Butterfly Kisses

Lindsay Kunik and Holly Walsh, juniors at Charlotte Catholic, started a nonprofit called Butterfly Kisses Care Baskets in 2010 to bring joy to children with terminal illnesses. They were inspired by Ellie Potvin, a Charlotte child who fought cancer for two years before passing away at age 8. Throughout Ellie's fight, the girls brought her baskets of toys and made collages of things she enjoyed. The way she appreciated everything and the way she lit up when the girls came to visit inspired Lindsay and Holly to continue the services with other children, they said. The nonprofit recently received tax-exempt status, enabling people to make tax-exempt donations. To learn more about what the girls do: www.butterfly kissescarebaskets.com .

MLK Art and Writing contest winners

The West Charlotte High auditorium was packed Jan. 12 as the community honored the work of 142 students who represented their schools in the 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Art and Writing Contest. This year's theme: "Defending the Dream." Each student was recognized on stage, with their works displayed behind them. First-place winners were presented with scholarships from Food Lion: $500 for high school winners, $250 for middle school winners, $150 for grades 3-5 and $100 for K-2. First-place art winners now have their work displayed at the Harvey B. Gantt Center. The writing winners had the opportunity to read their work at the center Jan. 16.

First-place art winners were: Serenity Snead, first grade, Clear Creek Elementary; Gabrielle Ciceron, fourth grade, J.W. Grier Elementary; Jewel Ham, eighth grade, Piedmont IB Middle; and Bradley Schwarz, 12th grade, Myers Park High.

First-place writing winners were: Sahana Raghaven, kindergarten, Lansdowne Elementary; Helena Dreyer, fifth grade, Dilworth Elementary; Briana Bernstein, eighth grade, South Charlotte Middle; and Erin Mullins, 12th grade, Independence High.

Service Academy nominees

Sen. Kay Hagan recently announced her nominations of 50 N.C. students to attend the U.S. Service Academies in 2012. These schools all require nominations from a U.S. representative, senator, the president or vice president. For the U.S. Air Force Academy, area nominees were Corbin Grohol of Charlotte, Ryann Anderson, Joshua Harold and Benjamin Kern of Waxhaw, and Victoria Bittleston of Statesville. For the U.S. Military Academy, nominees were Austin Ulry of Charlotte, Patrick Robertson of Cornelius and Dylan Maher of Salisbury. For the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, nominees were Lawrence Guiler and Madeline Sullivan of Charlotte and William Curtin of Mooresville. For the U.S. Naval Academy, nominees were Katie Moore of Charlotte and Marshall Kirksey of Morganton.

Statesville drill team chosen for contest

The Statesville High Army JROTC drill team was selected to compete in the Army National Drill Championship on March 31 in Louisville, Ky. The team is one of only five selected from the 335 Army JROTC programs in the 4th Brigade, which encompasses six states on the East Coast.

At the competition, the Statesville team will compete against teams from across the United States.

Choir sings, serves

At South Elementary in Mooresville, the third-grade choir was established by music teacher Kathryn Reed with a goal of service. The students all volunteer to come early to school for rehearsals and take extracurricular time for performances. So far, they've performed at an area church, downtown Mooresville's holiday evenings, and the Brian Center for senior citizens. They are scheduled to perform at First Baptist Church in Mooresville as a thank-you for the church's support of the school.