Awards of Excellence
The Awards of Excellence is an annual event co-sponsored by TOGETHER! and The Olympian. 
It recognizes high school students for achievement in the categories of Arts & Sciences and Community Service. Awards are given to one male and one female senior from each area high school in each category. It began in 2001 and is part of TOGETHER!'s community education and outreach program.
In 2010, an Honorable Mention category was added, recognizing students who overcame significant adversity in their pursuit of school.
"These awards evolved from the knowledge that we need more positive examples and role models of young people who are excelling," then-Gov. Gary Locke said in his remarks at the awards presentation banquet in 2003.
As The Olympian's communities editor Jerre Redecker noted in her introduction to the first Awards in 2001, though many students are honored throughout the year for academic or athletic achievements, many contributions that youth make to this community go unsung. The Awards of Excellence and the recognition banquet is a chance to "showcase the best of our communities' youth, providing them with deserved recognition as they take their next steps toward adulthood," Redecker wrote.
2011 Awards of Excellence
See the students honored in 2011 for Arts & Sciences.
See the students honored in 2011 for Community Service.
See the students given Honorable Mentions in 2011.
The writeups and photos will appear in The Olympian on June 12, 2011.
Speeches at the Awards of Excellence banquets
Transcripts of Locke’s speeches at the Awards banquets can be found at the following links:
Gov. Chris Gregoire spoke at the 2006 Awards banquet. She underscored the critical use of mentors for youth and called community service "the lifeblood of civil society." The full text of her speech is available at Gregoire in 2006.
For more information please contact us.
Mailing Address
TOGETHER!
418 Carpenter Rd. SE Ste 203
Lacey, WA 98503
Phone
(360) 493-2230 ext 20