Randolph-Henry High School (R-HHS) paraprofessional and bus driver Wallace Stokes is a finalist in the Most Spirited Staff Member competition with the Varsity Brands School Spirit Awards, which is presented by Drillstack.

According to the Varsity Brands website, in order to be nominated for “Most Spirited Staff Member,” a person must make outstanding contributions to a school’s spirit culture.

“The award recognizes faculty members and community leaders who exemplify school spirit and is a nationwide competition,” officials said in a press release. “This person turns his or her job into an extraordinary opportunity to make others happy, without expecting anything in return.”

Assistant Principal and Athletics Director Christopher Holt said the nomination entailed a nomination essay on his part of 500 words or fewer and then a letter in support of that nomination by the principal.

“At that point, after the nomination was submitted I knew that the top three candidates in each category would receive notification on Feb. 7 and that’s when we went through the day, most of the day and I didn’t think we were getting anything,” Holt said. “And then at 5 p.m. I got an email from Varsity Brands that showed the top three in that particular category and Mr. Stokes ended up being one of the top three from across the country.”

The release cited that as a finalist, Stokes received word that he is exclusively invited to the Varsity Brands School Spirit Awards Show at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, May 12, where winners of each category will be announced during the show.

“Attendees will take part in the production of the awards show, school spirit roundtable discussions and an awards breakfast,” officials said in the release. “Each category winner will receive $3,000.”

In his nomination letter, Holt cited that Stokes was the best fit for their most deserving candidate at R-HHS.

“He is the “go to” person for students, staff and administration,” Holt cited in the letter. “There is hardly any day to day questions, tasks or services that Mr. Stokes does not answer, complete or provide without energy, enthusiasm and passion.”

Stokes has worked at R-HHS for 18 years.

“I think it’s a great honor, a great honor,” Stokes said. “It means a lot to me from the students and the staff and the community. I’m very humbled by it because I was very surprised.”