We want to congratulate all of the winners of the 2015 Polk County Schools Silver Garland Awards. Each year, Lakeland Automall and the Ledger sponsor an award ceremony to recognize the brightest and most respected high school students in Polk County in several categories including athletics, music, journalism, science and technology. This year’s ceremony was held on the campus of Florida Southern University and was attended by hundreds of students, faculty and family.
Lakeland Automall Ford & Hyundai is proud to be part of this ongoing 39 year tradition while sponsoring individual scholarships of $1,000 each for the 11 winners. Unlike some awards, the Silver Garland Awards are not just based on academic skills, but are also based on community involvement and engagement. Each student that is selected then goes through a screening process to investigate their involvement and contributions. The final winners are announced at the Silver Garland Awards Ceremony each year.
“We’ve been doing this for some time now and it’s a great way for us to give back to the community and encourage education and involvement throughout the year.” said Greg Balasco, President of Lakeland Automall. “It’s an honor to help contribute to the growth of local students and encourage continued education.” Mr. Balasco has been a yearly sponsor of the event since taking over daily operations of Lakeland Automall in 2009.
We want to congratulate everyone who was nominated and the winners.