Students and faculty were shocked at the anomaly that the library was open for lunch. This rarity, however, was only available to a handful of eighth graders from local catholic schools being recognized for their hard work and intelligence in the eyes of their teachers and the Benilde-St. Margaret’s administration. Admissions Director Mrs. Kate Emmel was in charge of organizing the lunch and awards on Friday, December 6. These eighth graders, along with their parents gathered in the library to eat lunch and receive well-deserved praise.

The students are nominated to attend this annual event by their teachers who have written and submitted a paragraph to BSM about their accomplishments. Parents of the eighth graders recognized were invited as well as teachers and faculty. “Even in 1991 we were doing this where we recognize 8th graders from Catholic schools that are academically gifted and service leaders. We want to honor them for their achievements and influence them to come to BSM next year because those are the kind of students we want here,” Mrs. Emmel said.

Should they choose to apply to BSM in March, these academic students would receive a small scholarship. The administration offers this as a bonus reward for the eighth graders’ scholastic dedication.