Awards – Yesterday and Today

I think most schools have some old, dusty trophies sitting around somewhere. Some are long-forgotten accomplishments and some are more recent activities. If you look at the older awards you see that the metal is tarnished or bleached from constant sun. Even last year’s awards don’t look quite as “nice” as they once did.

Recently, I attended several award ceremonies where our school system was recognized for outstanding achievement.

At the North Carolina Association of School Administrators Awards Ceremony, Hallsboro/Artesia Elementary School was recognized as the Eastern Region Elementary School Trailblazer Award Winner for their after school program that partners with a local church. Tabor City Middle School was the Eastern Region Middle Schools Trailblazer Award Winner with their Academic Intramurals, a program designed to inspire and encourage academic achievement. Our entire School District was recognized as the only recipient of the Trailblazer Award for School Districts.

The American School Board Journal also awarded our school system a national honorable mention for our Beginning Teacher Support Program, which aims to retain and support new teachers, and finally The American School Board Journal awarded Southeastern Early College, our partnership with Whiteville City Schools and Southeastern Community College, a national award for Early College’s program to provide college access to high school students.

I can’t begin to describe how thrilling it was to see our schools recognized on the state and national level. I honestly feel each award was earned, as there were many hundreds of other eligible schools and systems. Who deserves credit for these accomplishments? Our support staff does. The principals do. The teachers do. Our parents, community and business partners do- but most importantly – our students deserve the credit. They have accomplished the really hard work of making tough decisions and sacrifices so that their future may be brighter.


So what happens to these awards now? Well, they’ll be displayed and admired for a little while. They’ll serve as a reminder of the benefits of hard work. But awards and plaques fade. They go on the shelf and are soon forgotten. The true awards for us as educators are the living, breathing ones that walk through our doors each morning. I am very proud of our school system, and our accomplishments. But the reason that I am proud is that I know that these accomplishments represent improving education for our students.

The awards may tarnish and fade, but once a fire has been lit in the eyes of a child, it never goes out. We must now work doubly hard to make sure that fire burns deeper and brighter with each passing year.
Thanks for listening. We welcome your comments on my blog at drstrickland.blogspot.com. Also, information about our school system can be found at http://www.columbus.k12.nc.us.