MTHS Class of 1981 Exceptional Lifelong Learner Award

In the ever-moving bar of achieving a degree from an institution of higher learning such as a college or university, students with exceptionalities rarely appear on the list of graduation award winners. Either they are overlooked because their goals and ambitions don’t or can’t include the typical college path or they are evaluated as “average” even though they must work harder than the average student to overcome their learning obstacles. In short, they are traditionally not considered for scholarships, for being the “best and brightest” of MTHS due to their unique disabilities and the narrow, exclusive manner in which students are evaluated for academic honors.

The MTHS Class of 1981 Exceptional Lifelong Learner Award values Manheim Township High School’s commitment to educate all children. The non-traditional learners and those with challenges deserve to be rewarded for sticking with it and wanting to continue accomplishing personal goals and objectives. Honoring an exceptional student with an award for her/his desire to continue learning adds another human dimension to the concept of “best and brightest.”

This one-time award goes to students selected from the qualified applicants who have been assigned an IEP or a 504 Plan for their years in High School and nominated by the students’ teachers and Learning Support Department. These students demonstrate or are identified with a desire or a need to continue learning after graduating from Manheim Township High School. If physically and/or developmentally possible, the students demonstrate advocacy for their particular exceptionalities in addition to a commitment to lifelong learning. The award may be applied to any program, service, technology or other as it relates to the recipient’s upcoming educational plans.