Hays Middle School’s Donna Lubbers has been named the latest Covenant Builders Hometown Hero.

She will be honored at Thursday night’s Fort Hays State University basketball games, scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

According to her nomination:

“Donna is a champion for young adults in our community. She began her counseling career at Kennedy Middle School, then moved to Hays Middle School when Kennedy closed. She takes a personal interest in all of her students and tries to get to know each and every one of them personally. She is also active with the TMP Jr. High and High School students, as both of her daughters are and had attended TMP. She has been cheerleader sponsor, chair of numerous committees at TMP, and President of TMP PTF.

“She volunteers for many events at TMP, Hays Middle School, and her church, Immaculate Heart of Mary. She taught religious education for a number of years for middle school-aged children. She is genuine in her care and concern, particularly for middle school kids in our community.

“On a personal level 14 years ago, my daughter’s father suddenly passed away, and she was entering eighth grade at Kennedy. Donna was there to support my daughter during that difficult time. Anyone that has worked with middle school children know that children in that age group have a wide range of emotions and are faced with many challenges as they transition from children to young adults. Donna has always been ready and willing to be there for these children in both middle schools. Her most valuable skill is listening … just what children need at that age. Donna is very humble and prefers to be ‘behind the scenes.’ I think Donna deserves to be a Covenant Builders Hometown Hero.”