The Kelly Automotive Theory of 5 Book Award has returned to Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, honoring Zooey Flickinger, seventh grade; Samantha Fraser, eighth grade; Chandler Braid, ninth grade; Griffin Brunger, tenth grade; Julien Warden, eleventh grade; Brynne Mittleider, twelfth grade.
The school-wide leadership award is presented to one student in grades 7 through 12 who have demonstrated leadership, a strong work ethic both in and outside of the classroom, serve as a role and a mentor for peers, and are active members in all aspects of the Holy Trinity community.
This award is one of many; Holy Trinity offers various character, leadership and athletic awards to ensure that the experience is well-rounded.
Colleen Middlebrook, Executive Director of Advancement at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, said she enjoys that there are a lot of ways to be recognized as a young student.
“I am glad we have other offerings,” said Colleen. “Some kids will never get an athletic award, and other kids will never get a character award. This way there is something for everyone.”
She also said that the book is an example of recognizing multiple areas of excellence, and demonstrating being a good person with soft skills is a good thing.
Developing skills in reading and learning at a young age can positively impact academic and personal growth. According to Scholastic.com, “Reading becomes a powerful tool to find information, make sense of complex material, and find enjoyment in literature and popular media.”
The Theory of 5 aims to act as a blueprint for young, aspirational leaders to learn how to identify their mentors in the key five areas of business and finance, relationships, spirituality, health and fitness and marriage. Thinking of their long-term goals within each area will enable life-long learning and personal development.
Chris Saraceno, Vice President/Partner of the Kelly Automotive Group and author of The Theory of 5, said that sponsoring this award was due to the aligned values between the Kelly Automotive Group, the book and the academy.
“We believe that the greatest gift you can give to society is giving children the ability to survive and thrive on their own,” said Chris.
Enabling success for youth to prepare for life on their own, whether their parents are with them through adulthood or not, is important to him.
Colleen has said in previous discussions that the appeal of the book to the students stems from the fact that it is easily digestible and realistic.
“It is not some lofty idea where you need to do all these things and then you will get to it [the Theory of 5 lifestyle]; it is who you surround yourself with . . . it is not a hard recipe.”
With Melbourne, FL being the home-base of Chris, he values giving back to the community one award at a time.