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A 2003 Fox Chapel Area graduate, she volunteers with physically-challenged patients at the Children's Institute and teaches sign language to the hearing-impaired at the Sharpsburg DART program. Apostolides earned straight A's, is active in her church youth group, plays piano, takes dance lessons and was a cheerleader for four years.

All that, despite having been diagnosed at birth with Down's Syndrome.

"I'm just a typical teen," said Apostolides, who clearly is anything but.

For her achievements , the amiable Apostolides was honored with the first annual Eichenlaub Growth Award, established to recognize students who succeed in the face of adversity.

"We see the same 10 kids getting awards all the time," said Barbara Eichenlaub, whose husband owns a local landscaping company. "There are a lot of kids who achieve personal success and should be recognized. It doesn't always have to be the kid with 1600 on their college boards."

To symbolize the Growth Award, an ash tree was planted Friday at the high school in Apostolides' honor. With her parents and school officials on hand, Apostolides tossed the first handful of mulch toward the tree, which will serve as a lasting reminder of childhood potential.

Apostolides' mother, Paulette, wiped tears from her face as she talked of her daughter's journey into adulthood.

"Children teach us a lot," said Paulette, who refused to accept early diagnoses that her daughter would never lead a normal life. "We have high expectations of our kids, but most importantly we want them to try their best.

"Katie's always surprised us."

That Katie was born with a disability was not an excuse for underachieving, Paulette said.

"We've insisted that all of our children find a way to give back," she said. "You don't have to be a doctor or a lawyer, but you have to find a way to give back."

Katie has done that in spades.

Next month, she will appear speak at Hampton Area High School to parents of children with Down's Syndrome. She has volunteered three years at the Children's Institute, where she became a patient when she was five months old. Currently, she is working to become a physical therapy aid there. Four days a week, she helps therapists with clinics to improve muscle function and motor skills for patients.

"I work a lot with kids with autism," she said. "I help them grow and live happy lives.

"Basically, what I used to have, I'm looking for that for them."

Eichenlaub said the Growth Award was inspired by students like Apostolides who overcome obstacles to obtain success, even if not in the traditional sense.

"These can be kids who are in a car accident but still graduate on time, kids who lost a parent or who pulled their grades from a D to a B," Eichenlaub said. "It's not just about being at the top of the heap. Sometimes, getting half way up the mountain is an achievement."

Recipients of the award will be named on a perpetual plaque displayed at the high school and also will be lauded at the annual senior awards ceremony.

Dan Eichenlaub, an alumnus of Fox Chapel Area, said Apostolides represents precisely what he was aiming for in instituting the Growth Award.

"She has that spirit of volunteerism," he said. "She could've sat around and been the recipient of someone else's volunteerism but she's out there giving."

As for Apostolides, she has no plans to slow down. This summer, she'll clear her schedule for dance lessons.

"I love mambo," she said. "Swing too."

In the fall, she'll take her first step toward a career in occupational or physical therapy with plans to study first at Community College of Allegheny County before possibly heading to Florida State University.

"We'll see," she said, giving her mother a big hug. "I'm just busy being a normal teen, driving my parents crazy."

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