Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) will recognize outstanding students and staff at its 26th Annual Kids & Staff of Character Awards and Stellar Attendance Recognition ceremony on Monday, May 11, 2026, at Bailey Concert Hall at Broward College. The event begins at 6:30 p.m., and media are invited to attend.

The ceremony will honor 50 students and 22 staff members who exemplify the district’s eight core character traits: cooperation, responsibility, citizenship, kindness, respect, honesty, self-control and tolerance.

The program will also celebrate students who have achieved perfect attendance at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Two students will be recognized for maintaining perfect attendance from kindergarten through grade 12, marking what the district described as an exceptional demonstration of commitment and resilience.

BCPS said the character traits are integrated into classroom instruction and reinforced throughout the school year to promote positive behavior and safe, respectful learning environments. Schools across the district nominate students and staff who consistently embody these values.

Kids of Character honorees include:

Cypress Bay High School: Marcela Aleman-Pardi
Atlantic West Elementary School: Didiana Alexis
Meadowbrook Elementary School: Jayden Y. Artiles
Colbert Elementary School: Leslie Esmeralda Ascencio
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School: Melanie Barrett
Coral Springs High School: Sara Benitez
Horizon Elementary School: Mia Campbell
Hawkes Bluff Elementary School: Tyanna Carthen
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School: Prince Charles
Broward Virtual School: Naisha Chaya
Henry D. Perry Education Center: Maddison Crowley
New River Middle School: Josephine Dare
Sawgrass Springs Middle School: Brooklyn Defroscia
Lauderhill 6-12 STEM MED: Austin Elliot
Coral Cove Academy of the Arts: Mia Fortune
North Andrews Gardens Elementary School: Thalia Galarza
Somerset Parkland Academy: Noah Gomes
Pembroke Lakes Elementary School: Lucia Graterol
Challenger Elementary School: Ariana Grey
Riverglades Elementary School: Westin Hill
Bennett Elementary School: Amir Irons
Charles Drew Family Resource Center: Geraldine Lopez-Hernandez
Mirror Lake Elementary School: Adalynn Martinez
James S. Hunt Elementary School: Alan Quilo Martinez
Oakland Park Elementary School: Sandra Martinez
Discovery Elementary School: Khamryn Mills
Harbordale Elementary School: Kamila Miyerov
Tedder Elementary School: Daniel Morales
Coral Springs Charter School: Gavin Palmer
South Broward High School: Ayeliz Perez
Nova High School: Braxton Perry
Griffin Elementary School: Indiana Pichardo
Glades Middle School: Valentina Pisani
Cooper City Elementary School: Aspen Preston
Tequesta Trace Middle School: Abigail Reznik
Hollywood Hills High School: Janeth Rodas-Aguilar
Oakridge Elementary School: Oleksandr Sentmartoni
Sunrise Middle School: Jeremiah Sevil
Nova Middle School: Shawn Andre Sinanan
Ramblewood Middle School: Emma Smith
Monarch High School: Steven Strong
Flamingo Elementary School: Olivia Swanno
North Fork Elementary School: Venesha Thompson
Bair Middle School: Laura Toussaint
McNab Elementary School: Daniel Tsapchuk
Boulevard Heights Elementary School: Esther Grace Williams

Staff of Character honorees include:

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School: Ashley Bravo
Tequesta Trace Middle School: Varetta Cooper
Deerfield Beach Elementary School: Druker Cunningham
Cooper City Elementary School: Nancy Cylke
School Counseling Department: Belinda Daise
Discovery Elementary School: Donald Franklin
Oakridge Elementary School: Tricia Gaynor
Plantation Park Elementary School: Michelle Hartman
Pines Collegiate Academy 6-12: Kerren Joseph
Atlantic Technical College & High School: Kathy Kelly
Seagull Alternative High School: Christel Maska
Hollywood Hills High School: Shantel McCall
Coral Springs Charter School: LaSylvia McCorvey
William Dandy Middle School: Lashonne McIntyre-Oliver
Lauderhill Paul Turner Elementary School: Kim Norris
Park Springs Elementary School: Jennifer Pugatch
Avant Garde Academy: Crystal Rahyns
Boulevard Heights Elementary School: Kaslyn Romero
Stirling Elementary School: Rob Scollon
Winston Park Elementary School: Chantal See
Ramblewood Middle School: Pillar Studstill
School Culture and Student Support: Cynthia Tapia-Rodriguez

BCPS said the event highlights both academic commitment and positive character development across the district.