A local student was one of the three Broward County Public School students who took home a coveted Miami Herald Silver Knight Award on Wednesday evening.
Jennifer Gaver, a senior at J.P. Taravella High School won for Journalism, and what moved her to action was when her best friend was diagnosed with cancer she went door to door to raise money to support her friend’s family. She sold beaded bracelets, hosted a battle of the bands and held car washes. To maximize potential, she teamed up with Kids of Love, a charity that provides support for children and families battling cancer.
In her junior year, she started a Kids of Love club at her school and motivated 50 teens to join. Over her high school career, she has raised more than $30,000 for childhood cancer. Jennifer is currently editing an animated school screenplay for a film to be produced next year. She is a National Honor Society district liaison, captain of her cheerleading team and an intern at the Coral Springs Sports and Activities magazine.
The outstanding seniors were selected out of hundreds of nominees in Broward’s public and private schools. The student program has 15 categories of awards, including English & literature, general scholarship, journalism, mathematics, science and world languages, among other categories. A panel of judges selected winners in each category from, along with three honorable mentions per category.
Lauren Bendesky from Coral Glades High School won in the Science category and Parker Abt from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School won in the Social Science category.
The purpose of the Silver Knights Award program is to recognize outstanding students who have not only maintained good grades, but have also unselfishly applied their special knowledge and talents to contribute significant service to their schools and communities. The Silver Knight Awards program was instituted at The Miami Herald in 1959 by John S. Knight, past publisher of The Miami Herald, founder and editor emeritus of Knight-Ridder Newspapers and 1968 Pulitzer Prize winner. Other winners and Honorable Mentions are found in the Miami Herald.
