Polk County School Board honors students, volunteers and community partners at April meeting

At the April 28 Polk County School Board meeting trustees paused routine business for a substantive block of recognitions.

Anne Everett, senior director of the Office of Acceleration & Innovation, announced five Polk County students who earned two‑year Florida Prepaid scholarships as part of the district’s partnership with Florida Prepaid; recipients ranged from pre‑K through high school and were invited forward for photographs.

Representatives from the Polk County Supervisor of Elections office explained a student sticker art contest that produced designs for ‘‘future voter,’’ ‘‘vote by mail’’ and ‘‘I Voted’’ stickers. Shannon Curtis (Supervisor of Elections) said the contest engaged elementary, middle and high school students and noted the designs will be used in upcoming elections and outreach; the speaker said roughly 500,000 registered Polk voters will receive stickers at polling locations.

Angela Davis, coordinator for Polk County Toys for Tots, described the organization’s volunteer model and recognized Mulberry High School and Lake Region High School for collecting the most toys and most bicycles. Davis said last year the program served about 15,000 children and handled roughly 80,000 toys.

Jeanette Crowley, director of strategic planning and partnerships, presented Volunteer Appreciation Month highlights, noting Polk County Public Schools has more than 17,000 approved volunteers across nearly 130 sites and singled out Chain of Lakes Elementary and Winston Academy of Engineering for exemplary volunteer programs.

The board gave each group and individual a formal acknowledgement and trustees thanked staff and community partners who support student programs and civic engagement efforts.