Academic All-Star – Aidan Valdez, Spring Station Middle

Published March 16, 2018

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 Sonic Drive-In and other gifts from the district.

Polite and respectful. That’s how teachers at Spring Station Middle School describe 12-year-old Aidan Valdez. Those qualities, combined with Aidan’s dedication to his schoolwork, make him the ideal candidate for this year’s Academic All-Star award.

“Aidan always has a smile on his face and a willingness to try his best at anything that is asked of him,” said his teachers. “His compassion for others makes him a blessing to teachers and peers, alike.”

As a seventh grader, Aidan says he enjoys coming to school each day at Spring Station.

“Everyone is so nice and caring,” said Aidan. “Even when you mess up, the teachers do a great job of helping you improve.”

Aidan’s two favorite subjects are math and social studies.

“I like math because it’s usually easy for me,” said Aidan. “For social studies, my teacher is Mr. Weinstein. He makes it fun because he jokes a lot, and he’s really caring and nice.”

Aidan says his teachers have even inspired him to consider a future career in education.

“I used to want to be a doctor but not anymore,” said Aidan. “I want to be a teacher, but I think that’s a good thing to do after I do something else. I’m just not sure yet what that will be.”

Until then, Aidan says he’ll continue to give 100 percent each day at school.

“School is important to me because it’s how I’m going to get where I want to be in the world,” said Aidan. “I want to go to college and have a nice job and you need a good education to accomplish that. Plus, my parents motivate me because they work hard which inspires me to work hard.”