At a recent meeting of the Milford School District Board of Education, David Meade, a 5th grader at Milford Middle School, was recognized for his honor as a Carson Scholar. Meade is the first Milford Middle School student to receive the award.
“David is from Mrs. Mason’s class, and he is the first ever recipient from Milford to get the prestigious Carson Scholars Fund Scholarship and Recognition Award,” Superintendent Travis Moorman said. “To get this award, David had to have a minimum GPA of 3.75, demonstrate outstanding community service and have a letter of recommendation from a teacher. Once he was nominated, David had to complete a lengthy application and was among a highly competitive pool of thousands of students in grades 4 through 11 nationwide.”
Moorman continued, pointing out how prestigious the honor was.
“This honor reflects not only outstanding academic excellence, but also dedication, integrity, leadership, and a commitment to serving others. Being named a Carson Scholar is a remarkable accomplishment, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate this milestone for both David and our school community,” Moorman said. “David, congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, and for setting such an inspiring example for others to follow. There were 709 scholars across the nation who were eligible, and 137 seven of them were fifth graders. David is the only one in the state of Delaware that was awarded this particular scholarship.”
Meade will receive a $1,000 college scholarship held in trust, an Olympic-sized medal, a certificate and an invitation to a celebration in his honor. David is a member of the Milford Middle School Elementary National Honor Society, Student Safety Patrol, Chess Club, Milford Middle School band and TEAM Academic Enrichment Program.
The Carson Scholars Fund, Inc. was founded in 1994 to address the education crisis in the United States. Now retired world-renowned Johns Hopkins Pediatric Neurosurgeon Benjamin S. Carson, M.D. and his wife, Candy, read a research study about education in the country, becoming alarmed at the findings. The study showed that students in the United States ranked #21 out of 22 countries, especially in science and math.
The Carson’s also noticed that school display cases were filled with large trophies recognizing sporting accomplishments, but few related to academic accomplishments. In many cases, students with high academic achievements received a pin or certificate, not a trophy.
In 1996, the Carson’s awarded the first Carson Scholars Award, giving recognition to 25 deserving students. Through the generosity of donors and partners, today the fund awards more than 500 scholarships annually and, in total, have given awards to more than 12,000 students. Scholarship winners have attended more than 900 colleges and universities and received more than $11.6 million to help finance their education.
To donate to the Carson Scholarship Fund, visit them online. On their website, those interested can learn more about the fund, find volunteer opportunities and learn more about the students who have been awarded scholarships.
