Following the development of a new award, students going above and beyond could now get a bit of recognition for their efforts.

“There’s so much negativity in the world between us, the adults, and then you see all these little kids who are always positive and only doing things out of the goodness of their hearts — we have to recognize them,” Julian Newman Elementary School’s SRO, Fred Millward, told The News Courier in reference to the Above and Beyond Excellence Award he helped bring to the city’s elementary schools.

Millward, who is in his first year as a school resource officer after serving 25 years with the Athens Police Department, said that he first got the idea for the award during his time on the force, before he retired in 2012.

“We had a little kid who heard a lady screaming for help after she had fallen into her pool,” Millward said. “This kid called 911, showed us how to get into the lady’s home and then helped us get her out. I remember thinking that this kid needed to be recognized, so I’ve already had this idea brewing for several years.”

When Millward found out about the Above and Beyond program from a Cedar Hill SRO, he quickly jumped on the idea and brought it to Athens Police Chief Anthony Pressnell. With the help of Pressnell and the other local SROs at the city’s elementary schools a custom challenge coin was created to award students who display their uniquely high character — going above and beyond to help others.

“This has nothing to do with grades or attendance in school, it’s solely about character,” Millward said. “That’s why Luke was such a good kid to start with.”

The first student to receive the Above and Beyond Excellence Award was Luke McCravy — a kindergartner at Julian Newman Elementary School who showed no fear in the face of imminent danger.

According to Millward, before the fall break, McCravy was on his uncle’s property when a fire broke out on a neighboring fence line. Millward said McCravy helped his uncle drag a heavy water hose more than 300 feet to extinguish the flames.

“This is a little kid we are talking about,” Millward said. “He didn’t run home or even get scared. He stayed to help, and they actually got the fire out before the fire department even got there. I know he didn’t do that for attention or even an award, but he surely deserves one for it.”

Pressnell reciprocated those sentiments, noting how highly McCravy’s bravery speaks to not only him — but his parents as well.

“With most people, when they see a fire they run away, but not Luke (McCravy),” Pressnell said. “It shows a lot of maturity from this kid, who didn’t have to do what he did. He is obviously a very smart young man, so credit him and his parents for raising him the right way.”

Pressnell joked that the only bad thing about the situation is that McCravy clearly has a bright future ahead of him as a firefighter — but unfortunately and not as a police officer like he hoped.

“With all the negativity in the world, to know we have people coming up like Luke (McCravy) coming up is certainly a good thing,” Millward said. “We have so many good kids here at Julian Newman and around Athens, so we are looking forward to continuing to honor these kids.”