Bedford's L&A2 Tenacity Challenge will be Known as the Jon Sills L&A2 Tenacity Challenge

Bedford’s Superintendent of Schools Jon Sills and his wife marvel at the plaque presented to honor Sills’s founding of the annual L&A2 Tenacity Challenge scholarship competition. Bedford METCO Director Akil Mondesir designed the plaque and arranged the presentation to coincide with the awards segment of this year’s event. Image, JMcCT (c) 2020 all rights reserved

Sills and Mondesir are joined by Allison John and her daughters Jahzeel (BHS 2020) and Jaida (BHS 2022) Edey. John has a long history with Sills; he was one of her history teachers when she was in high school Image, JMcCT (c) 2020 all rights reserved Click this image to see it at full size.

Akil Mondesir, Bedford’s METCO Director, in collaboration with the other METCO programs that participate in the L&A2 Tenacity Challenge, announced that future Challenges will be known as the Jon Sills L&A2 Tenacity Challenge.

In a carefully timed visit to School Superintendent Jon Sills’ front porch, Mondesir made the announcement and presented a plaque featuring each of the t-shirts given to participants over the years since the Tenacity Challenge was begun by Sills in 2011. The presentation was included as part of the event’s final awards.

Since the scholarship competition could not be held in person this year, teams submitted their work for judging and the finalists presented their work during the Zoom event. The Zoom-cast is available on Bedford TV. Saturday’s results and awards will be announced early next week on social media and in The Bedford Citizen.

About the L&A2 Tenacity Challenge

Tenacity Challenge is an annual academic scholarship competition for teams of Latino and African-American students from urban and suburban high schools across Massachusetts. Teams of up to 6 students compete in four events.