Vermont Catholic asked each Catholic grade school and high school to nominate a student who exemplifies what it means to be a young disciple today.

St. Michael School, Brattleboro

Pre-K – Grade 12

Address: 48 Walnut St., Brattleboro 05301

Phone: (802) 254-6320

Website: smsvt.info

Facebook: facebook.com/SMSVT

Helena Valin, grade 5, is an altar server at St. Michael School and Church. She enjoys recruiting and helping our youngest altar servers.

She loves going to Mass and LOVES St. Michael School because it’s fun, she has many friends, the people are kind and she learns a lot. Last spring she designed the artwork for the school’s Race for Education T-shirts.

Helena, of Guilford, is always ready to serve in her school and parish community. Asked about her favorite subject in school, she responded with a smile, “Would lunch count?”

She is enthusiastic and jovial and a real leader. In fact, when in kindergarten at a New Jersey Catholic school, her father suggested to the teacher that Helena might someday be a teacher because she liked school so much, the teacher replied that she would be more likely to be a principal!

Helena plays the piano and her hobbies are swimming, fishing with her father and arts and crafts; she loves puppies.

She is inspired by her late great uncle, Richard Haas, because he was kind, funny and loving. She takes the Golden Rule seriously to treat others the way she would want to be treated.

—Originally published in the Fall 2019 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.