May 2013

The end of the school year is an exciting time for so many reasons.  The kindergartners are ready to move into elementary school. The middle schoolers are excited about high school in the fall. High school seniors are itching to head off to college. And college graduates are looking forward to careers or graduate school. (If you live in the Pacific Northwest like we do, the most exciting thing is that the sun is almost here.)

We see a lot of school-related recognition this time of year.  For students, faculty and staff.  Here are some fun ones:

Awards for ASB Leaders

At Skyline High School, the ASB is recognizing their leaders with these cool Steel Water Bottles that have the school logo, their name, and the leadership position held.

At Issaquah High School, they recognize students that have excelled in art, business, sports medicine, journalism and other areas with school plaques.

We see plaques for Most Achieved and Most Inspirationalawarded in the music departments at many schools.  These award winners are nominated by their peers.

At Hazen High School, the staff awards the Spirit of the Highlander Award to students who do great things every day, but who sometimes fly under the radar. For example, overcoming personal difficulties, helping out classmates, making positive life choices, and academic improvement.

At Sunny Hills Elementary, they recognize Outstanding Educators with the Apple Resin Trophy.

We update tons of plaques this time of year for Outstanding Educator and Outstanding Advocate.  And don’t forget the volunteers with the Golden Acorn Award.

For Outstanding Educators!

Ribbons, pins and Certificates of Achievement are other great ways to recognize students, faculty and staff.  Think about celebrating Perfect Attendance, Most Improved, Mathlete, Super Citizen and more.  I even read of one school that awards the Custodians’ Choice Awards for cleanest classroom. Be creative. But most importantly, celebrate the end of the school year by celebrating the successes and achievements of all.

Blessings,

Anne

Lately, I’ve been noticing that when I watch TV, at some point in the program there will be a trophy or several trophies in the scene.  Usually it’s in the background. Sometimes is the subject of a conversation. Same goes for movies.

Last weekend my husband and I were taking a walk through the neighborhood and saw an Open House, so we went in for a peak.  Admit it, you do it too. In two of the rooms, there were shelves of trophies along with pictures documenting a child’s baseball career.

Trophies are everywhere.  It makes sense.  If you earn an award, you want everyone to know about it.  I know that I have my Chili Cook-Off 1^st place trophy on my desk at work. And if I happen to get a phone call from a customer looking for Chili Cook-Off awards, I tell them they are talking to the right person.

Businesses you frequent will proudly display awards they have earned so you know they are the best at what they do. Athletic teams display trophies and banners. My kids’ high school had an impressive trophy case dating back many years.  Most cities ask their citizens to vote on ‘The Best of (insert city name here) Awards’ every year, then the winner’s names are printed in the local paper and awards are presented.

Nobel Prize for Physics and Chemistry

Winning an award can pump up your salary. Think Heisman, Rookie of the Year, Oscar, or even Salesperson of the Year in your company. The Nobel Peace Prize includes a monetary prize, a diploma and a gold medal.  Pulitzer Prizes are given for a range of achievements in journalism, writing (fiction, non-fiction and poetry) and music. The list of award opportunities is endless.

The thing is, trophies represent something important.  Accomplishment, success, winning, achievement are all words we associate with awards.  Being the best at something, no matter if it’s the team MVP, a spelling bee finalist, Nobel Prize winner, or the top sales of the quarter, is a big deal.

We all want recognition.  We want to know that what we do matters.  And when we  receive recognition, we want others to know about it too.  It makes us feel accomplished, connected, leaves a lasting impression and it makes us work even harder to earn more kudos.

So here’s to your accomplishments. Here’s to your trophies and awards!

If you’re proud of an award you’ve received, post a picture on www.Facebook.com/trophies2go.

Blessings,

Anne

Airflyte Recognition Awards from Tropar Mfg. Co.

When ordering a corporate recognition award, you want it to impress.  The award you choose needs to be great quality, with a beautiful design, at an affordable price.  And most important, you need to have it in time for your awards ceremony!

We are able to take the stress out of ordering corporate awards because we have a great corporate awards supplier - Tropar Mfg. Co.  They carry the Airflyte brand of plaques, clocks, desk sets, and other awards.  What sets their products apart is the quality - they always have beautiful products at a good value.  They usually have most items in stock, which enables us to get your awards to you quickly.

The other reason we like working with Tropar is the staff - they are just really nice people.  Kathy, our sales rep, goes above and beyond to take care of us and our customers.  They are also a very generous company, investing heavily in the Awards and Recognition Industry Education Foundation (ARIEF).  So far, two children of Trophies2Go staff have received college scholarships from ARIEF, and we are extremely grateful for Tropar's involvement in the foundation.

We thank Tropar for being a fantastic awards supplier!

Cheers, Jessica