April is the “Month of the Young Child”, and to celebrate the amazing young spirits we know to be living in Georgetown, we searched for Georgetown kids we believe are most likely to make the cover of our magazine in 2040. And boy, did we! First, our thanks to the families and mentors of the young people who submitted their profiles and photos. As well, we are grateful to our judges; Mickie Ross, Eric Lashley, and Judge Donna King, who unanimously agreed that making these choices was an extremely tough job.
Photos below are courtesy of the moms and dads who submitted entries.
THANK YOU, Georgetown…
We were introduced to children who represent some of the things we love and appreciate about Georgetown and its residents, passion, character, and confidence. The children featured here embody tremendous enthusiasm for living in Georgetown and being people who care about and are engaged in our community. On top of all that, they get good grades, are involved in multiple activities, and have even started their own charities.
Meet some future leaders, philanthropists, and members of the creative class.
Our top student is BAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
Emerson is a 6th grader at Forbes Middle School and the founder of Tuesday Treats. Tara, Emerson’s mom, says, “She is passionate about the powerful impact of kindness in changing the world for the better and inspires all those around her to make a difference. Everything Emerson does, she does to the best of her ability, and she is a model of responsibility, creativity, and determination.”
Each month, Emerson chooses a charity or cause and bakes mini bundt cakes to raise money; and it’s often a family affair. Dad puts boxes together, and her younger sister helps pull things together for the baking, which takes anywhere from four to eight hours on Sundays, depending on demand. Mom says it’s a fun family experience made possible by Emerson’s passion.
Emerson posts cake videos on Tuesdays and takes orders on Thursdays via social media.
To date, she has raised nearly $12,000 for local causes like the animal shelter, The Caring Place, and the Forbes library.
She has particular heart for helping families faced with cancer. “It’s a very hard thing to go through, but when someone helps you, it lessens the weight.” Her most recent triumph was also her most successful. She raised $2,300 in five weeks to help a family whose 16-month old daughter was diagnosed with cancer.
Emerson was very humble about being our cover model and says, “It feels good to do nice things, but when people notice, it’s nice to know you’re making a difference.”
She says she has about 50 flavors and cakes are different every week; sometimes based on recommendations from family and friends. “I get inspired by things that come up. Someone recently donated Girl Scout cookies, so I based a recipe on those. This week it’s Strawberry-Lemonade based on the Sonic drink.” She reluctantly admits she likes chocolate-peanut-butter, but only because I asked her to pick just one.
In addition to her charity work, she placed first in GISD’s UIL Ready Writing competition and 2nd in Music Memory. She is an accomplished musician on several instruments, and is a straight-A student.
Not surprisingly, Emerson wants to study Journalism and become a non-profit fundraiser; perhaps running her own bakery, with a little bit of a bookstore.
You can follow her online on Instagram at her handle
@tuesdaytreatswithemerson. If you’re craving some of those Tuesday Treats, you can find her with the hashtag #haveasliceanddosomethingnice.
And, if you would like to help Emerson help others, Tara says they use their own money for all the supplies, and try to put 100 percent of their revenue into the charity. “It would be lovely to have donations (on Instagram) to pay for the boxes for deliveries. We had a friend in Maryland pay for 30 cakes and asked us to give them away, asking the recipients to tag her on social media. It was great to see Emerson’s work bring out the giving spirit in others.”
EARLY ELEMENTARY
DAMIEN is 7 years old, attends Harmony School of Innovations, and never meets a stranger. His bubbly personality is contagious, and he remembers everyone he meets. His mom, Simone, has always told him his destiny is to help others, and he works very hard to live up to that.
His whole family enjoys donating to The Caring Place, and feeding people on the streets. They volunteer and help any way, or in any place they find a need.
For his most recent project, Damien held his own yard sale to raise money for one of his personal causes. “But, being the kind of kid he is,” Simone says, “He met a little boy he liked and ended up giving him all the clothing and toys for free.”
Simone says he loves Georgetown because he has been here all his life and it is a small and quiet town. He is a very active child; participating in art, sports, dance, theater, choir, and guitar lessons. However, he is sometimes frustrated that everything he does is outside of the City of Georgetown and he truly enjoys being at home, when he can. Damien’s goal, he says, “I would like to bring more things to Georgetown for kids to do. It is too far to drive to Austin; and it uses up all of your gas and time.”
Like many boys, he enjoys ninjas, cars, and dogs, and has is a popular regular at the Georgetown Library. Simone says, “I can definitely see Damian as a future Georgetown politician; especially with his outgoing personality and finesse.”
