Extraordinary student achievement and exceptional classroom teaching will be honored in grand style when Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union Foundation and Delaware County Intermediate Unit present the 2019 Partners in Education Celebration, the region’s premier academic recognition event, on Thursday, May 2 at 5 p.m. at Drexelbrook Events Center in Drexel Hill. The annual celebration acknowledges academic accomplishment in a way similar to recognizing athletic achievement. Katherine Scott, 6ABC Action News reporter, will serve as host for the event.
“The Partners in Education Celebration is about sharing and celebrating the good news in education, recognizing the many students and teachers who make a difference” said Rick Durante, FMFCU Foundation Executive Director.
The celebration honors all students and their faculty advisors who participated in the 71st season of Delco Hi-Q, the nation’s oldest, continuous academic quiz competition. Among honorees will be all 21 members of the elite All Delco Hi-Q Team.
Each of this season’s three winning teams will receive an engraved plaque and a cash award for their school. The Garnet Valley champions, who also won the 2019 national championship, earned $3,000 and the right to display the Donna Zerby Trophy until next year. Second place Radnor will receive $2,500, while third place Delaware County Christian School will receive $2,000.
Theresa Flanagan Murtagh of Upper Providence, a Cardinal O’Hara graduate and noted local philanthropist, will be inducted into the Delco Hi-Q Hall of Honor during the celebratory event. Located in the lobby of the DCIU’s conference center in Morton, the Hall of Honor includes plaques with names and photos of all current honorees.
In addition, 20 outstanding teachers will be honored with the highly regarded Excellence in Teaching Award. Included are educators from schools serving
Delaware County students. For the first time, a teacher will be honored from West Chester Area School District. Teachers were nominated by present or former students, parents, administrators, co-workers, or community members. Each will be awarded a $500 grant and $1,000 to benefit his or her school. Also celebrated for their accomplishments will be five student recipients of the prestigious John D. Unangst Memorial Scholarship.
Upper Darby High senior Sarah Ibrahim will be named the year’s outstanding student leader and Upper Darby High School will be named FMFCU’s Financial Resource Center of the Year. Interboro School District Superintendent Bernadette Reiley will be honored as FMFCU’s 2019 Financial Literacy Advocate for her
long-time support of financial education.
Each Celebration honoree, including every Delco Hi-Q team member, will attend the event at no cost, thanks to the generosity of sponsors. Among them are (Valedictorian) Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union and the Wilbur C. and Betty Lea Henderson Foundation; (Salutatorian) CCRES and Kimberly Clark – Chester Operations; (Distinguished) Delaware County Daily Times; and (Honor Roll) Neumann University and Pennsylvania State Education Association.
Reservations at $55 each or $500 for a table of 10 and a list of award recipients are available at fmfcufoundation.org/celebration