High schools are celebrating the success this fall of 77 Puyallup School District students named Elizabeth Wesley Youth Merit Incentive Award recipients.

The Puyallup students make up more than a third of the 202 student scholars throughout Pierce County recognized for the honor by the Tacoma Urban League during a September 19 award ceremony in Lakewood.

The Elizabeth Wesley Youth Merit Incentive Award program was created in 1996 to recognize and honor African American youth in grades nine through 11 for academic excellence, community involvement, and good citizenship.

The award program is named for Elizabeth Wesley, a civic leader active in the founding of the Tacoma Urban League.

The league awards each of the student winners $350, and the Puyallup School District award winners have their photos displayed in the South Hill Mall.

Puyallup School District leadership employees raise money for the program each year during a summer administrative conference. This year leadership staff raised $19,000. Combined with a $10,000 outside donation, the district contributed $29,000 to support future youth merit incentive awards.

In addition to the ceremony honoring the Pierce County award recipients, Puyallup School District winners are being honored this fall at recognition events held at each of the three comprehensive high schools.

To see the names of all 77 Puyallup School District Elizabeth Wesley Youth Merit Incentive Award recipients and the schools they attend click here.

For more information about the Elizabeth Wesley Scholarship program, read the TNT article  by Debbie Cafazzo published on October 5, 2015.