UPPER ELEMENTARY
OLIVIA is a 5th grader at Village Elementary, she is active in student council, honor choir, UIL, and is on the A honor roll. Her mom, Heather, says it has always been important for Olivia to give back to her community. An avid reader, she maintains a 7th grade reading level and shares her love of reading by frequently reading to Kindergarten students.
Outside school, she stays busy playing soccer and basketball. She also turned her baking hobby into a 1st Place win in the Taste of Poppy contest with her homemade Flour and Ice ice cream sandwiches. She converted her win into a business over the summer, which raised money for the Williamson County Animal Shelter.
She is also a winner of the Georgetown Fire Department Anti Bullying Campaign. She participates in many community-based activities at First Baptist Georgetown, like Merry Christmas with Love, and she used her own money to put together care packages for the homeless.
Heather adds, “I believe all these accomplishments and love of her fellow neighbors make me feel like Georgetown is in great hands!”
Not content to feature those top choices, we also want to share some Publisher picks we believe are going to make Georgetown great for decades to come…
MORGAN AND TAYLOR
Twins Morgan and Taylor are 7 years old. Before they were walking, they enjoyed the outdoor trail systems with their parents, then progressed to biking and running. They are now up to 8 miles, from the dam to the Rec Center. They participate in many of our city events, and Taylor even won in her age group at the 2019 Chase the Chief. They also swim and hold records for the Georgetown Aquadillos.
Mom Jody says they hold lemonade stands to raise money for different groups and teams, and do so with much enthusiasm. “I was very proud of their Christmas piano recital for the Nursing home where their great-granny lives, as well as baking cookies and delivering them with their friends to the Sun City Firemen.”
ARIANA
Ariana is in 7th grade and can think of no place she’d like to live but Texas, except maybe Mars.
She likes Georgetown for its history and amenities, and says, “I love volunteering and have been a Junior Volunteer in my mosque for four years. I am also a 6th-year Girl Scout working to earn my Silver Award.”
Last October, she lost her grandmother to dementia and has made it her mission to bring awareness about dementia via her Silver Award Service Project. “I hope to show people how to deal with it because of what I have learned by caring for my grandmother.”
She is on many UIL teams; Ready Writing, Oral Reading, Chess, Maps, Graphs and Charts, Mathematics, Number Sense, and Dictionary Skills, and earned seven medals in January. She is also a member of the MathCounts and Math Pentathlon clubs.
When she is not at school, she loves playing for the Lady Magic Basketball Club and is looking forward to attending a STEM enrichment program this summer at UT.
Ariana also regularly donates her hair to help children who suffer from hair loss, loves to travel and believes children should strive to be well-rounded. It comes as no surprise that her career goals include becoming an astronaut.
MCKENNA
McKenna is a Kindergärtner at Carver Elementary. Mom Jessica says, “If you spend five minutes with McKenna, you realize she’s not like most five-year olds. She has the creativity and the compassion of someone well beyond her years. She’s thoughtful, witty, and she loves learning. Most importantly, she knows that kindness matters and girl power is the way of the future.”
McKenna loves being creative and is constantly working on art projects—whether designing and creating custom paper purses for her friends or performing a full house flip on her doll house. She also an incredible eye for design. Recently, she customized her doll house with tiny gallery walls of hand-drawn photos, custom “bedding” for the beds, and even a paper video-camera doorbell.
Jessica says, “In our house, we’re also very passionate about helping others and giving back. From a young age, McKenna has shown incredible empathy and compassion for all living things.” McKenna never hesitates to donate clothes and toys to those who are less fortunate.
McKenna was named January kindergarten Colt of the Month because of her fierce passion for kindness and compassion and she aspires to be “a helper” when she grows up.
LORELEI
Lorelei is a 4th grader at Ford Elementary. As the daughter of a Williamson County Sheriff’s Lieutenant, Lorelei understands more of Georgetown than just circumstance, but keeps a quick wit, sharp eye, belly laugh, and studious scowl. Mom Katie says she is always willing to help others and still be a help at home.
Lorelei is active in UIL Oral Reading, STEM Club, Kindness Club and Art Club, and A Honor Roll. She is active in American Heritage Girls, where her serving heart earned her the Presidential Medal of Service award. She also volunteers at Bluebonnet Equine Group and as a STEM tech at her school.
When others might give in, Lorelei steps up. She competes in photography, and her favorite service project this year was assisting as a docent for the Field of Honor.
But, it is her love of chickens that is truly unparalleled. She is active in the poultry club in the Georgetown 4-H, and once nursed a chick back to life after a near death disease.
Though young, and with plenty of time for a change of heart, Lorelei currently plans to enter the Navy’s JAG program and be an advocate for justice.