The memory of an Edgecomb Eddy School graduate is kept alive each spring through a special graduation honor. On June 15, Edgecomb Eddy sixth grade graduates Arden Carleton and Angelica Rodriguez were presented with the Sara Leone Outstanding Citizenship Award. Sara Leone graduated sixth grade from Edgecomb Eddy in 2002. She stood out as child with enthusiasm for learning,  a love of the outdoors and a zest for life, according to school officials.

Principal Lisa Clarke described Sara Leone as “someone with a wonderful blend of passion and compassion.” Leone died in a car accident in 2005 at the age of 15. The award was created to honor her memory and recognize students who displayed her zest for life and leadership qualities.

Rodriguez and Carleton were selected by the school’s faculty and staff, who judged students on their leadership, integrity, desire to do right, and being a good role model. According to Clarke, both Carleton and Rodriguez expressed pride in being chosen this year’s Sara Leone Outstanding Citizenship Award recipients.

Carol Leone, Sara’s mother, attended the presentation during the sixth grade graduation ceremony. She posed for a picture with Carleton and Rodriguez alongside a framed display of Sara’s photograph and a poem she wrote as an Edgecomb Eddy student.

Following their daughter’s death, her parents founded “Teens to Trails,” which celebrates Sara’s love of the outdoors and helps other youths access similar experiences. Teens to Trails is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization which engages teens in the Maine outdoors through promoting and supporting high school outing programs. Teens to Trails’ goal is establishing an outing club in every Maine high school community, according to Carol Leone.