St. Luke’s Senior Receives Gold Congressional Service Award

Kayleigh Bowler, a Ridgefield resident in her senior year at St. Luke's School, has earned the Congressional Service Award. She is one of only three students in Connecticut to earn the honor this year. The award is structured around service, physical fitness, personal development, and an exploration project. Kayleigh first learned about this national award in the 7th grade and enrolled as soon as she turned 13 ½ (the minimum age to start).

St. Luke’s Center for Leadership Director Kate Parker-Burgard said, “Kayleigh has done many service projects through Lion's Heart Service Organization, her church, and St. Luke’s School—logging more than 400 hours toward her gold medal.” Kayleigh’s participation in volleyball and lacrosse fulfilled the physical fitness requirement. As for personal development, the program encourages students to deepen their individual interests, so Kayleigh chose to highlight both her passion for theater as well as her global philanthropy work at her church.

Kayleigh’s work toward the award culminated this past summer with a historical tour of Boston, which she chose as her exploration project. The program requires that the student plan every bit of the trip: transportation, accommodations, budget, etc. Parker-Burgard shared, “Kayleigh applied herself to the task with her usual vigor and embarked on a fascinating trip, which included the Freedom Trail, John F. Kennedy Library, and other important sites.” Kayleigh added, “The trip was really great, but it was hard to work with a rigid schedule, especially when things didn’t go according to plan.” Pouring rain on the day they were to start the Freedom Trail, for example, required some quick changes to the schedule, but they were still able to get in everything she had planned.

“My motivation for doing the Congressional Award was to build on my passion for community service. Being a part of different communities has always mattered a lot to me. Through this award, I was able to put together all the important pieces of my life. It was really in line with my values and what matters to me.”

Kayleigh’s hard work paid off late this summer when she learned that she earned the Gold Congressional Medal. In June she will attend an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

St. Luke's is a secular private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5-12. St. Luke's mission is an exceptional education that inspires a deep love of learning, a strong moral compass, the commitment to serve, and the confidence to lead. St. Luke's Center for Leadership advances our mission by helping students develop exceptional leadership ability. Visit today.