School and then Cal Poly. She plans to become either a Spanish teacher or a special education teacher.
