Gretchen Schoenherr, CEO of Step Up for Students, opens the 10th anniversary Rising Stars ceremony honoring high-achieving students across Florida. She credits the program's success to schools, parents, and students, and urges the senior class to keep pushing for excellence.
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Welcome and thank you for joining us for this, our 10th anniversary of Rising Stars. I'm Gretchen Schoenherr, President and CEO of Step Up for Students. Rising Stars started back in 2016 as a way to recognize students whose stories needed to be seen and heard and shared. Stories of high achievers, creative thinkers, and students of outstanding character across the state. We have 14 Rising Stars events this year as Step Up continues to grow the Rising Star program. Florida is the nation's leader in ed choice, and it is such an honor to be able to see our students thrive in this environment. I want to say thank you to a few groups this evening. First, thank you to the schools. Without you, we would not be here. Thank you for the work that you do making innovative supportive classrooms and school environments for our students to thrive in. To the parents who are there in every pickup line, in every homework, in every call with the teachers, we thank you for the dedication and love and support. You are the foundation for our students. Of course, for our students, congratulations! We are so proud of you. You have worked hard, you've built resilience, you've showed great character in your schools, in your communities, and beyond. Keep reaching, keep striving for excellence, and keep learning. And to the SEFS team, thank you so very much for putting on these events. The meaning that you bring with your passion and your dedication and your focus on detail has been heard and seen and felt by all of the folks here. Thank you so very, very much. To all of you, I hope you have a strong finish to a fantastic school year. Congratulations to our super seniors and enjoy your evening. Thanks so much.
