The Student Recognition Awards were held to celebrate specific students who demonstrate excellence in the BSM community. Every faculty and staff member who participated was able to choose one or two students for doing well in their class, being a good role model, or for other reasons that made them stand out. These students are considered to be role models that all students can look up to.

The Student Recognition Awards were originally started by the Parent Association in the early 1990s. “The Parent Association created the award as a way to reward specific students. They chose to do it again and again, and now we’re coming up on our 25th year of them,” Mary Fran O’Keefe, the organizer of the event, said.

Faculty and staff members are not required to participate in the awards. On average, about 30-40 faculty and staff members participate in the awards. “We always encourage the staff, especially the teachers, to participate. Some staff members have never participated, while others never miss a semester,” O’Keefe said.

Before the awards ceremony, the students and their parents received an email saying that they had been nominated for an award. However, they did not find out who gave them the award until their name was called at the ceremony. “We like for it to be a surprise when they get the award, that way they can be excited to see who chose them. It’s been done like that since the very first ceremony,” O’Keefe said.

For each student that receives an award, the hope is that they’ll feel rewarded for their work in the BSM community. “At first I was surprised who I got mine from, since I didn’t know that Dr. [Susan] Skinner gave one. But I’m also humbled that I received one. It was nice to know that there are people who are proud of what I’ve done at BSM,” award recipient Grace Gyolai said.

In the spring, there will be another opportunity for students to win the award. “Luckily, we host these awards two times a year. We hope that we’ll get to honor as many students as we can next semester,” O’Keefe said.

BSM and the Parent Organization plan to continue these awards for many years to come. “I love to organize this award ceremony because it is all about the students. We believe that these students can be role models to their peers at BSM, and hopefully more students can get recognized. We hope to keep these awards going for a very long time,” O’Keefe said.