Mayor Greg Nickels announced the 26 outstanding middle school students who have earned this year’s scholar awards for service to their schools and to their communities.  This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Mayor’s Scholar Awards.

Each of this year’s students will receive $500 that can be used for education or donated to a charity.  Criteria for selection include overcoming obstacles or meeting challenges giving back to the community and maintaining good academic standing.

One of the award recipients, Miss Fati Abdi, attends the Bilingual Orientation School in Queen Anne. After the Ethiopian military killed both of her parents, Fati Abdi and her remaining family fled from their homeland and walked for 28 1/2 days to a refugee camp in Nairobi, Kenya. Fati volunteers at the mosque, cooks for her family, and helps with home chores. She is an 8th grader at the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center where she has made incredible academic progress. Fati plans to attend college because, as she says, “Education is the door of civilization” and the key to advancing her ability to learn and grow.

Nickels will present the awards, along with a mayor’s scholar letterman’s jacket at a reception at 5:30 pm in City Hall on Tuesday May 12th.

A mass 500-voice gospel choir will pay tribute to the heart and soul of African American culture at a special concert at Seattle Pacific University on Saturday, May 2.

GospelFest 09 will be held from. in SPU’s Royal Brougham Pavilion, 3414 Third Ave West, 7-9 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $5 suggested donation, plus a non-perishable food item for Northwest Harvest. Free parking is available in the Nickerson, Ross, and West Dravus street parking lots. The event is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 206-281-2966 or visit spu.edu/gospelfest.

GospelFest 09 features:

 Choirs from SPU and the University of Washington

 Local church choirs, including Antioch Bible Church, Canyon Hills Community Church, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, University Presbyterian Church

 Local gospel choirs JudahSong, SureHouse, The Sound of the Northwest, and Total Experience Gospel Choir

Producer and creative director is Stephen Michael Newby, director of SPU’s University Ministries and Center of Worship. Music directors are SPU’s David Anderson, ABC’s Carl Kelley, CHCC’s David Morgan, and UPC’s Elias Bullock.

GospelFest 09 is sponsored by SPU’s Center for Worship, the Seattle Public Library’s “Seattle Reads My Jim” program, and McDonald’s corporation of Western Washington.