Senior Elise Belluccia will represent Berkeley in the state-wide Prudential Spirit of Community Award competition, which honors young people who perform exemplary community service in their communities. Her project, called “The High School Company,” performs original skits for nursing homes and other organizations across the Tampa Bay area. If her service project is deemed the best in the state of Florida, she will advance to the national competition in Washington, D.C. in May. There, ten National Honorees will be selected.

Belluccia’s project combines her love for theater and her love for helping others. In her spare time and on the weekends, she organizes a company that goes to nursing homes and other locations and performs specific numbers for the attendees. Her group doesn’t perform run-of-the-mill pop songs; rather, they perform songs that their specific audience will enjoy, such as songs by artists like Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby. Belluccia said, “I wanted to do something to benefit the community but also stay true to what I like to do, performing.”

Although she makes it look easy, her project is no easy task. There are a lot of people to coordinate, as her group regularly consists of multiple pianists, violinists and vocalists. Preparing for the performances is also a large time commitment. On a usual Sunday, Belluccia can be found at her house rehearsing for three to four hours with her company. These long hours of practice lead to a performance that contains anywhere from ten to twelve songs. Belluccia will find out the results of the statewide competition in February, but she continues to work diligently on making a difference in the community.

Junior Liam Ryan, the runner-up for Berkeley’s state nomination, created a teen council for the city in which he lives, Belleair. This council is officially recognized by the City of Belleair and gives teens a chance to voice their opinion.

Liam not only created the Belleair Teen Council, but was also voted to be the commissioner.   Because he is able to present his council’s opinion to other commissioners, he said that “It’s […] odd to feel at their level even though I’m so much younger.” His drive to make a difference in his community is what gives his project such great success.

These two students are just two of many who applied for Berkeley’s nomination. Senior Ryan Shikapuri, a member of the community service council, said “It took us about two or three meetings to be able to come to a decision on who should win [the award].” The council’s difficulty in choosing a winner is a testament to Berkeley students’ commitment to service.