Four graduating seniors from Everett Public Schools were recently honored with the prestigious Superintendent’s Scholarship Award for Excellence. The winners were surprised by Superintendent Dr. Saltzman, School Board President Traci Mitchell, School Board Vice President Jen Hirman, Executive Director Kay Fantin from the Everett Public Schools Foundation, and their principals. Each recipient was awarded a $1,000 scholarship sponsored by Drs. Gary and Sue Cohn.

Since its inception in 1987, the Everett Public Schools Foundation has been presenting the Superintendent’s Scholar Awards to recognize outstanding scholarship and inspirational teaching. Candidates for this award must rank in the top five percent of their graduating class. High school counselors and scholarship committees select three representatives from the applicants, who then undergo an interview process conducted by a selection committee comprising community members, teachers, and foundation board members.

An integral part of the selection process is the finalists' opportunity to honor a staff member who significantly impacted their education. Each student creates a video tribute to their chosen staff member, which is shared on the foundation’s social media platforms. Ultimately, one student from each high school is chosen as the award winner.

From H.M. Jackson High School, Joie Kim was selected as a winner and chose to honor Jason Gadek for his influential role in her academic journey. Joie shared some of her favorite memories from her time at Jackson, saying, "I loved my time at Jackson and as an ASB kid, I'm always big on school spirit! I loved decking out for spirit days and sports games, especially football on Friday nights!"

Joie’s favorite class has been her zero-period ASB (Associated Student Body), taught by her advisor of four years, Mr. Gadek. "This class takes place every morning at 6:30 a.m., and while it requires early wake-ups, ASB has been my favorite part of high school! It has taught me how to be an effective student leader, risk-taker, and communicator, and I've met some of my closest friends through it," she said.

Looking ahead, Joie is thrilled about her future. "Next year, I'll be attending Stanford University with a major in Human Biology and a concentration in neurosciences on the pre-med track. It's been a childhood dream of mine to work in a children's hospital, and I hope to specialize in pediatric neurology or developmental medicine. I'm excited to continue my journey of student leadership while exploring the intricacies of the human body to one day create a positive impact in the community through compassionate service and care," she enthused.

Joie also offers valuable advice for future JHS students: "If I could give one piece of advice to future JHS students, it would be to put yourself out there from day one, and to take risks! Looking back, it's very rewarding to see how much I've grown since freshman year, and I think a lot of that growth can be attributed to how I proactively searched for new opportunities my freshman year. I continued my involvement and leadership within those activities throughout all four years of high school, and as a result of that, I've gained traits that have helped me grow as a student, leader, and friend!

We congratulate Joie on this honor and wish her good luck as she takes her next steps.