Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) students and their families gathered at the Alachua County Library District Headquarters on Wednesday for a ceremony recognizing the 2025-26 Citizens of the Year recipients.
ACPS and the Kiwanis Club of Gainesville run a Citizens of the Month program that honors one student from each elementary school in Alachua County. The winners are posted monthly at a dedicated page on Mainstreet Daily News and featured in 20,000 weekly print editions.
At the end of the school year, every school picks a Citizen of the Year.
According to ACPS, this award by the students’ teachers and peers is based on their attitude, conduct, scholastic standing, contribution to the community and extracurricular activities.
A total of 24 students were recognized as 2025-26 Citizens of the Year at Wednesday’s ceremony, which was also attended by ACPS’s staff, members of the School Board of Alachua County (SBAC), Gainesville City Commission and Alachua County Library District, as well as representatives from different local organizations.
“These individuals, they really truly show compassion way beyond their years of maturity,” interim Superintendent Kamela Patton said at the ceremony. “We’re really, really proud of them. They always make those right choices . . . .Those right choices are choosing kindness, choosing honesty, choosing to include others…and always…choosing to do the right thing, even when no one is looking. That’s who these kids are today.”
Patton thanked the attending parents and family members for their guidance and support in shaping the students’ values. She also expressed gratitude to the teachers and principals for their time and energy in ensuring the students are successful and “outstanding citizens.”
SBAC Chair Thomas Vu served as the keynote speaker for the event. While speaking, he discussed the concept of citizenship and how it starts at home, in neighborhoods and at school.
“I think citizenship is really about how we live with other people,” Vu said. “It’s about whether we tell the truth, whether we help someone who needs it [and] help someone who feels left out. It’s whether we take care of these spaces we all share together, and it’s whether we apologize when we make mistakes.”
Vu said citizenship isn’t about being perfect, adding that this is important because no one is flawless.
As he concluded, Vu encouraged the students to be proud of the moment and to keep being kind, honest and helpful.
Each of the recipients present for the ceremony received a certificate, medal and goodie bag. The students were also handed a print copy of Mainstreet as they made their way to the back of the room to get their picture taken.
A complete list of the 2025-26 Citizens of the Year can be found below and in the May 27, 2026, print edition.
- Margaret Ludwig, Alachua Elementary
- Ezekiel Bowman, Archer Elementary
- Sophia Cross, Chiles Elementary
- Sophia Malaty, Foster Elementary
- Julie Henriksen, Glen Springs Elementary
- Stella Han, Hidden Oak Elementary
- Bellamy Rendek, High Springs Community School
- Jadeiona King, Idyllwild Elementary
- Moria Bultemeier, Irby Elementary
- Raelyn Goar, Lake Forest Elementary
- Darin Askoul, Littlewood Elementary
- Lucia Santiago, Meadowbrook Elementary
- Juan Castano, Metcalfe Elementary
- Isabelle Kay, Micanopy Area Cooperative School
- Kinsley Mann, Newberry Elementary
- Adriel Batista, Norton Elementary
- Luke Bagby, Parker Elementary
- Chaliyah Warren, Rawlings Elementary
- Charles Mulroney Jr., Shell Elementary
- Tyler Bradley, Sidney Lanier Center
- London Scott, Talbot Elementary
- Hieu Nguyen, Terwilliger Elementary
- Mayleigh Berstler, Wiles Elementary
- May Nelson, Williams Elementary
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.