Every year, since 1990, the Sara L. Spurlark Award has recognized promising high school seniors, because of generous donors like you. The Award was established in 1990 to provide monetary gifts for college bound graduating seniors who exemplify excellence and are committed to giving back through community service. Students are selected from Kenwood Academy in Chicago, Illinois, and in recent years, this has expanded to include graduating seniors from Hyde Park Academy.
Among the drivers in Sara Liston Spurlark’s life were (1) the importance of education, (2) the ability to use education to adapt as times change, and (3) the obligation to give back to the community. These principles were embedded in her through examples set by her parents and her ancestors. The importance of those principles was readily apparent when she was born in 1923, a little over 50 years after the official end of slavery, and they are still critically important today.
The financial challenges that face aspiring students was imprinted early on during Mrs. Spurlark’s childhood when her parents provided lodging and access to work to assist students attending the HBCUs where they themselves worked.
After receiving an undergraduate degree from Hampton University and a Masters from the University of Connecticut Mrs. Spurlark went to Chicago in 1947 to attend the University of Chicago, her father’s alma mater, as a PhD candidate in biochemistry.
Mrs. Spurlark was among the faculty when Kenwood High School (now Kenwood Academy) first opened in 1966. There she taught Biology and Chemistry and headed the Science department. A few years later, she became one of Kenwood’s Assistant Principals responsible for curriculum development and programming. She later served in a variety of community and educationally focused roles that contributed to an outstanding quality of achievement among Hyde Park and Kenwood public school graduates that continues to this day.
The Board of Directors for the Sara L. Spurlark Award is comprised of past students, family members and other experienced, committed, community focused professionals who invite you to visit us at SpurlarkAward.org to learn more about our mission and commitment to our future generations.
