PACES announces its 2020 award winners

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From special reports

 year since 2009 when PACES Project began, an Awards Recognition Program has been held for those PACES students at Kemper County who have performed at a level that exceeds their PACES peer group in the Senior Class.

The past four years, the award program was held at the conclusion of a banquet for the awardees and their parent/guardians in the faculty Dining room of East Mississippi Community College.  Understandably, this year program had to be conducted differently. The event was delayed and had to be done COVID-9 style.  Following the example of this year’s stellar PACES members who remained focused on their goals despite COVID-19, PACES board members committed themselves to coming up with a new and distinctive way to recognize the achievements of this years’ PACES PaceSetters.

This year honorees and their families had the opportunity to be a part of another first for PACES Project. After careful planning, PACES awards committee recommended that awards program be held outside rather than inside a building. The covered entrance way to Kemper County High School and the front lawn was chosen as the replacement for the EMCC Faculty Dining Room.

Moving the event outdoors allowed the program to be presented to a group and still readily meet social distancing requirements.

The event was held on a sunny afternoon on Thursday, June 25th. Rain was forecast; however, it did not occur, and the program went smoothly from beginning to end.

Huilite Hudson, the Kemper County School District superintendent, closed out the program by offering words of encouragement to the students and acknowledging the role that was played by their parents in helping them to achieve this level of success.

The awards listed below were presented during the program:

• PACESETTER SCHOLAR AWARD •  Shakirah Steele. She had the highest GPA and ACT Score and was the valedictorian of Kemper County High School Class of 2020.

• PACESETTER EXCELLENCE AWARD • Timberlee Drummond, the salutatorian of Kemper County High School Class of 2020. 

• EVANS FAMILY PACES CITIZENSHIP AWARD • Kaitlin Drake. She was a honor graduate of Kemper County High School Class of 2020 and Associates Degree graduate with honors from East Mississippi Community College May 2020. She is a member of a volunteer fire department and has completed of an American Heart Association CPR Course.

• PACESETTER COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD • Javion William, a graduate of Kemper County High School Class of 2020 with 54 Community Service Hours.

PACES Project is and all volunteer community-based organization of Kemper County Economic Development Authority. The mission of PACES is to instill in the students of KCHS a hunger and discipline for learning that inspires them to set lofty life goals, leads them to take advantage of all educational opportunities available to assist them toward those ambitions, and motivates them to return the favor by giving back to the community.

For more, visit PACES-kceda.com or see PACESInfo on Facebook for more photos and video of the student’s experiences.






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