If you've lived in Longmeadow for any length of time, you know Lee Allentuck.

Maybe you know him as the guy who transformed his yard into an elaborate Halloween wonderland every October. Or the one who organized Easter Egg hunts at Biss Park. Maybe your kid played on one of his soccer teams. Maybe you’re one of those kids!

But here's what you might not know: for fifteen years, Lee quietly built something remarkable in our robotics program.

While the rest of us were impressed that students could make robots move, Lee was teaching them something deeper - how to think through problems that don't have obvious answers. How to work with people who see the world differently than you do. How to fail, adjust, and try again.

He stayed late before competitions not because he had to, but because that's what you do when you believe in people. He treated the kid who'd never held a screwdriver with the same respect as the one who'd been building since elementary school. He made complex engineering concepts understandable not through dumbing them down, but through actually caring whether students got it.

The Be Like Kat award honors people who show up with Kat's inclusive spirit - who make everyone feel like they belong, like they have something to contribute. That's been Lee's approach to everything: robotics, Halloween displays, soccer, Easter egg hunts. Everyone belongs. Everyone matters.

His former students have gone on to top universities and engineering programs across the country. They're doing impressive things. But if you ask them what they learned from Lee, they won't start with gear ratios or programming languages. They'll tell you about learning to persist. To collaborate. To believe they were capable of more than they thought.

Lee has been showing our young people who they could become - and then helping them get there.

Jim Flaherty means so much to so many people.  Mr. Flaherty is a teacher who always wants to be sure everyone feels safe and welcome in his classroom.  He is known for purchasing flags which he displays in his classroom that represent the places where he students are from- he proudly displays the Serbian flag and even gave Run Like Kat one of their own to honor the Kat and Max! 

As an actor, he infuses humor and laughter into his daily math lessons making math class a class his students look forward to going every day. Mr. Flaherty believes in all students and takes time to celebrate their successes.

Shortly after the accident while Shea was still in the hospital Sean had returned to school and faced a math test.  Thanks to Mr. Flaherty- Sean aced that test.  He was so excited about Sean’s math test that when he came to visit Shea when she returned home from the hospital, he marched into the room where Superintendent O’Shea, Principal Landers, and Coach Smith were already visiting with Shea. He exclaimed to Shea “Did your brother tell you about his math test?  Sean, “Freakin” Hamel aced that test!  He brought light and laughter into a room that day that until he arrived felt very heavy.

Mr. Flaherty is also a one of a kind coach.  He creates routes for his runners to run each day and can often be found biking along the routes encouraging his athletes.  Coach Flaherty seems to know when his athletes need support and once you have his support he offers it again and again. 

As Shea was recovering family friends created shirts to encourage her. Everyone wore them to an event held to help runners from LHS and beyond to begin to heal.  It was the first time Shea was able to participate.  We wore our “Team Shea All the Way” shirts that day. Coach Flaherty was bringing the team to states that weekend and asked if he could have a shirt.  He wore that shirt to states, although Shea wasn’t able to be there that day.  He helped Shea to feel a part of the day and helped his runners to finish the season strong.

Coach Flaherty is kind, inclusive, funny- he makes it easy to see there is good in the world.

Last November, Kayley Bone did something she really doesn’t like to do: she went for a run. But this wasn’t just any run — it was the Philadelphia Marathon.

Inspired by her good friend Katarina Boskovic, Kayley made a commitment to run and raise money in Kat’s honor. Marathons are tough for anyone — but they’re especially grueling for someone who doesn’t enjoy running. Kayley not only finished the race, she did so with a broken foot, and in the process raised $3,500 for the Be Like Kat Foundation.

We are proud to recognize Kayley’s grit, determination, selflessness, and perseverance — qualities that embody the spirit of Kat and the foundation created in her memory. It is with great admiration that we present Kayley Bone with a Be Like Kat Award.

On November 7, 2025, LHS alumnus Jake Ratner and his University of Arizona fraternity held a car wash to benefit the Be Like Kat Foundation, raising nearly $600. More importantly, they spread awareness about Kat and the foundation all the way across the country. With posters of Kat, the distinctive purple Run Like Kat shirts, and plenty of goofy fun, they brought the spirit of kindness, hard work, and humor that so perfectly represents Kat and the foundation created in her honor.

It’s easy—especially when you’re far from home—to follow someone else’s lead. It takes much more courage and initiative to inspire others and bring meaningful causes to new communities. Jake did exactly that, and we are proud to honor him for it.