A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR KEN THURSTON

As we head into graduation season, I reflect on my own memorable graduations from high school and college. Those milestones marked pivotal moments in my life. I have always believed the City should support and encourage our residents, young and old, to get as much training and education as possible. The better educated our citizens are, the more they excel. Lauderhill has one high school — Lauderhill 6–12 STEM-MED — within its 8.43 square mile borders, and that school serves students from 6th grade through 12th grade.

This will be the ninth graduating class from Lauderhill 6-12. The City has given a “book scholarship” to each graduating class for those graduates who pursue college degrees, attend trade schools, or seek professional certifications post high school. I am happy to report that the City will do the same for the Class of 2023. Our City Commission wants to encourage our graduates to continue striving for as much education, training and “real world” experience as possible. This will give them the confidence to set high goals for themselves, and will empower them to be successful as they pursue these goals.

In order for our students to be successful, we need passionate and dedicated educators. For the last decade, my office has sponsored the Annual Teacher of the Year Appreciation Awards to honor each elementary-high school Broward County Teacher of the Year that serves Lauderhill students. We will again celebrate these exceptional educators on May 11th at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center (LPAC) with dinner, trophies and special gift baskets filled with items and gift cards donated by area businesses. This is our way of showing our exemplary educators how much we appreciate their hard work developing our children, and teaching them to become productive, successful and thriving citizens.