Here’s how to watch NOW the Silver Knights Awards honoring high school seniors
Although their spring was turned upside down by the coronavirus, Miami-Dade and Broward high school seniors will be recognized for their achievements via livestream for the 62nd annual Silver Knight award ceremony.
The event, which recognizes outstanding students in 15 categories, will be streamed at 7 p.m. Thursday. Those interested can RSVP at http://2020silverknightawards.eventbrite.com/, and the livestream can be found on miamiherald.com/silverknight with a countdown starting at 6:30 p.m.
The event will also be livestreamed on the Miami Herald’s Facebook and YouTube channels.: https://www.facebook.com/miamiherald/ and https://www.youtube.com/user/MiamiHerald/
The Silver Knight categories are art, athletics, business, digital and interactive media, drama, English and literature, general scholarship, journalism, mathematics, music and dance, science, social science, speech, vocational technical and world languages. The award was created in 1959 by the former Miami Herald Publisher John S. Knight, and is hosted annually by the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.
“These students aren’t just among the brightest in their graduating class, but they made public service a priority, selflessly serving to help others in our community,’’ said Aminda Marqués González, executive editor, president and publisher of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald, who will host the event. “They are inspiring and we weren’t going to miss an opportunity to celebrate their incredible achievements.”
Each category has one winner and three honorable mentions from each county, coming from Miami-Dade’s 481 nominees and Broward’s 220 nominees. The 701 students represent 68 Miami-Dade schools and 35 Broward schools, both public and private.
All the Broward County interviews were held on March 11. The Miami-Dade nominees had to be interviewed online, as a result of Miami-Dade Public Schools closing its in-person classes, effective Monday, March 16. Students in visual and performing talents shared their performances digitally, said Silvia Larrieu, director of events, Miami Herald Media Co. and McClatchy.
After the students’ applications were judged, Larrieu and her team had to coordinate the virtual ceremony for the 701 students, whom Larrieu described as “selfless, resilient and hard-working.”
“We needed to be sure to provide them the same opportunity and pomp and circumstance that they have earned,” she said.
The Silver Knight award includes a $2,000 scholarship, a statue, an AAdvantage 25,000-mile travel certificate and an American Airlines medallion. Honorable mentions will receive a $500 scholarship and an engraved plaque.
In addition to Marqués González, the presenters will be Kristin Roberts, McClatchy’s vice president of news, and Jacqueline Charles, the Miami Herald’s Caribbean correspondent.
Raymond Dueñas, Silver Knight event manager, said his favorite part of the ceremony is seeing students’ reactions when they are announced as winners.
This year, the production team is making those same moments possible via video.
“It is a huge labor of love,” Dueñas said.
This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 4:46 PM.