[SCVi] – Evan Decker, an SCVi Charter School senior, has been honored as a Los Angeles County Volunteer of the Year.

At an elegant awards ceremony held in the iconic Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, Evan was one of 66 volunteers chosen to be honored this year.

The county of Los Angeles is fortunate to have more than 100,000 people volunteer for it each year in various ways – from animal services to graffiti clean up, from parks and recreation services to museum docents, like Evan.

With the theme “Volunteer Make a Difference” 400 people attended the celebration, announced by Mistress of Meremonies, KCAL9 News Anchor Suzie Suh.

File photo: SCVi Charter School student Evan Decker spearheads a weekend cleanup project at Mentryville’s Felton School.

Evan’s cheering section of SCVi friends, family and co-workers from William S. Hart Park filled two tables.

All five Los Angeles County supervisors were in attendance to present the awards, however Mayor Michael D. Antonovich of the 5th district presented to Evan Decker.

Suzie Suh read an excerpt from the letter submitted by the William S. Hart museum, which nominated Evan for this award.

“The Hart Museum calls him “Professor Decker” because Evan is just that: a natural teacher, historian, and dedicated museum professional. He has assisted in all aspects of our operations – leading tours, assisting with special events, conducting historical research, and helping with collections care,” she said. “Thanks to Evan’s efforts, we have incorporated new information into our stories, accessed historical documents previously unknown to us, and started gaining a better sense of our collections. We are becoming a better museum because of Evan, and we’re delighted to have such a talent on our team.”

Part of the SCVi curriculum for High School learners includes dedicating time to a months long personal project spanning from fall through spring of their 10th grade school year.

It was a pleasure for SCVi to be a part of Evan Decker’s passion for history, as he worked on restoring Mentryville, a ghost town in the Santa Clarita Valley left over from the oil boom years.

“We are so proud of Evan and all his hard work. At iLEAD Schools (Evan attends SCVi, iLEAD’s founding school) we understand the importance of moving beyond simply allowing young people to let their passion drive their learning,” said Dawn Evenson, school founder. “We actively encourage learners to be in the world, if that pulls them away from sitting in a classroom in order to accomplish a goal we won’t hold them back, instead we join with them in that task.  Hearing the kind words spoken today about Evan’s contributions to history and our community confirms for us that SCVi and iLEAD Schools are allowing learners to make a difference right now.  And we know that Evan will continue to make a difference in the years to come.”