News Release
WARSAW — OrthoWorx has announced the sponsorship of the 2026 Peace Builder Award at Warsaw Community Schools and Lakeland Christian Academy.
This award was presented to one student at each of the Warsaw Community Schools and acknowledges their empathy builder characteristics, aligning with Warsaw Community Schools’ values, and furthers the OrthoWorx diversity initiatives.
The Peace Builder Award recognizes students who have shown outstanding citizenship and modeled the value of diversity through the willingness to accept and include fellow students and school staff. They have created a culture of helping other students thrive in value, self-esteem, self-worth, purpose, healthy relationships, and leadership qualities. Embracing diversity increases creativity and productivity, providing a welcoming environment for all people.
This award targets a student who has exemplified Warsaw Community School’s ‘Empathy Pillar’ as they “acknowledge others’ feelings, emotions, and experiences as valuable and as a result, all individuals understand, relate, and/or are moved to action by experience and perspectives outside their own.”
These students recognize what results from a lack of empathy in themselves and others and know that they are at their best when they deeply understand others inside their classrooms, community, and the larger world.
“The Peacebuilder Award honors a student who consistently demonstrates kindness, empathy, and a commitment to resolving conflicts peacefully,” says Brooke Friedberg, Talent Director, OrthoWorx. “This individual leads by example, fostering a sense of inclusion and respect within their school and community.”
OrthoWorx is proud to sponsor this award as it aligns with our mission of “fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment focused on sustained economic opportunity”. Award recipients were chosen by the faculty and staff from their respective schools.
Congratulations to the Peace Builder Award winners and thank you to all students that exemplify the Empathy Pillar.
The students who have been acknowledged are listed below:
- Harper Ferveda, Claypool Elementary
- Haley Fawley, Eisenhower Elementary
- Elijah Argumedo Mendoza, Harrison Elementary
- Jake Finley, Jefferson Elementary
- Knox Shilling, Leesburg Elementary
- Lydia Miller, Lincoln Elementary
- Lynken Harmon, Madison Elementary
- Vincent Jacoby, Washington Elementary
- Brenna Overman, Edgewood Middle School
- Baylee Wieringa, Lakeview Middle School
- Eva Demopoulos, Warsaw Community High School
- Mya Heaton, Lakeland Christian School
OrthoWorx is an initiative formed in 2009 in the Orthopedic Capital of the World® through initial funding from Lilly Endowment Inc, to fill a critical void in the industry, serving as a connector for industry, education, and our community, leveraging resources to drive positive change.
