Chaminade Julienne celebrated its 20th annual Servant Leadership Awards Assembly on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, recognizing students who dedicated significant volunteer service to the Dayton community during the 2025–2026 school year.
Hosted by the ministry and service department, the assembly honored approximately 60 students for exceeding CJ’s required service hours. Thirty-two students earned bronze-level recognition for completing 25–49 service hours, 14 students received silver-level awards for 50–99 hours, and 13 students achieved gold-level recognition for contributing more than 100 service hours.
“The whole school community has given a total of 11,678 hours of service to our broader community,” said Timothy Hosford, assistant director of ministry and service. “The economic impact alone of this number means we, as a school community, have contributed more than $406,295 to our local and national communities! Great job to all of you!”
Patrick Burns, campus minister for service and justice, reminded students of the deeper purpose behind service-learning.
“Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew, ‘whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Know that each time you care for another, when you serve the guests at a food pantry, when you spend time with a child in need, when you care for the earth at an environmental center, when you stand up for immigrants—this is you living the Gospel. And yes, those little things do matter,” he said.
At the start of the assembly, CJ students introduced their “Little Sibs” from St. Benedict the Moor and Immaculate Conception grade schools. The Little Sibs program, now in its 31st year, gives juniors and seniors the opportunity to mentor younger students every week.
Several students received top honors during the ceremony for their extraordinary dedication to service.
Clara Arias ’26 received the Leo Lehner Top Senior Service Award after completing 1,284 hours of service during her four years at CJ. The award honors Leo Lehner, a member of the Class of 2025 who died during his freshman year. Leo was passionate about serving others and hoped to one day earn the award himself. His mother, Kate Lehner ’93, along with siblings Daniel ’27 and Maria ’29, presented the award to Arias.
Paige Harsman ’26 earned two honors from outside organizations for her service and leadership. She received the Dayton LaSertoma Youth Service Award in recognition of her commitment to service, leadership, and involvement at CJ. She also earned Helper Helper’s National Service Honor (Gold Level) for completing 289 volunteer hours between September 2024 and September 2025. The award is modeled after the retired Presidential Volunteer Service Award and recognizes impactful volunteer service completed within a 12-month period.
As last year’s recipient of the Sister Ruth Ann Service Award, Harsman presented this year’s honor to Xitlaly Quintuna ’27. The award recognizes a junior who embodies the spirit and dedication of Sr. Ruth Ann Bange, SNDdeN, who helped formalize and administer CJ’s community service program from 1986–1991. Quintuna was recognized for participating in a wide range of opportunities focused on supporting some of society’s most marginalized populations.
Dailyn Bajaña Campoverde ’28 received the 2026 George Early Award, which honors a student who demonstrates servant leadership, exemplifies Christian service within the CJ community, and reflects the lifelong dedication to service shown by George Early during his 50-year career in education. Campoverde played an active role in school-wide service and justice initiatives, including Make a Difference Day and Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. He also regularly volunteered to help around campus and frequently participated in packing food and respite bags for local nonprofits such as St. Vincent de Paul.
Additional recognitions highlighted the many ways CJ students live out their faith through service. Burns and Jenna Legg, director of ministry and service, recognized students who served the CJ faith community, participated in immersion and call-to-action trips, and donated blood multiple times during their high school careers.
Sixteen students served as Living in Faith Experience (L.I.F.E.) leaders, helping with liturgy preparation, retreat planning, and other ministry and service initiatives.
The assembly also recognized three groups of students who participated in service immersion trips. One group traveled to Tacoma, Washington, where they worked on projects supporting individuals experiencing homelessness and raised awareness about related issues. Another group traveled to Rutledge, Tennessee, to assist at a day camp serving children of migrant agricultural workers. A third group attended the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C., where they advocated for humane immigration reform.
In addition, 11 seniors were honored with the Red Cord Honor Certificate of Achievement from the Community Blood Center after registering to donate blood at least three times during high school. Students were reminded during the ceremony that each pint of blood donated can help save up to three lives.