Indian Hills Associate Principal Blake Revelle didn’t know he was spilling the beans when he caught 8th Grader Reilly Moreland in the hall the other day. Typically, the school keeps the recipient of its Wally Foundation Community Builder Award a secret until the day it’s officially delivered to the winner. But Revelle had just seen the results of the student votes, and he couldn’t help but share the good news.

“First he said, ‘Reilly, you’re in trouble again.’ And then he said, ‘Actually, you won the Wally Award,'” Moreland recalled. “I just started crying. I was very happy about it.”

Given each year to the Indian Hills 8th grader who faculty and staff judge to have contributed the most to a school culture of “kindness, support and success,” the recipient has $500 donated in his or her name to the school’s Love Fund, which goes to support activity fees, lunches and other needs for students whose families would not be able to afford them otherwise, among other purposes.

Moreland was joined on Friday by her parents Katie and Mark as she received the award from Principal Scott Sherman. Sherman noted that this was the first year that students had played a role in selecting the winner. In the past, faculty and staff had selected the winner on their own. This year, they identified finalists and let the students vote on who the eventual winner would be.

Katie said the family was thrilled to see Reilly recognized for her positivity.

“Reilly’s always just been about brightness and kindness,” Katie said. “This award just reflects that. We couldn’t be prouder. It’s just an honor that she’s recognized for being the great kid that she is.”