Student of the Month helps school and community be a more positive place

TIFFIN, Iowa (KCRG) - The very first KCRG-TV9 Student of the Month for the 2023-2024 school year is Clear Creek Amana Middle School student Olivia Hancock.

At just 12 years old, she’s already having a huge impact on her school. She was the sole student founding member of the group, CCA Gives. It now has over 30 members.

“It was a chance to be able to help people, and not just people but animals and groups and classes,” Olivia explained.

It supports a variety of initiatives, from welcoming new students, to making dog toys, to folding butterflies to decorate for the high school prom.

Olivia herself made more than 300 butterflies.

The group also made buttons as part of the ‘I’m Glad You Stayed Project,’ focused on suicide prevention.

“The buttons have sayings like, I see you trying please keep going, I believe in your strength, it’s just a bad day not a bad life, just something inspiring affirmations,” said Olivia.

CCA Middle School Dean of Students Kyle Forness says he’s used to seeing her kindness.

“She stands out to me with how caring she is, and how considerate she is, and how mature she is,” Forness said. “Middle school can be tough. She’s dealt with some adversity that I probably don’t even know about, and she handles it like an adult.”

It’s the same caring attitude her mom, Christine, sees at home.

“As a parent you try to do your best, but most days you feel like you’re failing, but somebody once said we want our kids to be better and stronger than we are and I feel like she is,” Hancock said.

Olivia is involved in all kinds of clubs, while also accomplishing what the dean called truly phenomenal academic achievements.

“She never does anything halfway, it’s full 100 percent, gives it her best,” Forness said. “She’s caring, she puts everything she has into it.”

Olivia said while grades are very important, life is about how you treat people.

“Be kind to everyone, I know that’s such a basic thing to say, but it really does pay off,” said Olivia.

It’s a mindset that Forness said he hopes his own children embody.

“As someone with two small kids, I hope they do half as much as what she’s doing,” he said.

“I think she’s such an incredible person,” Christie said. “She’s exactly who I want to be like when I grow up but she’s not even halfway there.”

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