Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey Awards Sophia Bailly of West Shore High School the ‘Sheriff’s Great Kid Award’

By  //  May 18, 2022

"Great job Sophia and Mom and Dad for raising such a great kid" – Sheriff Ivey

SHERIFF IVEY: It’s time to reward those kids that do it right by telling the world they are a “Great Kid!!” Kids like Sophia Bailly, a senior at West Shore Jr./Sr. High School who was nominated for the award by Melbourne Police Officer Valerie Butler, the School Resource Officer at West Shore. (BCSO image)

“Sophia is a brilliant student with a lot to offer our community and is always eager to help someone during a time of need as she continually exemplifies the spirit of humanitarianism,” said Sheriff Ivey.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – All too often in our profession and even as teachers in our schools we spend the majority of our time dealing with kids that are not doing it right and are constantly getting into trouble.

As such, we are forced to focus on those that are misbehaving instead of being able to focus on those who don’t cause problems and are not disruptive.

In fact, we spend so much time dealing with the bad kids that we all too often forget to reward the good kids that are doing it right, you know, the kids that should be getting our attention or at the very least a “Thank You” for being a great kid.

Well, not long ago the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said “enough is enough” and we started rewarding the good kids who stand out in our schools with the “Sheriff’s Great Kid Award”.

I am extremely proud of this program and everything it stands for as I personally believe that our country is at a tipping point where our children are not truly being taught the value of respect, character, patriotism, and more than anything else, the rewards of good behavior instead of bad.

So like I said enough is enough and it’s time to reward those kids that do it right by telling the world they are a “Great Kid!!” Kids like Sophia Bailly, a senior at West Shore Jr./Sr. High School who was nominated for the award by Melbourne Police Officer Valerie Butler, the School Resource Officer at West Shore.

SHERIFF IVEY: As such, we are forced to focus on those that are misbehaving instead of being able to focus on those who don’t cause problems and are not disruptive. In fact, we spend so much time dealing with the bad kids that we all too often forget to reward the good kids that are doing it right, you know, the kids that should be getting our attention or at the very least a “Thank You” for being a great kid. (BCSO image)

Sophia is a very strong academic student, maintaining numerous Honors/AP academic classes throughout her high school career and is also a member of several clubs including Key Club, that focuses on community involvement and volunteerism.

In addition, Sophia has been a member of the National Junior Honor Society and National Honor Society at West Shore and is also a student-athlete, excelling in Varsity Cross Country and Varsity Track and Field.

Sophia is an impressive athlete, winning the Wildcat Runner Award in 2018 and 2020 as well as Top Ten Cross Country Junior Leaderboard in 2020. Sophia participated in the Space Coast Half-Marathon in 2018 and 2019 and placed 3rd each time in her age group.

Throughout her time at West Shore, Sophia has been heavily involved in the journalism program and has even served as Editor in Chief for the “Roar,” West Shore’s highly impressive student publication and messaging to their students.

In addition to all that, Sophia has an impressive amount of leadership experience in other areas as well, including, being a Brevard Schools Foundation Student Board Member and a Student Representative for the School Advisory Council.

Now if all that were not enough, perhaps Sophia’s most impressive achievement, and likely the one she’s most proud of, is her nearly 540 hours of volunteer work between 2017 and 2021.

Most of Sophia’s volunteer hours are centered around the Brevard Zoo where she spends time educating visitors about wildlife initiatives, sustainable practices, and environmental concerns.

She has also been a Camp Counselor for several annual summer youth camps and participates in cleanups, oyster restoration projects, and triathlon fundraisers.

It’s important to note that most of her volunteer hours were completed while maintaining a very rigorous course load and excelling in extracurricular clubs and athletics as well as being gainfully employed at the Premiere Theaters Oaks Stadium 10.

Sophia is a brilliant student with a lot to offer our community and is always eager to help someone during a time of need as she continually exemplifies the spirit of humanitarianism. Bottom line Sophia is a “Great Kid” who is truly deserving of our attention, recognition, and thanks.

Great job Sophia and Mom and Dad for raising such a great kid.

– Sheriff Wayne Ivey

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