The Spirit of Excellence ceremony takes place Thursday, where Parkway will recognize African American students for their accomplishments.

The Parkway award recognizes African-American students from grades 3-12 who have achieved a 3.5 GPA or higher and highlights their hard work. The event takes place in February, during Black History Month. 

This year, 28 South students qualified for the award. Thursday’s ceremony will be held at the Family Arena in St. Charles.

“[Spirit of Excellence] motivates students to work harder to be recognized for their achievements. It is something that is recognized by all Parkway schools; they all have different qualifiers, for which they are rewarded for 1 time per year,” Assistant Principal Brionne Smith said.

For many students, receiving the award is exciting. Others have received the reward over numerous years.

“Receiving the award made me feel very excited, because it proved that my hard work was recognized,” freshman Skye Glover said.

“I’ve gotten it pretty much every single year since 3rd grade. I was happy that I did, but I also wasn’t extremely surprised,” freshman AJ Haynes said.

Not only are students recognized by their school, but also by the district.

“At the school level, we do different things; one year, we did medals for 2-3 years. This year, we did a lunch for the kids, they all got Cane’s, and we recognized them at our Black History Month celebration. As a district, they are more recognized on a larger scale. They receive a certificate, a medal, and they get the honor of shaking hands with prestigious people in our district,” Smith said.

The ceremony also gives students a chance to celebrate with their families.

“Both students and families attend the ceremony at the St. Charles Family Arena,” Smith said.

Each year a different Parkway high school is chosen to emcee the event. This year’s emcees will be seniors Nasrah Alli and Logan Scott. 

“I made it into the Spirit of Excellence by having good grades, studying, asking for help, and just giving back to the community,” Alli said.

Students also talked about how their school and peers have helped them succeed.

“I think for the most part, my success comes from teachers. I think they’re really friendly and help me stay engaged in what’s going on,” Haynes said.

The Spirit of Excellence has created a way to highlight the significance of excellence in the achievement of minority students, which is an incredible thing to celebrate at a district level, according to Smith.

“It is a reward that takes a lot of hard work to get to. I do love the fact that we acknowledge and highlight these students, and any students who have any goals, particularly students who are not performing at the same rate as others. I think it is important for students to see others succeeding, so they can motivate others,” Smith said.