KPHS Senior Ian Zimmerman has been recognized as the 2019 King Philip Regional High School Unsung Hero.
Zimmerman was honored at the United Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual Spotlight on Education Breakfast on Wednesday, May 29 at Lake Pearl on Creek Street. The annual breakfast recognizes the top 10 students and unsung heroes from schools within the 16 communities the chamber serves.
The Unsung Hero awards at the breakfast were sponsored by the NCAS Learning Center.
Zimmerman was nominated for the award earlier this school year by King Philip Regional High School Principal Lisa C. Mobley.
“Ian is a truly remarkable student, and he has worked hard to support inclusion and celebrate diversity at KP,” Principal Mobley said. “Between his work with the student Diversity Organization and his own initiatives to make all of his classmates feel welcomed and appreciated, he has done a lot for our school community that has flown largely under the radar. It’s wonderful to see him recognized.”
During the 2017-2018 school year, Zimmerman spearheaded the organization of a panel presentation titled “Outside Voices” at King Philip Regional High School, which examined the experiences of students with diverse perspectives and featured students with various racial and ethnic backgrounds and gender identities.
Zimmerman also leads the student Diversity Organization at the school, which works to promote inclusion at King Philip, and makes it a point to often sit with a fellow student at lunch who appears to be lonely.
In addition to his dedication to supporting inclusion and acceptance, Zimmerman is also captain of the school’s baseball team, has a 4.09 GPA, and was awarded the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizenship Award this winter.
“Ian’s kindness stands out, even though a lot of the hours he has spent promoting inclusion and diversity have been behind the scenes at King Philip,” King Philip Superintendent Paul Zinni said. “He has made wonderful contributions to our school community, and it has been a pleasure to witness the positive influence he has had among his peers.”
About the United Regional Chamber of Commerce:
The United Regional Chamber of Commerce is a private, not-for-profit group that supports businesses in the communities of Attleboro, Bellingham, Blackstone, Foxborough, Franklin, Mansfield, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Norton, Plainville, Rehoboth, Seekonk and Wrentham.