‘Spirit of Community’ lives strong in Jefferson County

Both students from Montana recently named state honorees in a national program for their volunteer work hail from Jefferson County.

Jadyn Bellander, a senior at Jefferson High School, and Kael Hesford, an eighth grader at Boulder Elementary School, were recently named Montana’s outstanding volunteers for 2020 for work they did in 2019.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program was created by Prudential Financial Inc. and the National Association of Secondary School Principals to bring recognition and awareness to students in grades 5-12 who have exhibited an extraordinary community service project. According to the program website, candidates are judged on the criteria of initiative, effort, impact and personal growth. They must show a high level of leadership, positively impact a large group of people with their project, and demonstrate individual growth within their leadership.