January 2026 Bearcats of Character Recognized

The Aledo ISD Board of Trustees recognized this latest group of students named Bearcats of Character for the 2025-2026 school year on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 for the character trait KINDNESS.

According to the Positivity Project, kindness is correlated with desirable developmental outcomes. It is related to other-oriented emotions, like empathy and sympathy. Psychologists have even traced kindness and generosity as the keys to healthy, happy, and lasting marriages. In addition to empathy and sympathy, the character strength of kindness is indicative of an individual’s moral reasoning capacity and level of social responsibility. That means people who develop kindness possess a strong personal ethical responsibility to care for other people. And, their acts of kindness towards others lead to additional acts of kindness by those who have been helped.

Congratulations to the following students, Aledo ISD's January 2026 Bearcats of Character!

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Aledo High School: Savannah Lanphier, 11th Grade
Savannah is overall just a great person to be around. She always makes sure that she is spreading kindness to the people around her through her actions and words. Personally, she has been a huge example to me on how I should act and treat other people. She includes everyone, she compliments people regularly, and she acts selflessly always. I couldn't think of another person I would nominate for this, she is a great person that is the best example of kindness. 

Aledo Learning Center: Brielle DePauw, 11th Grade
Brielle consistently demonstrates kindness through her words, actions, and positive attitude, creating a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone around her. She treats classmates, teachers, and staff with respect and empathy, always willing to help, share, or offer encouragement, and she is known for her polite manner, warm smile, and soft-spoken demeanor. She truly exemplifies what it means to care for others, being quick to compliment and slow to criticize in every interaction.

Daniel Ninth Grade: Orson Henry, 9th Grade
Orson helps me see the beautiful even through stressful times through his kindness. He brings a tone of peace by the way he treats others, always leading with compassion and care. His kindness is shown in how loving he is and how he makes everyone feel valued and accepted.

Aledo Middle School: Harper Holloway, 8th Grade
Harper is one of the kindest students in my class. He helps classmates when they are struggling and often volunteers to be a partner so no one feels left out. Without being asked, he stays after class to help clean up simply because he noticed it needed to be done. He also takes time to check in and ask how my day is going, which always brings a smile. Harper’s quiet kindness and genuine care for others make a meaningful difference in our classroom and truly reflect the character celebrated by the Bearcat of Character Award.

McAnally Middle School: Piper Lode, 7th Grade
Piper truly represents the character strength of kindness. She is always sweet to her peers and makes the people around her feel comfortable, included, and supported, especially on the basketball court. Piper is empathetic, takes the time to listen to others, and genuinely cares about how people are feeling. She comes in every day with a positive attitude and encouraging words, whether we are in the classroom or at practice. Piper’s kind heart and steady positivity make our team and our class a better place.

Aledo ISD Early Childhood Academy: Liberty "Birdie" Ruse, Pre-K
Birdie exemplifies the character trait of kindness in our classroom each day. She is consistently helpful and caring toward her peers, always looking for ways to support others. Over the past year, Birdie has shown tremendous growth, transforming from a quiet, shy student into a confident, social leader. She has built strong friendships and serves as a positive role model for her classmates. Her kindness and leadership make a lasting impact on those around her.

Annetta Elementary School: Eliana Frias, 5th Grade
Eliana consistently goes out of her way to help classmates, offer encouragement, include others, and show compassion. She approaches each day with a positive attitude and never complains, even when things are challenging. Her caring heart helps make our classroom a welcoming place, and I'm so proud of her for the positive choices she makes every day!

Coder Elementary School: Ledger Pennington, 2nd Grade
Ledger shows kindness on a daily bases by helping students out in the classroom, whether it be picking up a fallen book box or helping a friend on an academic task.  He is always quick to realize when someone is not feeling themselves and offers kind and encouraging words to make them feel better.  Ledger is not only kind but also selfless and will do whatever it takes to make a friend's day get better.

McCall Elementary School: Julian Cancino, 5th Grade
Julian stays late after everyone is dismissed to pick up after people, push in chairs, and make sure that all of his classmates remembered to take home their belongings. In the cafeteria, he collects all of the lunch trays and neatly stacks them in the window to help our cafeteria crew with clean-up. He holds all doors open for his classmates and teachers to pass through and closes them behind him to ensure they are locked. Julian does all of this on his own without having ever been asked or assigned a classroom job. His classmates call him King Julian because he truly looks after everyone and their wellbeing - it comes so naturally to him! They nominated him saying "Julian, it has to be Julian, because he is always looking for ways to help even when no one is asking or watching," and "Julian is the nicest person and will do anything for everyone even without getting any credit."

McKinney Elementary School: Hudson Hatfield, 3rd Grade
Hudson is a kind and considerate student who consistently shows compassion in all that he does. He treats classmates with respect, offers help without being asked, and is thoughtful in both his words and actions. Hudson makes an effort to include others, encourages his peers, and responds to challenges with patience and understanding. His genuine kindness creates a welcoming classroom environment and sets a positive example for those around him.

Stuard Elementary School: Marley Rose, 5th Grade
She treats her peers and teachers with genuine respect. She chooses joy even when things are hard. Her words and actions encourage and inspire others. Her daily choices reflect her true character and heart. In a world where you can be anything, Marley always chooses to be kind.

Vandagriff Elementary School: Ellie Kerr, 4th Grade
Ellie is an absolute joy to have in class. She is quick to help others, and her compassionate heart makes classmates feel valued. I love how Ellie makes an effort to include everyone, and she goes out of her way to care for others. Ellie is such a bright light in our classroom because of her big heart for kindness! Whether it’s offering a helping hand, giving a friendly smile, or using encouraging words, Ellie makes our school a happier place.

Walsh Elementary School: Emery Simicek, 5th Grade
Emery constantly demonstrates kindness inside and outside of the classroom. She holds herself to a high standard and consistently encourages those around her to show kindness no matter the circumstance. Great job, Emery!