6 McLean Teens Honored For Demonstrating Outstanding Character

Press release McLean Citizens Association

MCLEAN, VA — The McLean Citizens Association awarded six teens a Teen Character Award in the 27th annual award ceremony at McLean Day on Saturday, May 17. The award ceremony was held at 3 PM at Lewinsville Park on Chain Bridge Road in McLean. Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman and McLean Citizens Association Education and Youth Committee Chair Doug Taylor and President Linda Walsh presented the awards.

The award is to honor teens who demonstrate outstanding character. Teens who have, on their own and without compensation, helped out in their neighborhood or community, are being recognized not only for themselves but as an example to others.

This year's eight awardees are:

Jack Anglin - Sophomore at McLean High School

• Jack Anglin has been a volunteer at SHARE for over three years. At first he restocked shelves. Then he began to assist clients when the food pantry was open by helping them select items and carrying their bags. Late last year he had a vision to hand out toys to kids during SHARE’s holiday gift distribution. He handled the entire project independently. He created an Amazon Wishlist; spread the word through schools, family, and friends; had the toys shipped directly to his home; and brought them to SHARE as needed. Nearly 250 toys for children ages 1 to 14 were donated. Because the Amazon Toy Wishlist was so successful, Jack was asked to create a more user-friendly version of SHARE’s food pantry Wishlist which was difficult to use and maintain. Jack developed a system that is much easier for donors and volunteers, saving time and reducing frustration.

Kate Bo – Junior at McLean High School

• Kate Bo took two loves—one of caring for dogs and the other of playing basketball—into meaningful volunteer activities. She decided she wanted to help dogs in need but had trouble finding meaningful opportunities because of her age. She found Lucky Dog Animal Rescue was willing to give her substantive tasks. She did data entry for them and, along with her mother, served as a dog handler during adoption events. Her mother wrote: “Knowing that by helping out in even the smallest ways could have a big impact on these wonderful dogs was super meaningful for Kate.” Kate and a friend thought it would be fun and rewarding to coach 4th graders in a basketball House League. They passed on the skills they had learned playing basketball together, as well as their love of the game. They used drills that made practices fun for the girls. The two co-coaches taught the girls how to play basketball and also life skills such as teamwork, personal development, fairness, and respect for other players, coaches, and referees.

Jack Paral – Junior at Langley High School

• Jack Paral has volunteered at SHARE for three years. He has worked in the food pantry to monitor and assist clients with their grocery shopping and outside the pantry helping clients put grocery bags in their cars. He has stayed past closing time to help with cleanup, recycling, and taking trash to the dumpster. He helped pick up food donations from grocery stores and has worked on the furniture team picking up donated furniture and delivering it to clients. He quickly showed initiative by taking on extra tasks when he saw something needed to be done and made himself one of SHARE’s most dependable volunteers. This year he has volunteered over 170 hours. A nominator wrote: “What stands out about Jack is how mature, kind and consistent he is. He treats everyone with respect and care…You can tell he really values service and takes pride in being part of something bigger than himself.

Elliot Pomper – Junior at Langley High School

• Over the past year, Elliot has led an effort to combat food waste at Langley High School while supporting the families at SHARE of McLean. After noticing that large quantities of uneaten fruit were being discarded at school, Elliot saw an opportunity to collect the uneaten produce and donate to a local food pantry. He received permission from cafeteria staff to set up collection bins in the cafeteria as well as signage encouraging students to donate fruit. He began collecting donations in April 2024. What began as a personal initiative has grown into a weekly operation—Elliot encourages Langley students to donate their uneaten fruit on Tuesdays and Fridays in time for SHARE’s Wednesday and Saturday food pantry openings. Then he personally delivers the donations to SHARE. Since he began this initiative, Elliot has collected and delivered more than 8,000 apples, bananas, oranges, pears and other snacks to SHARE. He met recently with FCPS Food and Nutrition Services staff to discuss ways to replicate his project at other FCPS schools so that these donations will continue after he graduates in a year.

Amrit Singh – Junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

• Amrit Singh’s mother wrote: “Amrit’s maternal grandmother was living with us and was under Hospice care and bedridden for 3 years before she passed away in 2024. Amrit was very helpful in taking care of her. He gave her medication and food. He watched her to make sure she was safe. He learned Hindi so he could speak with her since she did not know English. He spent time with her to cheer her. They shared a great bond and learned from each other’s experiences.” After she died, he wanted to do something meaningful as a tribute and also turn his personal loss into a source of healing and impact for others with similar needs. He started tutoring neighborhood children to raise money to buy diapers to donate to families in need. He also organized donation drives for shoes, books and jackets which he distributed to local shelters and underserved communities.

Keely Solomon – Junior at Langley High School

• Keely Solomon volunteered for SummerQuest, a PTA-sponsored summer camp. Keely took on a leadership position when classes needed a teacher. She always had a kind, helpful and positive attitude. When student behaviors were tricky, the camp director would find Keely sitting with the student and supporting them through the behavior. She created activities to keep the students engaged which also helped eliminate challenging behaviors. The adults that supported the camp were always requesting Keely because they knew that she would assist with anything going on during that class session. She gave the teachers confidence that no matter how difficult the lesson or activity was, with her support they could make it a success. The students benefited from the relationships that Keely worked to develop. She made the students feel important when she stopped to talk to them outside of the camp building. She was also able to help students make better choices and problem solve as they navigated daily challenges.