Harlandale High School principal Rey Madrigal, center, presents the first “Harlandale Good Citizen Award” to David Gonzales, left, and Paul Rodriguez, right. Courtesy photo

Special to the Southside Reporter

As Paul Rodriguez and David Gonzales, two seniors at Harlandale High School, walked to class on Sept. 2, they noticed something peculiar: an envelope lying on the ground.

It turned out that the envelope contained proceeds to an athletics fundraiser. Rodriguez and Gonzales picked up the envelope and immediately turned it in to school administrators.

“We figured there was money in there,” Gonzales said. “We just gave it to the first teacher we saw.”

Rodriguez and Gonzales’ act of honesty and selflessness has inspired many people who have heard the story. Rey Madrigal, Harlandale High School principal and other staff members were so impressed with their actions they honored the students with the first-ever “Harlandale Good Citizen Award.”

In the future, staff members at Harlandale will look to present the award to other students who help their campus community.