Peaches vs. Oranges: Gwinnett Schools Vie for $750K in Student Scholarships

Forget about the $750,000 in scholarships that could come to students in Gwinnett County Public Schools.

The school system is competing with the Orange County Public School district in Florida for The Broad Prize for Urban Education. The winning county will receive $750,000 while the runner-up will get $250,000.

To keep things interesting while school officials wait for the winner to be named, the superintendents for the two systems have agreed to a friendly wager. On Sept. 15, Gwinnett County School Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbank released a video response to the challenge from its Florida competitor.

Earlier that day, Barbara Jenkins, superintendent of the Orange County School District, proposed that the winning district send a congratulatory gift to the runner-up, and has offered to send a crate of Florida oranges. Wilbank responded in kind with an offer of various Georgia products like Coca Cola, peanuts, and “something peachy.”

“My hope, of course, is that Gwinnett County Public Schools will be on the receiving end of the congratulatory gift,” Wilbank said in his video response. “But whatever the outcome, both of our districts are winners because our students will receive scholarships to continue their education!”

The Broad Prize for Urban Education is one of the largest education awards given to school districts. The prize recognizes the work of low-income, urban school districts whose leaders and their programs work to close the achievement gap among its students.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation will announce the winner of the award on Sept. 22 in New York City.

Visit The Broad Prize’s website for more information about its application process or previous recipients, and learn about why Gwinnett County is selected as one of year’s finalists here.

Photo Credit: Gwinnett County Public Schools