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Higher Achievement Celebrates Its Roots at the Ninth Annual Green Apple Awards
May 19, 2009- Approximately 500 family members, mentors, and community supporters attended Higher Achievement’s ninth annual Green Apple Awards yesterday, where Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, was the keynote speaker. The ceremony recognized the program’s 58 graduating scholars, as well as Higher Achievement’s Green Apple Award recipients: Will Kirk, Dan and Karen Mayers, and the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, for being strong partners, and providing sustainable resources for Higher Achievement.
This year, Higher Achievement was honored to welcome U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as the keynote speaker. Secretary Duncan had wise words for the scholars, encouraging them to “come back and mentor the next generation of scholars.” He spoke on the state of education, asserting his belief that quality education will be instrumental to overcoming the economic challenges that our nation faces. “Education is the civil rights issue of our time,” Duncan said. He applauded Higher Achievement staff, mentors, and funders, and urged them, “to continue bringing others to this work. Child by child, student by student, family by family, we must continue to provide concrete, sustainable opportunities for young people, and Higher Achievement has consistently done so over the years.”
Led by the scholars themselves, the event’s line-up included an African drumming performance, reflections from graduates of each of the five Achievement Centers, and scholar poetry. Higher Achievement graduates revealed that they would be attending schools such as Gonzaga College High School, Philips Andover, the Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts, and Benjamin Banneker Senior High School.
Zenniah Davis, who will be attending Sandy Springs Friends School in fall, ended the night on a powerful note. “We have developed into ambitious, determined, confident young people, who stand up against all odds, while resting our backs on what we’ve learned to be true: Higher Achievement is always with us, supporting us in proving that negative statistics about urban youth won’t be ourreality. At Higher Achievement, we create our own statistics and go against ALL odds together, as one.United, we are changing the future.And that future is SPECTACTULAR!”
For more information on opportunities to get involved with Higher Achievement, please visit their website, www.higherachievement.org.
