The adage says that "it takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity." Once that excellence has matured, however, it is then time to give recognition to the hard work and dedication that fostered the excellence of which we speak.
It is with this in mind that the Babylon Teachers' Association has sponsored this Annual Scholastic Awards dinner. The teachers of the Babylon schools feel it is vitally important to recognize, in the public forum, the outstanding achievements of those students who have made academic excellence a priority in their lives.
The numerous certificates of merit awarded to these students who have excelled in the areas of art, business, computer science, English, foreign language, home and career studies, mathematics, music, physical education, science, social studies, and technology, are given in recognition of a "job well done." In addition, we hold in high regard those students from both junior and senior divisions who have shown high achievement in all academic areas. These students receive special awards for general excellence.
Finally, in recognizing the best of these youngsters, we are in a sense recognizing the highest endeavors of our own members. To this end, the Babylon Teachers' Association proudly awards monetary scholarships in memory of individuals who epitomized the very best in the teaching profession. These teachers, Clyde Cook, Arthur Opp, Dorothy Wilson, Alfred Kalfus, Sharyn Langdon, Margaret Long, Joann Tobin, David P. Rowe, and Shannon Saturno personified those qualities that we, the teachers of Babylon schools, see so evident in the youngsters assembled here: commitment, social responsibility, and scholarship.