Lafayette High senior Chloe Kim logged more than 400 hours of community service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition work to earn the U.S. Congressional Award Silver Medal, the Rockwood School District announced May 6.

The Congressional Award is the highest honor Congress can bestow on a young civilian. To earn the Silver Medal, Kim completed 200 hours of voluntary public service, 100 hours of personal development, 100 hours of physical fitness, and a three-day, two-night expedition over at least 12 months.

Kim's service centered on the Daniel Boone Branch of St. Louis County Library in Ballwin, where she started as a teen volunteer her sophomore year and logged more than 170 hours.

"I grew up spending a lot of my time at libraries, and it feels nostalgic to be working there as a high school senior now," Kim said.

She and friends also ran a student-led project selling handmade crochet keychains and beaded jewelry at the Wildwood Farmers Market, donating all proceeds to St. Louis Ronald McDonald House Charities. The group bought items from the charity's online wishlist and delivered them at summer's end. They repeated the effort at Wildwood's annual Christmas Market with winter-themed crafts.

Kim plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University this fall and pursue the Congressional Award Gold Medal there, which requires doubling her total hours to 800 over 24 months. Her Silver Medal hours count toward the Gold.

The medal, struck by the U.S. Mint, will be presented by a member of Congress at a local or state ceremony.