Activism comes in many forms. Sometimes, it’s as small as someone stepping forward to honor somebody and make a difference in their community. This is the case of English and Home Economics teacher Theresa McDermott, who proposed the idea of honoring late Palo Alto High School Campus Supervisor Ernesto Cruz’s values and spirit through the Paly Community Creator Award Scholarship.
For 18 years, Campus Supervisor Ernesto Cruz was a positive presence at Palo Alto High School up until his untimely death in 2022. McDermott said she remembers Cruz as someone made Paly a better place for everyone through his warm presence and attitude.
“To me, Ernesto Cruz embodied all that is wonderful and honorable about Paly,” McDermott said. “He honored the promise that is inherent in all of our students. Whenever I saw him, he had a smile, a warm greeting, and an earnestness to be of service and make the campus a better place for everyone.”
Paly College Advisor Sandra Cernobor who helped officiate the scholarship said Cruz’s inclusive and generous personality enhanced the sense of community at Paly because of the relationships he built with kids and staff members. His small but daily acts of kindness inspired the creation of the Paly Community Creator Award. Teachers can nominate students who embody his spirit for the scholarship.
“He knew a ton of kids of all walks of life, and also staff,” Cernobori said. “ And it’s not only the kindness and the generosity, but this idea that he’s always saying hello and including people. So, we called it the Community Creator [Award], and it recognizes a positive student with a positive attitude who regularly demonstrates the community creating spirit, and encourages it to continue.”
The scholarship took two years to be officiated, and was first awarded last year.
“That first year, I had reached out to our school psychologist because there’s a board policy against memorialization,” Cernobori said. “We mentioned it to Mr. Kline [Principal Brent Kline], and it met the board policy — the idea to have an award that embodies his [Cruz’s] spirit. It took another whole year, and then we figured out exactly what we would call it and the criteria. Now there are a series of scholarships and awards. Some have money, some don’t.”
McDermott said that she hopes the scholarship will encourage students to continue fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can come together and grow.
“I always found myself inspired by his joy, gratitude, kindness, and ability to always see the best in others,” Mcdermott said. “I hope that our community continues to grow as a kind, inclusive, joyful place where we are happy to come together to question, learn and grow.”
Cernobori said that recognizing students with Cruz’ attributes, encourages other students to be positive members in their community.
“The part that’s kind of cool is that I think people in the audience [during the award ceremony], whether it’s staff or family members, may not know Ernesto … But the fact that we’re recognizing people for these [Cruz’s] attributes also inspires people to have them, right?”