Noah Bumgardner, a sixth grader at C.C. Pinckney Elementary School raises an award over his head moments after Kerrie Ammons, Speech Language Pathologist for the school announced he was named the 2021 South Carolina Speech-Language & Hearing Associations Student Ambassador. This is the trhird time a student from the school has received that honor.
By Robert Timmons, Fort Jackson Public Affairs
C.C. Pinckney Elementary School’s Noah Bumgardner was named the 2021 South Carolina Speech Hearing Association’s Student Ambassador award.
This is the third time a C.C. Pinckney Elementary School student has received the honor.
“It shows me that Fort Jackson students have it going on,” said Kerrie Ammons, Speech Language Pathologist for C.C. Pinckney. “The parents on the installation do everything that they can to make sure their children are successful not only in academics, but in speech and language as well.”
Ammons nominated Bumgardner because he “shows perseverance and hard work,” she said. “It’s important that he also likes to talk about his progress and share his good speech and language skills with his peers.”
Noah through this therapy “has shown a desire to improve and an excitement to share his progress with others and an overall picture of resilience,” Ammons said.
Noah’s mother Sgt. Maj. Darla Bumgardner with the Army Training Center said it is a “godsend” to be on Fort Jackson and for her son to be at the school because “the teachers and Dr. Ammons even through COVID have just been wonderful.”
“These teachers and the inclusion of the students, the way they allow him to interact with everybody and the way they encourage him has been absolutely phenomenal,” Darla said.
The school has helped Noah gain confidence and it shows in the excitement he has to learn.
“He’s always had difficulty with speech, but with Dr. Ammons and her team … He’s just so excited to learn,” Darla said. “He was excited to be in school.”