PHOTO: Club President George Delisle presented certificates to the four 2026 Good Citizen award winners. Left to right are Lani Ching, Gina Foint, Damien Crocker, and Andrew Jacob.
It’s high school graduation season, and with it comes the Westfield Kiwanis Club’s annual awards to some of the area’s most outstanding students.
The Westfield Kiwanis Good Citizen Award is presented annually to students at the four high schools in the club’s service area – Westfield High School, Westfield Technical Academy, St. Mary’s High School, and Southwick Regional School.
The prestigious award is one of the oldest such awards in Massachusetts, originating more than 70 years ago. Winners are chosen on the basis of demonstrated and authenticated altruistic service to their schools and communities.
The award is not a scholarship. Rather, winners receive a $1,000 cash prize and are asked to address a Kiwanis Club meeting.
The 2026 winners are:
Lani Ching from Westfield High School. She is a four-year member of the school’s Kiwanis Key Club member who participated in many of that club’s volunteer activities, including The Rays of Hope Walk, the Luminara event in West Springfield, and serving at the Westfield soup kitchen. She is also a four-year member of the Letters for Rose Club. As a freshman she was a member of the school’s Future Medical Professionals Club, which she restarted in her junior year and served as president after the club went dormant. She has been a member of the Westfield High School Concert/Marching Band and the Jazz Ensemble, serving on the Westfield High Band Student Assistant Leadership Team since her freshman year. She was inducted into the Tri-M Music Honors Society in 2023. She has played unified basketball since her sophomore year and unified track since her junior year. She was a member of National Honor Society and the Westfield High Girls Swim and Dive team., and founded the Westfield High School Asian Cultural in 2025-2026. She founded the nonprofit organization Melodic Miracles Foundation in 2024.
Gina Foint from St. Mary’s High School is a four-year member the school’s Kiwanis Key Club, serving as vice-President her sophomore year, and president the past two years. She has been involved in numerous service projects, including cooking for the Community Table, assisting with the St. Vincent de Paul food program, and planning and executing an Easter Basket charity drive for children served by the St. Vincent DePaul Society. Gina was a four-year member of Student Council and has served as vice president of her class for all 4 years. She has served as student ambassador for her school and has been on the softball team for 3 years. Gina received the St. Thomas Aquinas Award for Academic Excellence and in her junior year, she was honored with the Mother Teressa Award for Community Service
Damien Crocker from Westfield Technical Academy, has been a member of the WTA Honor Society since his sophomore year and had done many volunteer activities with the group. He has served as president of the Westfield Technical Academy PRISM (People Respecting Identity, Sexuality, and More) Club since his freshman year, and is involved in fundraising to support the club’s field trips. The collaborates with Westfield on Weekends. This year, Damien joined the Drama Club and is a cast member in the play “Curtains: The Musical.” He is also a member of the early college program “Westfield Promise,” and has already taken three college level courses at Westfield State University.
Andrew Jacob from Southwick Regional School is a member of National Honor Society. He has been involved with numerous volunteer activities, including the Southwick Village Senior Prom, Seniors Helping Seniors, Southwick Regional Tournaments Committee, Powder Mill Buddy Program, volunteering at the elementary school and tutoring underclassmen at the high school. Andrew is also a member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), where he Planned multiple anti-drunk driving initiatives and Led the creation of this year’s “Stop the Swerve” billboard. Andrew served as class secretary during his sophomore year. He participated in several sports, including volleyball, wrestling, and ice hockey, and for the last two years served as a referee for the USA Ice Hockey Association. He is a lifeguard for the Southwick Town Beach, and has also done volunteer work for his faith community.
Lani, Gina, and Damien are college-bound. Andrew will begin his senior year at Southwick Regional School in the fall.