City of Seattle Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor

NEWS ADVISORY
SUBJECT:   Mayor Nickels to honor outstanding middle school students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:    5/2/2006  3:00:00 PM	FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Alex Fryer  (206) 684-8358 Hazel Bhang Barnett  (206) 615-0885

Mayor Nickels to honor outstanding middle school students
25 students to receive awards

SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels will give $500 awards to 25 middle-schoolers who are the unsung heroes of their communities.

These 25 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from 14 local middle schools have overcome obstacles or met challenges and given back to their communities. Students will also receive a letterman's jacket to commemorate their achievement.

Who: Mayor Greg Nickels and award winners
What: Mayor’s Scholars Awards for 2005-2006 school year
When: Monday, May 2nd, 2006 - 5:30 p.m.
Where: Bertha Knight Landes Room, First Floor City Hall, 600 4th Avenue

“All these students are hard workers with a strong sense of direction,” Nickels said. “This is a city with a reputation for generosity and hard work, and I’m proud the next generation shares those values.”

To apply, students wrote several essays about how they give back to their community and how they would use a $500 cash award. That award can be used to further their education or contributed to a charity or cause of their choice. In addition, the students were required to have good grades and provide several recommendations from adults.

Through public recognition of their achievements, the Mayor’s Scholars program hopes to bolster students’ confidence, recognize community involvement, and encourage parental involvement.

Two additional scholarships awarded by the Ginger and Barry Ackerley Foundation will also be presented at the awards ceremony. Two students will receive scholarships of approximately $2,500 for a four-year college or public community/technical college.

A full list of the winners will be available before the awards ceremony.

The awards are coordinated by the City's Office for Education, a division of the Department of Neighborhoods, and funded entirely through private donations to the nonprofit Alliance for Education, a 501(c)3 organization. For more information about the awards, call the City of Seattle Office for Education at (206) 233-5118.

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Office of the Mayor

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