Academic All-Star – Heritage Middle

Published May 24, 2017

The Academic All-Star award is given to students who exhibit a positive attitude and a commitment to excellence in the classroom. Each Academic All-Star is chosen by his or her principal and receives a framed certificate, free food from Chick-fil-A and Sonic Drive-In and a free gift courtesy of Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More in Franklin.

Teachers at Heritage Middle School describe eighth grader Bella Braat as a natural leader who treats her peers with kindness and respect. So it’s no surprise they selected her as the school’s Academic All-Star for the 2016-17 school year.

“Bella is an absolute joy to the entire HMS community,” said her teachers. “Her passion, commitment and inclination to drop everything and help others are what make her a great leader and all-star.”

Bella moved to Williamson County at the start of seventh grade and says the teachers have played a big role in helping her adjust.

“All the teachers are so nice,” said Bella. “You can tell that they really love what they do. Some teachers just go through the motions, but the teachers here are willing to talk to you and get to know you. They truly care about the students.”

In fact, the teachers at Heritage Middle have played such a big role in Bella’s life that she wants to follow in their footsteps.

“When I grow up I want to be a teacher,” said Bella. “At first I wanted to be a science teacher, but now I’m not sure what I want to teach.”

Bella likes to stay busy. In addition to being in the school play, she participated in the following clubs this year: STARS Leadership, Chemistry of Cooking, Model UN, Youth Legislature, BE NICE, Pearls of Heritage and Art Club. Bella was also the brains and organization behind the HMS Pantene Hair Donation which provides women who are battling cancer with wigs.

“At my last school, we did this thing annually where you cut off your hair and you can donate it,” said Bella. “I thought it would be great if we could do that here so I spoke to the Pearls of Heritage sponsor about it, and we gave it a try.”

As the school year comes to an end, Bella says she can’t think of a better way to cap off eighth grade.

“At the beginning of the year, I told myself I was going to get this award,” said Bella. “I worked hard, and I can’t believe it happened. I’m really happy. My face is going to hurt from smiling so much.”