Oxford High School senior Kristine Bartz was recently honored by a member of Congress for her exemplary citizenship and academic excellence.
Bartz was one of 39 high school students in Oakland, Clinton, Ingham, Livingston and Shiawassee counties to receive a Medal of Merit from Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Brighton).
‘I was pleased (to see) that my hard work is paying off,? said Bartz, daughter of Tom and Mary Anne Bartz.
The Medal of Merit is presented to students who ‘have shown leadership among their peers in the areas of community service, school citizenship and involvement in extracurricular activities.?
Bartz, who possesses a 4.0 Grade Point Average, is currently president of the OHS chapter of the National Honor Society and actively involved in the Spanish Club, Link Leaders and Bully Busters.
Link Leaders is a program designed to help freshmen make the difficult ? and often scary ? transition from middle school to high school.
Bully Busters is a program through which high school students visit the middle school on a regular basis to talk to younger students about why bullying is wrong, how to stop it and what to do when they see it happening.
In her spare time, Bartz enjoys creating care packages for U.S. soldiers serving overseas and helping teach women and kids valuable self-defense techniques. She’s a second-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do.
Bartz believes it’s important to help everyone, ‘younger people as well as older people because they all matter.?
‘Being selfless pays off in the long run,? she said.
Bartz hasn’t decided which college she will attend this fall, but she definitely plans to pursue a career in engineering.