At Wednesday’s Clovis Unified Governing Board meeting, the school board held a special presentation honoring some of the best and brightest academic minds throughout the district.
Dr. Corrine Folmer, Associate Superintendent introduced the special presentation to the large number of parents who gathered in the board room. “We are excited to have this opportunity to recognize some incredible students and have them here with us tonight.”
Folmer explained, “These students earned first place in regional qualifying tournaments and then advanced into a higher level of competition where they have earned a first, second, or third place in a state or national competition.”
Folmer included that the competitions themselves ranged through Destination Imagination, FFA, forensics and debate, history, math, mock trial, robotics, and multiple levels of science achievement.
Folmer continued, “These students’ hard work, dedication, innovation and efforts are to be commended.” And that’s exactly what she, the board as well as the fully packed board room proceeded to do as schools from all over the district including Clovis high schools, middle schools, and elementary school students were honored for their achievements.
With the extraordinary number of students on hand, the presentation had to be split into two separate forums as first students from the Clovis, Clovis North and Clovis West areas were honored. After this group of parents had their opportunities to take photos of their honorees, the Buchanan, Clovis East and FFA programs were invited into the board room to accept their honor.
Students received medals for their accomplishments and shook or fist bumped the hands of each of the board members. They then moved towards the edge of the board room to have photos taken from celebratory parents. Each student was called by their respective schooling administrative representatives and were met with the “Clovis Clap” which is one large collective clap from every member of the audience.
School board President Tiffany Stoker Madsen appreciated the excitement that the board held to celebrate the successes of the district’s students. As an annual event, the Students of Academic Excellence Recognition is a time in May that Stoker Madsen calls an “…honor to celebrate and to recognize those students who followed their academic passions.”
Stoker Madsen explained, “Not only did they spend lots of hours preparing for their competitions but that was on top of their regular, probably very rigorous coursework in their regular classes.” She thanked the students for representing Clovis Unified in such an “outstanding way”.