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Smith Student Caught Doing Good Gets
Free Luby’s for a Year

Seventh-grader rewarded through cafeteria’s Achieving Character Together program
June 23, 2009

Making a change for the better in one’s day-to-day life generally does not elicit public accolades or financial rewards, but for one HISD middle-school student, a simple shift in attitude has brought him both the applause of his teachers and a prize package worth about $3,500.
Christopher Davidson, a seventh-grader at the Ernest O. Smith Education Center, was one of dozens of students to be nominated throughout the 2008–2009 school year for recognition through Luby’s Inc.’s ACT Program (Achieving Character Together), which was introduced in September 2008 and designed to promote and reward outstanding character achievement in middle-schools students.

Teachers and staff nominate deserving students every six weeks by giving them a “You’ve Been Caught Doing Something Great!” ticket, and one “bronze” winner is chosen at each school per six-week period. A “silver” winner is subsequently selected from among the bronze winners as an overall winner for each six-week period, and finally, a “gold” winner is chosen from among the silver winners at the end of the school year and pronounced the grand-prize winner.

Christopher was selected for the top prize because he “exemplified the spirit of the ACT program by demonstrating strong character development,” and was “a true turn-around story from only a year ago,” said Luby’s Chief Operating Officer Harris Pappas.

According to one teacher, as a sixth-grader Christopher didn’t get to on time, didn’t get his work done, and didn’t pay attention during lessons. Now, he is “thoughtful, respectful, and generous…just a pleasure to have in class,” she said, and he not only completes his assignments on time, Christopher also helps tutor other students and even asks for additional work.

As the grand-prize winner, Christopher received a $2,000 scholarship, a new laptop computer, and free meals at Luby’s for a year (an $800 value) during a special ceremony held on May 27.

“Giving back to the communities where we live and work is one of Luby's core values, and we are proud to be partnering with HISD to promote and reward achievements in character for middle-school students,” said Pappas during the presentation. “We believe that developing and strengthening the character of students benefits our entire community and better prepares these young adults for the world beyond school.”

Each silver winner received a $1,000 scholarship, and each bronze winner received a backpack, an iPod, and a $25 Luby’s gift card.

Click here to see a list of all ACT Program winners for 2008–2009.