Hayden Korr
Age: 15
School: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland
Grade: 10
Hometown: Parkland
Trait: Caring
Always cheerful and optimistic, Hayden Korr extends an enthusiastic helping hand to everyone. But those who benefit the most are students with cognitive disabilities, including Hayden’s autistic brother who always gets her unwavering support.
For Hayden, acts of kindness come in many sizes. “The little things you do for someone may not be little to them,” she says. “Kindness can go a long way. I strive to impact people’s lives however I can.”
Constance Forti, certified classroom assistant: Hayden is consistently a cheerful and optimistic student who shows an extraordinary amount of compassion and empathy. She excels academically, but more importantly, she is the epitome of an all-around student of character. Through her work in peer counseling and her constant willingness to volunteer to help teachers, aides, and other students, Hayden is something of a role model for her fellow classmates. Good character is not just an act for her. It is an essential part of her nature. The more I get to know her, the more I believe she will continue to exhibit exemplary character and to influence others to be better people.
Hayden’s brother is severely autistic. The way she interacts with him and his cognitively challenged friends is refreshing. Hayden never shows resentment or jealously when her brother gets accommodations or special treatment. She actually revels in how extraordinarily popular he is. She goes out of her way to look for her big brother and does not tolerate those who treat him unkindly. I believe her impact on him has been profound and positive. He owes a great deal of his development growth in high school to his little sister. Similarly, many of the other kids with cognitive disabilities have benefited from having Hayden in their lives.
Her brother, friends, classmates, teachers, and aides have benefited from Hayden’s altruism and enthusiasm. Whether it be great advice to a friend, spending an hour listening to music with an ESE student, helping a teacher after school, or just walking the halls with a smile on her face, Hayden has made Stoneman a little nicer place to spend each school day.
Ferren and Sonya Korr, parents: As parents, we would love nothing more than to take full credit for Hayden exhibiting such an extraordinary amount of character. We’d love to say we are solely responsible for her amazing creativity, kindness, compassion, generosity, honor, and positive personality as well. However, she seems to come by it naturally. Sure, we think we’ve provided a warm and nurturing home. But, in reality, she’s exhibited these traits in virtually every academic and extracurricular endeavor she has undertaken and in every interpersonal relationship in which she has been involved. This has been the case since as long as we can remember, but probably first became obvious in her relationship with her older brother. Hayden’s brother is severely autistic. The way she interacts with him, and his cognitively challenged friends, is nothing short of incredible. Although we tell her, he is not your responsibility, she still looks out for her big brother and has a small but loyal band of friends who do likewise. Her impact on him has been profound and we believe much of his emotional growth and development can be attributed to her. The same can be said for everyone who encounters Hayden. To know Hayden is to love Hayden.
Hayden Korr: I like to think of myself as a well-rounded individual. I did the things for which I’m being recognized because it’s in my nature. I can’t help but be polite and cooperative with every person I encounter. Actually, not only is it second nature to me, I love doing it. I actually enjoy giving respect to others, since they’ll do the same for me and take me seriously. I love helping others and being patient with them. I think it’s the right thing for me to do.
I really like the outcome of doing these things. I love seeing people smile and that’s really my goal. I love the idea of maybe making someone’s day a little bit better and that’s all I care about. I love people and care about them and their feelings, which is why I strive to make them as happy as possible. I definitely love it if people treated me like I treat them. I guess I’m following the Golden Rule, which is what anyone strives to achieve in life, right?
-Beth Feinstein-Bartl