B-Spa Students Receive Morley Literacy Award

BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa fifth grade students were recently recognized at the annual 5th Grade Moving-Up ceremonies at their elementary schools before the summer break. One student at each school was presented with the Maurice “Christopher” Morley Literacy Award. This award was created in Mr. Morley’s name and is awarded to four students moving up from the elementary schools in the Ballston Spa Central School District to the Middle School who have demonstrated exceptional determination and perseverance on the road to reading. 

The award includes a certificate embossed with the Rotary seal along with a gift certificate to a local book store. The initiative honors the legacy of Village History Consultant Morley who was born in April of 1922 and how he struggled his entire life due to dyslexia. To his credit, Mr. Morley proudly donned a cap and gown to receive his Ballston Spa High School diploma some 60 years after his peers. 

The 2020 award recipients include Emma Newman from Milton Terrace Elementary School, Chloe Hart from Gordon Creek Elementary School, Reagan Buhler from Wood Road Elementary School, and Ruby Haskell from Malta Avenue Elementary School. The award is supported by the Rotary Club of Ballston Spa and presented annually by each elementary school principal.