Maci Kincaid, a Southeast Polk senior, was named the 2023 Bill Burch Humanitarian Award winner this morning at our Annual Bill Burch Luncheon. This prestigious award goes to the student who best exemplifies character, sincerity and kindness to others, as determined by the school’s teachers.
One hundred Southeast Polk High School students were recognized at an awards ceremony this morning for their academic achievements.
Congratulations to everyone!
Maci participated in a host of activities throughout her high school career; Including being a two-year representative on the student council, a two-year member of Got Bounce, and a two-year mentor in the Violence Prevention group. She was inducted into the National Honor Society and elected a student council officer. Maci has been very successful in DECA, holding positions not only at the Polk Southeast chapter, but also at the public level. He is a dedicated wrestling manager and has completed 160 hours of community service all while maintaining an excellent academic record, often challenging, during his college degree.
Compassionate, benevolent, reverent, true, prompt, loving, attentive, humble. A leader in school, extracurricular activities and in the community. All this describes Mac. butPerhaps her most serious idea is that she does not seek recognition or hope to do good; it is simply something invented and reflected by a great genius. She actually stands for the Bill Burch Humanitarian Award.
After graduation, Maci plans to work with the University of Minnesota.
About the Bill Burch Award
Bill Burch was a school counselor at Southeast Polk High School from 1974 to 1992. The Bill Burch Scholarship and Recognition Breakfast was named after Mr. Burch in honor of his commitment to students and adults of the Southeast Polk community. He was a man known for his compassion and integrity, who took the time to provide for students and adults. The Bill Burch Humanitarian Award represents a long tradition at Southeast Polk that goes back to 1993 and is presented to the student who best exemplifies his character, sincerity and compassion for others. What makes this award such an honor is that the Faculty of Southeast Polk School selects a senior recipient who represents the best personal qualities of Bill Burch.
We were honored that Jean Burch, Bill’s wife, was able to attend this morning’s event. She holds interviews with the winner every year.
This year’s featured film at the Bill Burch award ceremony was the MacKenzie Bill. MacKenzie is a 2012 graduate of Polk Southeast. He attended Simpson College majoring in Political Science and International Relations and minoring in French and Religion. After graduating college, he won a Fulbright Grant to Malaysia, worked at the US Embassy in Djibouti, Africa, and worked for the US Department of State on Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. He also reported on Trafficking in Persons and worked on an anti-trafficking plan for Central and East Africa. You might even see his name on the yard signs recently when he ran for the Iowa State House here in Altoona. MacKenzie shared interesting stories about the opportunities she experienced in high school and gave sage advice to everyone in the room. He is an incredible representative of Polk Southeast.
Our high school counselors always put on a wonderful event to honor and recognize these outstanding students. Congratulations to all of you, because the road leads to a better world!
Click here to view the program with all students listed:
Seniors
to the younger ones
sophomores
Bill Burch’s Breakfast
