Quoted from the Philadelphia Tribune:
“More than 600 School District of Philadelphia employees came together earlier this month for the the district’s inaugural Accelerate Philly awards.
The ceremony, which took place at Martin Luther King High School on April 5, celebrated the academic improvement and success of district schools.
The event was based off of the metrics of the Board of Education goals and guardrails as well as the priorities outlined in the school district’s five-year strategic plan, Accelerate Philly.
“These awards recognize the hard work and dedication of our school-based staff,” said School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington in a statement.
The ceremony also recognized more than 150 teachers across the school district for perfect attendance during the 2022-23 school year and more than 30 school-based employees across the school district for their service of more than 40 years.
The event featured performances from Overbrook high School, Frankford High School and Carver Engineers Drumline from George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science.
Among the sponsors for the event was The Fund for the School of Philadelphia and Wawa, who provided goodie bags and gift cards to all attendees. The Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Phillies and Visit Philadelphia also provided raffle prizes to the winners.
“I applaud their accomplishments as we work to accelerate academic achievement to make Philadelphia the fastest improving, large urban school district and prepare all students to realize any future they desire,” Watlington said.”
Read the full Philadelphia Tribune article and list of honorees, here.