{"id":7564,"date":"2022-01-28T22:02:52","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T22:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=7564"},"modified":"2022-01-28T22:02:52","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T22:02:52","slug":"she-made-the-grade-fort-knox-fourth-grader-scores-1500-exchange-gift-card-for-academic-excellence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2022\/01\/28\/she-made-the-grade-fort-knox-fourth-grader-scores-1500-exchange-gift-card-for-academic-excellence\/","title":{"rendered":"She Made the Grade! Fort Knox Fourth-Grader Scores $1,500 Exchange Gift Card for Academic Excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Fort
Fort Knox Garrison Commander Col. Lance O\u2019Bryan, Command Sgt. Maj. William R. Fogle and Fort Knox Exchange General Manager Donald Basil presented Sydney with her $1,500 PX gift card at the Fort Knox Exchange on Jan. 28.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

FORT KNOX \u2013 <\/strong>Hard work and good grades have paid off for a Fort Knox fourth-grader\u2014to the tune of $1,500.<\/p>\n

Nine-year-old Sydney Taliaferro, who attends Van Voorhis Elementary School on Fort Knox, took home the second-place prize in the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s worldwide You Made the Grade sweepstakes. The program celebrates military students\u2019 academic success and resilience in the classroom.<\/p>\n

Fort Knox Garrison Commander Col. Lance O\u2019Bryan, Command Sgt. Maj. William R. Fogle and Exchange leaders presented Sydney with her $1,500 PX gift card at the Fort Knox Exchange on Jan. 28.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Exchange is honored to recognize Sydney for her dedication to doing well at school,\u201d said Fort Knox Exchange General Manager Donald Basil. \u201cShe is a shining example for military kids worldwide. Hard work is rewarded\u2014and the Exchange is proud of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sydney is the daughter of retired Master Sgt. Nick Taliaferro and Chief Warrant Officer Jonte\u2019ia Taliaferro, who is assigned to Fort Knox. Her mother expressed excitement for her accomplishment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was shocked at first,\u201d Chief Taliaferro said. \u201cThis is a really cool program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sydney\u2019s favorite subject is math. She hopes to become an architect when she grows up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really excited when I found out that I won,\u201d Sydney said. \u201cI would like to thank my mom, because I would not have won without her.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Exchange\u2019s You Made the Grade program, now in its 22nd<\/sup> year, rewards students who maintain a B average or higher with a $5 PX\/BX gift card each grading period during the school year. Students can then enter the worldwide sweepstakes for a chance at a $2,000, $1,500 or $500 gift card.<\/p>\n

Other winners of the You Made the Grade sweepstakes for the fall semester include grand-prize winner Brooke Eskew at Camp Foster in Okinawa, Japan, and third-place winner Alexander Popovich at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in South Korea.<\/p>\n

Facebook-friendly version: <\/strong>She studies, she scores! A Fort Knox student won a $1,500 @shopmyexchange gift card in the You Made the Grade sweepstakes. Read more about Sydney Taliaferro\u2019s big win: https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Q7PG-1Y0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 54th<\/sup>-largest retailer in the United States. 100% of Exchange earnings support military communities. In the last 10 years, your Exchange benefit has provided $3.4 billion in earnings for critical military Quality-of-Life programs. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans and their families in conjunction with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Keiana Holleman, 214-312-6514 or hollemankl@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter:\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FORT KNOX \u2013 Hard work and good grades have paid off for a Fort Knox fourth-grader\u2014to the tune of $1,500. Nine-year-old Sydney Taliaferro, who attends Van Voorhis Elementary School on Fort Knox, took home the second-place prize in the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s worldwide You Made the Grade sweepstakes. The program celebrates military […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":7566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"She studies, she scores! A Fort Knox student won a $1,500 @shopmyexchange gift card in the You Made the Grade sweepstakes. Read more about Sydney Taliaferro\u2019s big win: https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Q7PG-1Y0.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25,304],"tags":[160,35,32,39,62],"class_list":["post-7564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","category-you-made-the-grade","tag-aafes","tag-military","tag-nobanner","tag-the-army-air-force-exchange-service","tag-you-made-the-grade"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2022\/01\/28\/she-made-the-grade-fort-knox-fourth-grader-scores-1500-exchange-gift-card-for-academic-excellence\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"She Made the Grade! Fort Knox Fourth-Grader Scores $1,500 Exchange Gift Card for Academic Excellence","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2022\/01\/28\/she-made-the-grade-fort-knox-fourth-grader-scores-1500-exchange-gift-card-for-academic-excellence\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2022\/01\/28\/she-made-the-grade-fort-knox-fourth-grader-scores-1500-exchange-gift-card-for-academic-excellence\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/01\/51848522521_f21e95390b_o-e1643406349396.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/01\/51848522521_f21e95390b_o-e1643406349396.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Keiana Holleman"}],"creator":["Keiana Holleman"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["aafes","military","nobanner","the army & air force exchange service","you made the grade"],"dateCreated":"2022-01-28T22:02:52Z","datePublished":"2022-01-28T22:02:52Z","dateModified":"2022-01-28T22:02:52Z"},"rendered":"