STANDING UP FOR THE STUDENTS WHO DESERVE OUR APPLAUSE
The Academic All-Star Celebration is about integrity. As adults and parents, the message we often pass to our children – collectively and individually – is that “…knowledge is power, a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and an education is the most important thing there is.” Unfortunately, the way we live our lives arguably refute these claims. As a culture, it seems we celebrate everything BUT academic achievement. We clap and cheer for the Super Bowl, clap and cry for the Academy Awards, dance and sing for the Grammy Awards, and regularly offer standing ovations for concerts, plays, festivals, and recitals. But when do we stand and cheer – as a community – for the students who perform exactly the way we’ve asked? The answer is rarely. And so, we are sounding a clarion call to offer our country an opportunity to make a cultural statement about the things which, ostensibly, matter most: the education and healthy development of our young people. It’s time to do things better.