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Students In Action is a student-led program whose sole
purpose is the teaching of high school youth to become
effective, service-driven leaders.
Leadership Toledo approached the St. John’s Jesuit community
to ask that we aid in the launching of the Students in
Action program. The Christian Service Core Team has done
this by selecting two of St. John’s Jesuit own to be
recipients of a Jefferson award. The selection criteria
were based solely on the service a student completes above
and beyond what is required at St. John’s Jesuit.
Ivan Dye co-founded Books 4 Buddies in 2012. At Fassett
Middle School's graduation ceremony in east Toledo, Dye
surprised more than 200 students, parents, teachers and
community leaders when he greeted everyone in Chinese. Forty
Chinese middle school students were participating in a
three-week educational program. Dye read to children there
and helped distribute free books.
At Birmingham Terrace, Books/Buddies/Blankets, he was joined
by eight international students from Africa, Asia, Europe
and South America. Dye designed a bed saddle for kids who
have no place to store books at home.
He was selected as Salutatorian for the Class of 2016 and
was the February Maumee Rotary Student of the Month. He has
volunteered through the SJJ Daytime Christian Service
Program at the Spring Meadows Extended Care Center and at
the Goerlich Center working with dementia patients. He did
service in Appalachia during spring break.
At Third Baptist Church he is captain of the Junior Usher
Board. Dye has been consistently on the honor roll and is a
member of the National Honor Society. He is in the
Ambassador Society, a student leadership group that works at
school events. He was in the Marching, Concert, Pep and Jazz
Bands during his early years at SJJ.
He has been involved in cross country all four years and was
named to the All Academic Team. He has been on the Track
and Field Team for four years. Junior year he was First
Team, All TRAC; First Team, All District and First Team, All
Region. He was also Track & Field All Academic. He was
part of the four-man team that competed in the 4x800m Relay
at the New Balance Nationals last June in North Carolina.
He plans to be an architect and will attend
Miami University (Oxford).
Aaron Thompson also co-founded
Books 4 Buddies in 2012. For the past four years, Thompson
has enthusiastically participated in neighborhood outreach
programs, meeting target audiences of youth at housing
authority complexes like Weiler Homes and Birmingham
Terrace. An extrovert with a great sense of humor, Thompson
has participated in book giveaways held in conjunction with
Omega Psi Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha and Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternities. He has been an ambassador since the program's
inception.
He has served as part of the SJJ Daytime Christian Service
Program at Rosary Cathedral, participated in Easter on
Campus with a preschoolers and Christmas on Campus with
Queen of Apostles and Holy Rosary Schools. He is a familiar
face at Titan summer basketball camps. An honor roll
student, Thompson is involved in the Spanish Honors Society
and the Athletic Club.
Thompson will play basketball for Ashland University where
he plans to study Forensic Science. Thompson was Second
Team, All TRAC; Second Team, All District and Sports Nightly
Player of the Year his senior year. Junior year he was
Honorable Mention, All TRAC. In the off season, he has
played for the King James Ohio Varsity Basketball Team.
He will be studying
neuroscience at Ohio University through the Honors Tutorial
College.
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