Kroeger receives Paul Krumm Award in recognition of his ‘huge heart’

HHS senior Gunnar Kroeger has woven his way into the hearts of countless students who see him as their hero.

He’s not looking for glory, he’s not looking for recognition, he just loves those kids and has a gift for making them feel special.

“An outstanding student who makes a difference in the life of a student with a disability” is the criteria for the Paul Krumm Award, and Kroeger was justifiably recognized with the monetary award this year.

Distributed on a BOCES-wide basis, the award nominees can be students in grades 7-12 from any of the Northeast BOCES schools.

Nominated by Holyoke teachers Nancy Miles, John Zilla and Scott Dille, and BOCES employee Kelly Durbin, Kroeger’s “huge heart” was described in a number of ways.

Kroeger has helped in Dille’s adaptive P.E. class for the past two years, he spends time each day with students in Zilla’s JR/SR high resource classroom, and he’s been known to drop into Miles’ elementary resource classes to interact with students.

“He is always excited to see our students, whether at school or in the community, and they are always excited to see him,” said Miles in one nomination letter for Kroeger.

“He is an amazing role model for our students, and they all love him,” she continued in the nomination. “He is an amazing young man and deserves to be recognized.”

“Gunnar is a well-rounded student who demonstrates compassion, understanding, expectations for and a special friendship with students who have disabilities,” added Durbin in another nomination.

While Kroeger has gone out of his way to establish friendships with the younger students that he works with in class, the relationships clearly extend beyond the classroom walls.
 

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