Drive for Excellence Academic Awards
Since 2015, the Greenville Drive has sponsored the Drive for Excellence academic awards which are presented annually to high performing athletic teams and athletic departments.
Under normal circumstances, student athletes are recognized at a spring Greenville Drive baseball game. Recognition includes gift bags, snacks and guest speakers during a reception and the winning schools’ principal and athletic director are recognized and receive the trophy during the game. Each of the winning sport teams are recognized between innings on the field, and all teams with an average GPA of 4.0 are recognized on the message board.
Due to this year’s COVID-19 pandemic, the awards will not be presented on-field, but the Drive will highlight GCS winners during the #BetheLight recognition on Wednesday, May 27.
Grade Point Averages (GPAs) are collected for all varsity athletes and then averaged by team. All team GPAs are then averaged by school to determine which high school has the highest average. That school is awarded a “traveling trophy” that they keep for the year and then reassessed the next academic year.
Each individual sport also has a designated winner, with the high school team that has the highest average in that sport recognized. All 14 high schools’ GPAs would be compared in a given sport, i.e., football and then compared to find the “winner.” Each of the winning teams receives a plaque.
2019-20 4.0 or Higher Team GPAs by School
Any team that achieves a 4.0 or higher average receives recognition.
Schools with All Team GPAs of 4.0 or Higher
High schools with All Team GPAs of 4.0 or higher are also recognized.
The competition continues to grow and the mission succeeding. In five years we have grown from 2 to 7 athletic departments with a 4.0 or better average. We have grown from 71 to 144 teams with a 4.0 or better. This year our overall GPA for approximately 5,000 varsity athletes was an amazing 3.96, up from 3.90 last year and 3.71 initially.
We are very proud of the work our student athletes do both on and off the field of play and the coaches who encourage them to be great student-athletes. Our partnership with the Greenville Drive continues to reap dividends in all areas of our community and supports the value we place on academic achievement as well as athletic participation.