ROCKY RIVER -- Damian O’Malley is the most shocked guy in the place to hear that he’s being honored as an Academic All Star by the Ohio State Lottery. That’s just one of the dozens of reasons his guidance counselor, Peg Liberatore, admires him.

Damian is a 13-year-old eighth-grader at Rocky River Middle School. He excels in multiple honors classes, leadership, citizenship and community service. Liberatore admires Damian’s willingness to help other students at the school as a peer mentor and calls him “one of the most positive students in our building.”

And humble, too. “The only thing `flashy’ about Damian is his contagious smile,” Liberatore says, adding that “he does not do anything that he does for recognition.”

But he’s going to get it anyway. As an Ohio State Lottery Academic All Star, Damian will receive four tickets to an upcoming Lake Erie Monsters game. He will be publicly recognized at the game and will receive a prize pack of Monsters’ merchandise.

“Damian is an outstanding student, a role model for all and a gentle spirit,” Liberatore says. “He separates himself from his peers by quietly forging ahead and always doing the right thing.”

The Ohio State 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.