School district honors fifth grader who paid off his elementary school's lunch debt
Updated: 10:26 AM EDT May 23, 2024
A Missouri fifth grader who raised enough money to pay off all of his school’s student lunch debt dropped off the check and then got something special and unexpected in return.
At Thomas Ultican Elementary in Blue Springs, Missouri, the end-of-school celebration was full of more than a few extra smiles.
On Tuesday, fifth grader Daken Kramer gave the school district a check for $7,300, all money he raised to help pay for his classmate's school lunch debt.
“He decided that he wanted to leave a legacy here at Thomas Ultican, which is what we teach our kids," his teacher Kristi Haley told sister station KMBC.
There were many cheers at the presentation, but then the 11-year-old received something he wasn't expecting.
The staff announced that they were starting a yearly award in his name.
A plaque listing the recipients of the Daken Kramer Legacy Award each year will now hang outside the front office.
“We want to start teaching the fifth graders from day one next year what your legacy is going to be, and hopefully, we can continue this kindness," Haley said.
The Blue Springs School District has over $150,000 worth of school lunch debt. Kramer was able to pay off his school’s entire debt, with enough left over to also help at a nearby high school.