The following item originally appeared in Sarasota Magazine.

Booker Middle School was recently given the School of Distinction award by CFES Brilliant Pathways, a New York-based nonprofit that works to help K-12 students from low-income rural and urban communities become college- and career-ready. Booker Middle is one of just 27 schools in the United States and Ireland to earn the School of Distinction award, which acknowledges the development and execution of a plan for the entire student body to become college- and career-ready. The programs introduce students to college and career possibilities, provide resources to educators and help demystify the path to college for students and families.