Share
The high school seniors paced just to the left of the stage, nervously glancing at the speeches they’d been told to prepare.
They’d been asked to talk about the teacher who had the biggest impact on them in front of hundreds of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students, teachers and family members who toured uptown museums and munched on hot dogs Monday night.
But just before the first student was set to take the stage, the 28 seniors learned they were the ones being honored.
As the 2011 Broad Prize winner, CMS received more than $550,000 in college scholarships for seniors. In 10 minutes, the district gave out that amount and more in scholarships – a total of $560,000, said Ann Clark, CMS’ chief academic officer.
The scholarships are given to graduating seniors who have improved their grades over their high school careers and have a financial need.
Meredith Avant, a winner who plans to study history education at UNC-Charlotte in the fall, said the scholarship would be a big relief to her parents, who will have three children in college next year.
“I have a sister at N.C. State and a brother at (UNC) Charlotte,” she said. “So I know it will help my parents out a lot.”
