Copperas Cove elementary student councils earn statewide leadership honors

Elementary students in Copperas Cove just landed statewide leadership honors, and they did it with service projects that reached far beyond classroom walls. Fairview/Jewell Elementary School and Martin Walker Elementary School were named among 167 Texas campuses to receive TEPSA Student Leadership Awards for the 2025-26 school year.

The Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association has given out the Student Leadership Award since 2018, recognizing student teams that make a measurable impact through leadership and service. TEPSA says recipients are honored at the TEPSA Summer Conference Awards Reception, putting the two Copperas Cove campuses in a select statewide group this year.

At Fairview/Jewell, the student council’s recognition was tied to sustained excellence in the Youth Environmental Ambassadors program and a win in the Pull Together to Make a Difference competition. That effort centered on collecting and recycling aluminum can pull tabs for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Copperas Cove ISD said the campus gathered more than 100 pounds of pull tabs, a figure that shows the work was not symbolic but substantial.

Martin Walker also earned sustained excellence recognition through Youth Environmental Ambassadors, adding another statewide honor to a campus already known in the district for hands-on community work. In earlier district coverage, the Martin Walker student council was credited with maintaining a Free Little Library, recycling, helping with the annual Peanut Butter Bowl to support local food pantries, greeting students during High Five Friday, leading Kindness Week anti-bullying efforts, supporting Salvation Army fundraising, placing wreaths at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, and working with Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful.

Copperas Cove ISD leaders said the awards reflect more than a trophy on a shelf. Superintendent Dr. Brent Hawkins praised the students for serving classmates and staff members, while the district pointed to the honors as proof that leadership training is taking root early in the school system. Fairview/Jewell is led by Principal Dr. Rebekah Shuck, and Martin Walker is led by Principal Kelly Thompson.

The recognition also builds on a broader sustainability push across the district. Copperas Cove ISD said four campuses and a team member at a fifth school were recognized in March 2026 for Youth Environmental Ambassadors work, underscoring that the student-led efforts at Fairview/Jewell and Martin Walker are part of a larger campus culture in Copperas Cove.