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2009 Lakers School of Champions Award Luncheon

Sep 2 2010 8:02PM

On June 4th, the Lakers Youth Foundation, Anthem Blue Cross and the Los Angeles Times all gathered to honor an exceptional group of Los Angeles students. The students, grades 4 through 12, were winners of the inaugural School of Champions contest. The contest challenged students to tell their stories of living a healthy lifestyle, through art or essay. First, second and third place winners were chosen from each grade level and all were invited to an awards luncheon at the iconic LA Times Building.

At the luncheon, winners and their guests gathered to celebrate the winning entries, hear speeches, and receive their awards. Each student’s artwork or essay was on display so that all attendees could view the winning entries.  Once the ceremonies began, Anthem Foundation President Caz Matthews and Lakers Legend James Worthy each addressed the audience. They spoke to the children about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and making smart life-choices. James Worthy gave a particularly heartfelt speech, in which he urged students to strive for self-awareness, so that they may make intelligent choices about their own health and future.

Following the speeches, students were called to the stage to receive their bevy of awards. Each winner received a monetary prize ($100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place) along with an award certificate, a 2009 School of Champion t-shirt, a Lakers prize pack and a photo with James Worthy. Each winner also received a surprise gift! The LA Times in Education Foundation, which hosted the luncheon, invited the winners to keep the framed version of their artwork or essay, to commemorate their excellent work. 

In total, the 2009 School of Champions program had 1,619 teachers enrolled, with an approx. reach of 194,280 students. The Los Angeles Lakers would like to give a special thanks to Denise Lopez of the LA Times in Education Foundation for her extraordinary work in administrating the contest, and arranging the awards luncheon.