Courageous fourth-grader overcomes adversity,
is Academic All Star

KETTERING -- In many respects, Ilia Smith is a typical overachieving fourth-grader. She takes pride in her work, she’s a volunteer helper, she’s kindhearted and she loves to smile.

What makes 9-year-old Ilia remarkable is the spirit she shows despite what she has already overcome in her young life. After a long struggle with cancer, Ilia’s mother finally succumbed to the disease two years ago. Ilia and her sister subsequently moved to a new school district to live with their father and stepmother. In her two years at Greenmont Elementary in Kettering, Ilia has been a model student.

The Ohio Lottery is proud to honor Ilia as its January Academic All Star for the Dayton area.

“Ilia has been very brave in the face of her mother’s death, coming to a new school, making new friends and showing the spirit she does,” says Sharlyn Stephens Radcliffe, the guidance counselor at Greenmont. “She entered school here just a few days after her mother’s death, and she is a wonderful model of what it is to persevere in the face of adversity.”

Ilia’s teacher, Pamela Karkalik, concurs: “In spite of the adversities of the past two years, Ilia has maintained her spirit of determination and success.”

As an Ohio Lottery Academic All Star, Ilia will receive four tickets to an upcoming Dayton Bombers game, where she will be publicly recognized. She will receive a prize pack of Bombers merchandise and assorted Partners in Education merchandise from the Lottery.

The Ohio Lottery will continue to recognize Academic All Stars and Teachers of the Month throughout the school year. For more information about the program and for nomination forms, go to www.Ohiolottery.com.