SAHS junior receives leadership award

South Aiken High junior Jordan Beeler, second from left, is joined by her parents, Carolyn and DeWitt Beeler, and at right retired Lt. Col. Jim Saine. Saine presented Beeler with the West Point Leadership Award recently.

When Jordan Beeler moved to Aiken at age 9 with her parents, Carolyn and DeWitt Beeler, her mother started volunteering with ACTS.

"I realized there are a lot of people who aren't as fortunate to have what I have," said Beeler, a South Aiken High School junior. "I have always wanted to help other people have a better chance."

Her own community service efforts contributed to Beeler's selection as the recent winner of the West Point Leadership Award. Beeler is the president of South Aiken's Serteens Club and is a junior officer in DECA, the business and marketing club. Both programs have a focus on service-learning.

Retired Lt. Col. Jim Saine, a West Point graduate and Aiken High teacher, presented the award. A total of 90 S.C. high schools and all seven in Aiken County offer the award, which is sponsored by the West Point Parents' Club and West Point Society within South Carolina.

"The award is in keeping with the highest tradition of the U.S. Military Academy - academics, athletics and service to country and community," Saine said.

Previous winners at South Aiken were Laura Laughlin, Erin Abernethy, Amy Laughlin, Shannon Looney, Nichole Neill, Katrina Paolini and Cody Wilkins.

Serteens adviser Valorie Wilkerson pointed out that two of the last three winners were presidents of the club.

"That says a lot about the leaders we attract to Serteens," she said. "It does so well because we have these amazing kids."

Beeler's parents said they're proud of her every day.

"This reinforces the qualities that she exhibits, most of which she figured out on her own," DeWitt Beeler said. "That's my source of pride."

South Aiken High has done a lot for Beeler. She plans to study business administration and psychology in college.

"I really would like to go into management," she said. "I like being a leader, being part of a team and running with the ideas that everybody has to offer."

She represents the spirit of the award in its entirety, said Principal Bryan Skipper.

"Jordan is involved in many activities and is a good student," he said. "The silent leadership that she portrays through her actions is a good reason why she was such a strong candidate for this award."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.