Alex Cepeda-Steele was nominated by the staff at Columbia Elementary School for the county's annual "Every Student Succeeds" awards banquet.
Alex has been at Columbia Elementary School since Kindergarten, and as his teacher in First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Teacher, Ms. Rebekah Wood, now Principal, said he "was always a student who was excited to learn and be a strong positive leader." He was passionate about volleyball and, at one point, had the whole class joining in even advocating for a boys volleyball team at the school.
His Sixth Grade teachers shared he was "always highly trustworthy" and "a great helper, mentor, and leader to his classmates," often having a great and positive attitude towards his teachers and peers.
Alex missed a lot of school last year, which affected his grades, but instead of letting this bring him down, Alex attended Starter School to earn credits back. He made the goal of reading two (2) books by the end of the trimester and is the only student out of eight (8) who completed their goal. This year, Alex has a new drive for success. His attendance has been "crushing" last year’s and he has made the Honor Roll. In his classes, he started to envision what his future plans may look like.
In his Finance elective, Alex was very passionate about what his future might look like. He discussed and was able to research how to become a gunsmith, and during this endeavor he decided he would like to be an architect. After a lengthy conversation about education, money, and what he needed to do, Alex was interested in becoming an architect and doing gunsmithing as a hobby.
Columbia Elementary School is proud to recognize Alex as our 2025 Every Student Succeeds Recipient. Congratulations, Alex, and we know you will be successful in your future endeavors and hope you come back to share your story with others!
