Angel Hernandez Bermudez was “a little snarky” when teacher Kristin Andersen met him.

Andersen, who teaches alternative education at Sprague High School, said the senior struggled last year with behavior and academics. But this year, she said in a video, he’s transformed.

“He has made a significant change in his attendance, his grades, his behavior and his ability to now be a role model at Sprague,” she said.

Henandez was one of 22 local students honored Tuesday with a Turnaround Achievement Award.

The annual awards recognize middle and high school students in Salem and Keizer who have made significant improvements in academics or behavior after initially struggling at school.

“As an educator, I just want you to know that you keep us all motivated to keep trying, to keep trying to connect with you,” said Larry Ramirez, high school director for the Salem-Keizer School District. “Your stories and your work really, really keep us all going and motivated.”

The award is in its 28th year and is sponsored by Valor Mentoring, a faith-based youth mentorship nonprofit that operates The Rec bowling alley in Keizer. Tuesday’s lunch honoring the winners was held at the Keizer Civic Center.

Educators at each secondary school in the Salem-Keizer School District selected one student for the award and recorded a short video explaining why. Blanchet Catholic School and Crosshill Christian School also selected winners. 

“Turnaround is hard. The hardest part after that is holding on to it, and I’m just so proud of every single young person and every single adult who’s part of that story,” Superintendent Andrea Castañeda said at the start of the ceremony.

Here are the 2024 Turnaround Achievement Award winners, and a quote from the teacher, counselor, principal or educator who nominated them.

Middle school winners

Marina Ramirez — Claggett Creek Middle School

“She’s a remarkable kid … she moved away from some peers that weren’t maybe making the best choices and she has turned into a remarkable student, leader and just a kind and thoughtful young lady.”

Conner VanDeHey — Crossler Middle School

“He attends school every day, has almost 100% attendance and has gone from Cs and Ds to A’s and B’s. Connor enrolled in band this year and quickly progressed to the advanced band and jazz band levels. It seems as though through band he’s found his niche.”

Benjamin Blair — Houck Middle School

“Over the past couple of years he has grown into a dependable, responsible, kind and compassionate young man. He’s super talented, he plays musical instruments. He helps other kids learn things in a very kind way. He has straight A’s. He’s just a delight to be around and we’re really proud of him.” 

Anna Kondash — Judson Middle School

“I remember meeting Anna as a sixth grader, just this young person full of fire and passionate attitude. There wasn’t an opinion she was afraid to share or a rule she wasn’t scared to challenge if it opposed her convictions … academically, Anna struggled to apply herself and use her intelligence and talents to capacity. But now as an eighth grader, we’ve seen the amazing transformation Anna has gone through learning how to positively channel all that fire and attitude and sense of justice and apply it as a leader among her peers and as an advocate for those who haven’t found their voice yet.”

Gauge Baker — Leslie Middle School

“This year in eighth grade, he has completely turned it around. He has no referrals this year because his attendance has improved tremendously. He’s engaged in class and he’s just done a tremendous job setting himself up for success in high school and beyond.”

David Salazar Silva — Parrish Middle School

“He has shown such determination in improving his attitude toward himself and others. He not only seeks advice from trusted adults but uses it to change the way he approaches obstacles in his life. He has become a leader in our school and displays self-discipline. He has been instrumental in encouraging others to do the same.”

Artem Miroshnickenko — Stephens Middle School

“Eighth grade is where he really, really started to shine. He became not just a leader in name but in action and with both his peers and his classmates and his friends. So what we really were excited to see was his dedication, and his diversity in how he showed those skills was really really a testament to his perseverance.”

Nation Rodgers — Straub Middle School

“He, over the last year and a half, has made such great strides in showing how to be calm in frustrating moments and showing others what true resiliency looks like. We are so excited to see the future successes he has ahead of him.”

Angel Esquivel Linares — Waldo Middle School

“Angel came in sixth grade right after the pandemic with that group of students from elementary and really struggled with his academics and his behavior. And this year he has stepped it up. He’s a student aide in the office. His grades are A’s and B’s and behavior is a non-issue. He has really become a leader in our school this year.”

