In the interest of the safety and well-being of the community, the 15th annual “Best & Brightest” scholarship awards program will be conducted in a virtual presentation – LIVE – on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, rather than its usual in-person program at Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. In light of the recent progression of COVID-19, Governor Ron DeSantis’ directive to avoid mass gatherings and to “Stay-at-Home,” the decision to convert the awards presentation to a virtual program abides by public safety protocols while still enabling the community to honor the region’s top high school seniors. The exciting announcements about the winners will take place remotely from the meeting chambers of the Leon County Schools Aquilina Howell Center – carried live on LCS/Comcast Channel 23. The ceremony will showcase all 152 school-based winners and will unveil the top winners in each category, as well as the 8th grade Essay Contest winners.
While it is incredibly disappointing to be compelled to forego the live event so well attended by hundreds of the students, parents, friends and school administrators in the audience, the health and safety of our students, volunteers, sponsors, and the community remain our priority. We will stream the ceremony in real time and with each recognition and honor we will build an even better experience of surprise for these dedicated scholars and student leaders.
The generous sponsors who have donated scholarship funds for The Best & Brightest Awards are proud to support the students and recognize the connection that they share with this special event. No matter what is happening in the world, these young people have made a profound positive impact in Leon County and we look forward to appropriately honoring their many good works.
We encourage you to set aside the time on Wednesday May 13, 2020 at 6:30pm to watch the 15th Anniversary of the Best & Brightest Awards and support our incredible students during this time as they find out the top scholarship winners and learn how they have excelled academically in school and in meaningful service to our community.
More information will be provided with links on streaming The Best & Brightest Awards and please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions.
We are grateful for your support of The Best & Brightest Awards program and no matter what format we announce the top students, we will honor them throughout the year on YouTube, televised viewing, the Tallahassee Democrat online and through social media and websites.