Three St. Mary students were issued the 2008 Principal's Awards last month.

Principal Mark Gaubatz recognized Ben Hughes, a recent St. Mary graduate and the son of Roger and Kathy Hughes of Cedar; Taylor Moore, who will begin ninth grade in the fall and is the daughter of Nancy and Corey Moore of Traverse City; and Hannah Weber, who just completed fifth grade and is the daughter of Dan and Brenda Weber of Cedar.

ST. MARY Principal Mark Gaubatz stands with Principal's
Award recipients Hannah Weber (left), Ben Hughes and
Taylor Moore.

“Ben has a heart as big as the school and a passion to match toward his faith,” Gaubatz said. “Always with a smile, he is a natural leader and the one who can resolve disputes in any group. Ben is grounded in his faith and vision for his future. I have no doubt that he will be tremendously successful in anything that he chooses to do.”

Hughes, a member of Holy Rosary Parish, is an altar server, works with the Holy Rosary Men’s Club and is an active member of the Teen Action Group. In the coming year he will travel throughout the country with Net Ministries, a Catholic evangelization team for young adults. He’s also been accepted to study mechanics at the University of Northwestern Ohio, was named an outstanding student at the Career Tech Center, and received several area scholarships.

Gaubatz called Moore “focused and secure” and a “a quiet leader and someone the other students look up to; she can always be counted on to get the job done.

I look forward to helping her develop her natural leadership abilities.”

He labeled Weber as “a conscientious, focused student” who has excellent leadership skills. “She is very kind, always tries to be fair and wants to do what is right,” he added.