Christian Apling — Walker Middle School

Christian has grown tremendously over the last three years … Sports has really helped him open up and he’s met a lot of positive peers whereas before, he wasn’t really hanging out with the best friend group. His sixth grade year we spent a lot of time together because I was the classroom supervisor. And now I only hear great things from his teachers about him.”

Jose Cervantes — Whiteaker Middle School

“Jose was a student in my class when he was a sixth grader and that year he seemed more interested in socializing than in his academics. He was easily influenced by his peers. Today Jose is a determined student … he has set goals for himself and is reaching those goals. He is persistent in getting his work done and turned in and currently has straight A’s … He is kind, respectful, a fun kid, always willing to share his thinking. Today he is seen as a leader inside and outside of the classroom.”

High school winners

Phin Torres Gabiro — Early College High School

“Phin has worked really, really hard these last four years. Their freshman year as we all know was in Covid or during distance learning and that was not really a good way for Phin to learn … Their junior year they really wanted to work on those grades. They did a lot of credit recovery and by the end of their junior year, they felt ready to take a college class. When they took their first college class, they got an A. As of fall this year, Finn has repaired all of their grades.”

Mackenzie Jensen — EDGE online program

“Kenzie came to EDGE the middle of their junior year and has done an amazing job improving attendance and getting on track to graduation. Kenzie has a challenging schedule and also is working outside of school. Kenzie is respectful and kind and supportive of both their teachers and their peers.”

Isabelle Zaragosa — McKay High School

“Isabelle struggled with school during Covid … And what Isabelle did that was different from a lot of other students is that she made the decision to go to the Oregon Youth Challenge program in Central Oregon. OYCP is a difficult program, both academically and emotionally. Isabel did awesome. She completed extra credits while she was there, came back to McKay, has worked really hard this year and we’re all excited to celebrate with her to graduate in June.”

Manuel Garcia Cervantes — McNary High School 

“Manny’s story is not just one of personal triumph, but a testament to the power of determination and hard work. Manny will be the first of his family to graduate from high school … Throughout his high school years, many of these challenges that would have deterred many and actually almost stopped him: academic hurdles, responsibilities of a job outside of school, and the weight of supporting his family. From a struggling freshman to a competent senior, this transformation is nothing short of remarkable.”

Daniela Cortes Arreola — North Salem High School

“As a sophomore she had poor attendance … was motivated by things outside of high school and her education. When I’ve had the privilege of teaching her this year as a senior, she’s totally turned around. She is coming to school. She’s on time, she’s super motivated to go to college and get scholarships and do better for herself and her family and give back to her community.”

Sinahi Espinoza — South Salem High School

“We knew that she had come from another school and had had a difficult time there. She had lost her mom in Mexico just the year before … what we met in class was a sweet and kind girl who worked hard, was always respectful and just did really well … She’s found a community and her (English language development) classes right away. She’s in Spanish club, and she’s also taking IB level classes which just shows real resilience.”

Angel Hernandez Bermudez — Sprague High School

“He has made a significant change in his attendance, his grades, his behavior and his ability to now be a role model at Sprague. I met Angel as a junior and he had major attendance issues and was a bit snarky with me. We continue to work on our relationship. And when he came back this year as a senior, he was a completely different kid. We are super proud of Angel.”

Kayonna Jones Dockler — West Salem High School

“She has such an amazing heart. When I first met Kayonna she had some challenges … growing up and trying to figure herself out. And since then she’s been able to grow, she’s been able to make better relationships with friends, with the school, with teachers and myself.”

Richard Quang — Blanchet Catholic School

“Richard came to us as a freshman and the academic portion was really difficult. It was a struggle, (we were) working with him and his family … we finished his senior year, and his senior year he was earning 3.6. I’m so proud of the growth he’s made and we’re looking forward to what he does next.”

Carter Gill — Crosshill Christian School

“He’s a senior (who) as a freshman really struggled coming back from Covid. The context of high school was really hard. We had some low grades that needed some credit retrieval stuff during summer school and he has rocked it. Now that he’s a senior we’re looking at all As and Bs. Just a completely different context to finish out his high school career. And I’m just really excited about how he’s going to take those skills that he learned into his future.”

Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

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