The 5th Annual Sun Prairie B.E.A.M. Awards will be held in person on Sunday, May 7, at 2 p.m. at the Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium at Ashley Field.
B.E.A.M. stands for “Black Excellence Achievement Makers” and is an event to challenge the negative narrative often associated with Black students and/or adult advocates. The B.E.A.M. awards “shine a beaming light” on the positive examples of Black excellence and achievement in the Sun Prairie community.
Over 800 awards will be given to Black scholars and Black adults, including staff, leaders and parents/guardians. Names were submitted for awards based on the following five categories:
- Models Excellence in Academics
- Models Excellence in Teamwork
- Exemplary Peer Leadership
- Models Excellence in Responsibility
- Extraordinary Growth
Marilyn Ruffin, who became the first Black person elected to any office in Sun Prairie when she joined the Sun Prairie School Board back in 2015, was nearing the end of her term when she founded B.E.A.M. in 2019 because she was tired of seeing Black children always portrayed in the press in a negative light. The Inaugural BEAM Awards were held in 2019 at Sun Prairie High School.
