Students across the country are returning to class after spring break and preparing for the final weeks of the school year. As these students study for exams and make plans for their future success, school administrators, team coaches, and scholarship program directors are making plans for the many end-of-year celebrations they’ll being hosting on their school campuses.
Academic Honors and Awards
Academic honors and recognition can be given to students at every level of education. In the school setting, it is critically important that we celebrate and recognize the outstanding things that students accomplish. Most academic settings make use of trophies or other forms of recognition for good performance. These include gold stars, certificates, prizes, honors, honor rolls and selection for advanced track or honors courses. Studies have shown that students who receive awards and recognition are often encouraged to continue striving for higher academic achievement. They feel good about the effort they are giving when they are rewarded for good performance.
At the end of the academic year, many school administrators and teachers plan formal ways of recognizing student achievement. Many of these celebrations include graduation awards ceremonies that recognize students for their academic achievements by presenting them with a token of their success. Awarding a plaque or framed certificate of achievement to students who have excelled is one of the most effective ways to recognize students. As students continue their academic careers, being recognized with high-honors and yearly awards motivates them towards future academic success.
Athletic Awards and Extracurricular Recognition
Many students earn honors not related to academics. They can be recognized for participating in athletic events, extracurricular activities, and volunteering in the community. Activity coordinators, coaches, and community leaders often use the end of the school year as a time to award students who have been successful in their commitments outside the academic arena.
Recognizing the achievements of students who are successful in both extracurricular activities and the classroom is important to their success after graduation. Being motivated to perform well in the classroom can mean higher degree completion rates among athletes and students who are part of special interest groups.
Levy Recognition can help sports programs and organizations recognize students for their achievements. Often times these students are recognized with trophies, plaques, and awards that are significant to the activity. Recognition for student achievement in the arts, music, physical education, world languages, and other elective programs can be customized to suit the organization showing the student appreciation.
Scholarship Awards
One of the highest honors a student can receive is a scholarship towards continuing education. Organizations that want to invest in future learning opportunities often present checks or acceptance letters to deserving students. Too often, these acceptance letters are shifted into the piles of paperwork that are eventually thrown away. Once the finance department handling the student’s tuition processes the check, the student is left without a memento of the scholarship or where it came from.
Receiving a scholarship to continue their education is a proud and exciting moment for students and their parents. One of the latest trends in awarding scholarships is to present the recipient with an award or gift to commemorate the occasion. A custom plaque or award marking the occasion should feature the name of the presenter or presenting organization, the recipient’s name, and the name of the scholarship. It is also customary to include the date on which the award was presented and why the recipient was selected for the award.
Representatives of companies who have granted money to programs supporting higher education typically present scholarships during student awards banquets. One of the primary benefits of giving a physical award along with the scholarship is to ensure that students, parents, and school faculty recognize the presenting sponsor. The physical award will help the student remembers the people and organizations that have helped them into the next phase of their education. This serves as a small way to build brand recognition and share company values as generations of students receive the scholarship.
Whether it’s celebrating student’s perfect attendance or presenting college-bound seniors with a scholarship to continue their education, presenting them with a custom award or trophy is a great way to celebrate the occasion. While preparing students to be good citizens and contributing members of society shows dedication to educating tomorrow’s leaders, promoting and celebrating their success shows students that you care about their success. Presenting awards at the end of the school year is a proud moment for students, their parents, and teachers. Levy Recognition specializes in creating custom student recognition for such occasions.