Staff Report

Smile at the World Orthodontics and ESPN Radio Central Texas are working to highlight a 10-12 grade student each week.
This recognition includes highlighting academics, extracurricular, and community-school involvement.
The student will also be highlighted over the BHS football radio broadcast, receive a plaque from Cumulus Radio Station. BHS may nominate 10 recipients.

Gracen Bradford was named as the second Excellence Award nominee. Her extracurricular activities include volunteering at Ronald McDonald House, BCYC, and church nursery; she works with special needs children at BHS and at home with a family friend; she’s a BHS Varsity Cheerleader, a Belle of Belton and Wildflower Belle.
Bradford’s counselor, Carrie Evelyn, said this of Gracen in her nomination, “Gracen is a thoughtful and compassionate student who always has a smile on her face. Whether she is volunteering within the community, teaching cheer and gymnastics, working with special needs children or learning a new concept in class, Gracen always gives 100 percent. Her teachers describe her as a great, hard-working student who is always in a good mood. One teacher said, “Honestly, whatever positive thing you want to say about Gracen it is probably true.”
Gracen has been a Belton High School cheerleader for the past four years. She is one of two returning cheerleaders and sees this year as an opportunity to be a positive role model for others on the squad. When Gracen is not cheering, you can find her volunteering at BCYC, the Ronald McDonald House, the nursery at her church or in the special needs classroom at BHS. Gracen has been honored as a Belle of Belton and a Wildflower Belle for her continued service within the community. She enjoys working with children and adolescents of all ages and describes volunteer work as enjoyable and rewarding because it comes from the heart.
The BHS special ed teacher said, ‘Her character is bar none. I can depend on her to take care of the kids if I’m working with the others. She is very trustworthy and always on time. She takes control of situations and if she is unsure what to do she is able to verbally communicate with me on how she should handle the issue.’
Gracen said it has been a meaningful lesson for her to see how her actions impact others and rates working as a special ed aide as being one of her favorite high school accomplishments. She plans to continue her love of helping others by seeking a career as an art therapist working with special needs children.”