Looking back at a great year of Wendy's Cool Schools - KCTV5

What better way to end a jam-packed school year of Wendy's Cool Schools than with a soccer match played by mascots, the awarding of the Wendy's Cool School of the Year and a look back at all the great moments seen Friday morning on KCTV5 It's Your Morning?

Each week we celebrated a high school in our area as the Wendy's Cool School of the Week. But of all the weekly winners, there's always one that stands out above the rest. And because of their non-athletic achievements, that school gets a $2,500 check from Wendy's along with bragging rights.

KCTV5's Iris Hermosillo got the privilege of giving the Tonganoxie High School Chieftains the honor. She told students and staff that they all left a big impression on her and the entire Wendy's crew.

"Well we've known that we're the coolest school all along for several years, we've just been waiting for everybody else to figure it out, and we're just so thankful. Honestly, I gotta tell you, when all of these kids showed up and they camped out and we had 94 percent of these guys show up and rocking the house, it was a lot of fun," the high school's principal said. "We can't thank Wendy's enough for putting this on and KCTV channel 5 for doing this – this is awesome."

Every Friday, KCTV5 got to have fun with some of the best and brightest students in the metro for Wendy's Cool School of the Week. With the end of another school year, we wanted to take a look at some of the kids and stories that have had us laughing, cheering and inspired us the entire school year.

This year we met the students of the Kansas School for the Deaf who are learning to be confident in themselves despite their challenges.

"I was told there's nothing wrong with me because I'm deaf. Don't be oppressed because I'm deaf. Show hearing people that you can do anything," one student signed when they got the award.

We also met students who don't hesitate to come to the aid of others - such as those of Basehor-Linwood High School, who raised money to help a teacher whose son needed brain surgery.

And it didn't stop there. KCTV5 and Wendy's even found a student from Belton High School who, without hesitation, saved someone's life by performing CPR.

And then there were those students who dedicated their time to raising awareness against bullying and drug use.

"It's important because I believe if people see other people saying that's it's cool not to do drugs or it's cool not to do alcohol, it's cool not to bully, then they will go along with it and not do the alcohol and drugs and make their life better," said one student from Fort Osage.

It's students like these that made KCTV5 and Wendy's proud to celebrate the achievements of local schools each and every Friday.

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