Special Awards

Special Awards

At the end of the year, many very prestigious awards will be given at the Promotion Ceremony the last day of school, many of which will be based on the student’s entire middle school accomplishments. Here is a brief summary (details of each will follow) of the most prestigious awards given that last day:

Murray Pride Award
Citizenship Award
Character Counts Award
VFW – Patriot’s Pen Essay Award
Presidential Award for Educational Excellence
Academic Excellence Awards
Sons of the American Revolution Award
American Legion Award

In addition, most teachers will be awarding academic and behavioral certificates, trophies, or plaques.

Here is a more specific look at the awards and their criteria:

Award

Presentation

Murray Pride Award

Great improvement in behavior and/or grades since 6^th grade 1 (boy ,1 girl)
Nominated by Related Arts teachers and Student Services (discipline & guidance) because they would have known the student throughout all three years
Chosen by 8^th-grade team of teachers

Plaque

Savings Bond

Recognized on stage

Citizenship Awards

Based mostly on community service and leadership on campus
Determined by info on “Award/Activity Info Sheets” (sample at the end of this booklet
Those who go out of their way to help others & contribute to community

Certificate

Medal

Recognized on stage

Character Counts Awards

Students who have been honored earlier in the year as recipients of the Joe Kordick Character Award (at which time they will receive savings bond and plaque)
In the middle of the year, applicants fill out a form and write a short essay.
Usually two students per middle school in Martin County

Plaque

Stand when name is called

Presidential Award for Educational Excellence

Gold Level: GPA – 3.5 or higher in grades 6-8 and NRT score of 85%ile on Reading or Math (gr. 6-8)
Silver Level: GPA – 3.3-3.5 in grades 6-8 and NRT score of 85%ile on Reading or Math (gr. 6-8)

Certificate

Stand when name is called

MMS Academic Excellence Award

Have had all “A’s” throughout 6^th, 7^th, & 8^th grade on every report card
Includes 12 marking periods

Plaque

Recognized on stage

Sons of the American Revolution

The 2^nd highest award of all
Students who have shown excellent character and leadership (1 boy, 1 girl)
Emphasis on community service
Determined by info on “Award/Activity Info Sheets”

Certificate or plaque

Recognized on stage

American Legion Awards

The highest award of all
The most outstanding boy and girl who have demonstrated leadership, scholarship, service, and citizenship
Determined by info on “Award/Activity Info Sheets”

Certificate & medal

Recognized on stage

Activity/Award Info Sheets

Purpose of info on the sheet – used to select recipients for various awards at end-of-year Promotion Ceremony
Awards that this student assignment helps determine “Activity/Award Info Sheet”:
- Murray Pride Award
- Citizenship Award
- Sons of the American Revolution
- American Legion Award

Notice that the most prestigious awards in the table above are determined by the information collected on the “Activity/Award Info Sheet,” which is distributed and collected in the students’ Reading/LA class. How thoroughly the student fills out the sheet plays a significant role in the selection of the awards. Parents can play a role in their child’s project that will not only assist them in the recognition at the Promotion Ceremony but also help them learn practical skills because the same thought process and writing are required for…

Job application forms
Scholarship application forms
College entrance forms
Resumes
Promotion requests

All of the documents in this list as well as the “Activity/Award Info Sheet” must be written as neatly as possible—flawless is the goal. In addition, thoroughness is important.

To parents - When your child brings home the “Activity/Award Info Sheet,” it would be beneficial to plan on working on it over several days. Some of the categories of information on the Activity/Award Info Sheet include…

Activities and Clubs
Awards
Experience in Community Service

Feel free to consult…

Scrap books
Awards collections in your house
Memories

With this in mind, the beginning of the year is a good time to both start logging this sort of experience as well as involving your child in community service projects if not already participating in some.

Differentiate between one-time service events and long-term.
Tell students how important it is to be thorough; it is not “sinful” or “bragging” to list/write as much as can be remembered but do not fabricate anything.
Deadlines in the adult world are so very important! Students must complete this “Activity/Award Info Sheet” by the announced deadline to be considered for the awards. Time is of the essence!

§ Many adults who may qualify better than others for special recognition (i.e., teacher of the year, employee of the year, scholarship awards, jobs, etc.) don’t get the recognition they deserve because they neglect the details of proper on-paper preparation of necessary documents – so very applicable to real-life communication skills needed.

§ Even job application forms for entry-level jobs need flawless handwriting, spelling, neatness, etc. Paint this picture for students: Twelve teens apply for the same job at Taco Bell. Nine of them are sloppy and only partially completed. The remaining 3 are neat and complete, but two of them have spelling errors. If you were the employer, which teen would you hire or call in for an interview?

See Sample “Activity/Award Info Sheet”.