Sarasota County School Exceptional Student Achievers Honoured with 2024 STRIVE Awards

During the 26th annual STRIVE Awards Celebration on April 18, eight high schools’ 40 seniors and 39 juniors received awards from the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. The philanthropist H. Jack Hunkele believed strongly in the importance of identifying and assisting students whose grit and resilience enable them to overcome major obstacles in order to succeed, and this belief is embodied in the STRIVE Awards.

Booker High School, North Port High School, Pine View School, Riverview High School, Sarasota High School, Sarasota Military Academy, Suncoast Polytechnical High School, and Venice High School students are honored today with the STRIVE Awards. Students are nominated for distinction by principals, instructors, and school counsellors. Go to edfoundationsrq.org/strive-awards to view the list of 2024 STRIVE Award winners.

“It is such an honor for the Education Foundation to shine a spotlight on these remarkable young people,” said Jennifer Vigne, president and CEO of the Education Foundation. “STRIVE Award recipients embody the power of resilience and the importance of persistence in the face of setbacks.

To honor the students’ incredible travels, celebration parties were arranged at each school, drawing in parents, teachers, administrators, friends, and community people.A $1,000 cash gift was given to each senior STRIVE Award recipient to help with expenses that many scholarships do not cover. A $2,500 prize was given to one Super STRIVER, a senior from each high school. Recipients of the Junior STRIVE Awards were given gifts of $100 and $50 stipends to help with costs like college tours and ACT/SAT test registration. Additionally, juniors were urged to apply for the Education Foundation’s mentorship program.

Together with these donations, the Education Foundation told the STRIVE Award winners’ stories to raise awareness of the strength of bravery, tenacity, and resilience. The Education Foundation interviewed a senior STRIVE Award recipient from each high school, and the Herald-Tribune published the profiles on Sundays.