Letter from Roberta Hecht appeared in NDN and Collier Citizen, May 2011
May 19, 2011,Editor, Naples Daily News:
Monday night I had the distinct privilege of attending Golden Gate High School’s “Awards Night”. Specifically, I was in attendance to award a Press Club of Southwest Florida Terrence J. Miller Scholarship to Oscar Santiago-Torres, a most deserving young man. Indeed, Oscar received multiple awards in recognition of his achievements, as did many of his classmates. I had the pleasure, too, of meeting and congratulating both his parents and his sister, as well. In addition to Oscar’s numerous awards, I was impressed by the abundant number of obviously deserving students being recognized and in quite substantial fashion. I took the opportunity to speak with guidance Counselors Sandy and Joe Consolino, Assistant Principal, Dr Rachel Dawes and Mr Jose Hernandez, the proud Principal of GGHS, and deservedly so.
For what it is worth, it is my observation that Mr Hernandez, his faculty and staff are doing an exemplary job with their students and should be commended for their dedication. When I inquired as to what might be the monetary aggregate total of scholarships, Mr Consolino related that it was $2.6 million dollars, but that he thought there were still more awards to come!
Congratulations to all. You are truly exemplifying what I like to call the “Positive Ripple Effect”, at its very best.
Most sincerely,
Roberta L. Hecht
For the Press Club of Southwest Florida
An NDN Editorial piece titled, “Investing in our children” solidified my desire to share my experience with the Naples Community at large. Congratulations 2011 graduates. Your futures are looking especially bright with promise.