Michigan — On Feb. 28, in Phoenix, Ariz., Andrews Academy received an Academy of Excellence Award in the amount of $15,000. The award, from the Adventist Alumni Achievement Awards Foundation, recognizes excellence in secondary education in Seventh-day Adventist schools.

Of the 90 academies in North America who are eligible to apply, Andrews Academy was chosen to be among the three finalists from a group of 22 academies who had applied. The application process involved review of accreditation documents, standardized test scores, comparison of Andrews Academy's program against the North American Division's curriculum guidelines, an on-site visit, and a presentation during the convention in Arizona.

Another facet of the convention was a golf tournament which took place on Friday, Feb. 27. Andrews Academy sponsored a team that was awarded $4,000 for their third-place overall net score.

Allan Chase, academy principal; Rebecca Becker, academy development director; and a delegation of four students (Daniel Bedney, Jeff Habenicht, Allison Nowack, and Beth Tidwell) traveled to Phoenix to participate in the convention and accept the award.

“Andrews Academy emphasizes the importance of a vibrant spiritual life and provides many opportunities for students to become involved in a variety of community service and mission projects,” said Rebecca Becker. She feels the academy earned the award because of its “well-established reputation for offering outstanding academics as well as a wide breadth of course offerings.”

The academy plans to improve school programs with the money they received.

Katie Shaw, Andrews news writer