The Illinois Elementary School Association is pleased to continue the program that recognizes today's dreamers and tomorrow's leaders. IESA is the sole presenter of the IESA Scholar Attitude Award.

Begun in 1999, the IESA Scholar Attitude Award at first honored 14 outstanding eighth grade students, one from each of the then 14 IESA geographic Board of Directors divisions. With the expansion to 15 IESA membership divisions in the 2007-08 school year, the program now recognizes 15 individuals.

"The IESA Scholar Attitude Award recognizes the academic success, activity participation, and community involvement of the students in our member schools. The students who are honored as the IESA Scholar Attitude Award winners are among the best and brightest in Illinois. They are the young leaders in their school and community who dream to do great things as junior high school students and become the leaders in their high school years and beyond," said IESA Executive Director Steve Endsley. "Truly, every student who applies for the award is a winner and is an outstanding candidate. Unfortunately, only one student forom each membership division will be chosen and recognized. In many cases, it is an honor to be the school's nominee."

The IESA Scholar Attitude Award has honored 379 students from 208 different schools throughout Illinois since the program was first started. One student from each school who is considered exemplary is eligible to be chosen as a recipient provided he or she meets pre-determined standards. The following requirements apply: eighth grade status, minimum 3.5 grade-point-average (on a 4.0 scale), and participation in at least one IESA activity during each of his or her junior high years and demonstration of outstanding citizenship during their tenure. In addition, each student is required to submit a typed essay titled "The Value of Sportsmanship."

The 2018 Scholar Attitude Award luncheon will be Tuesday, May 1 at the DoubleTree Hotel, Bloomington. To learn how your school can nominate a student, visit www.iesa.org and click on Scholar Attitude. Applications will be accepted beginning November 2, 2017, and are due in the IESA Office by February 16, 2018. For a complete list of prior winners, please go to the following link: http://www.iesa.org/sportsmanship/sca/winners.asp

Each Scholar Attitude Award winner will receive an individualized plaque, an individual medallion, individual DVD commemorating the event and a small monetary award.

The Illinois Elementary School Association is a not-for-profit organization of 950 public and private grade, middle and junior high schools. The IESA is the nation's only organization of its kind for students in grades five-eight. The web site is www.iesa.org.

"The students selected for our Scholar Attitude Award represent the finest junior high school students in the state of Illinois," said Steve Endsley, IESA Executive Director. "The students have demonstrated their abilities in the classroom, on the playing fields, and in their communities. It is refreshing to see that the youth of Illinois are preparing for their high school careers and beyond. These students will be the leaders of tomorrow." Steve Endsley, IESA Executive Director, Administrator for Scholar Attitude Award Email