Fifty-one “outstanding” high school students were honored during a Pilot Club of Suffolk awards ceremony at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy last Friday morning.

The club has been holding the Salute to Youth awards in Suffolk for more than 15 years to recognize the youth leaders, volunteers and heroes in our high schools, said its president, Roberta Powell.

The event, she added, corresponds with Pilot International’s mission of “improving the quality of life in our communities.”

“It’s something we think has been well-received,” Powell said. “Each student is presented with a certificate, and invitations are sent out to the students and their families. We are always really pleased when the families can come.”

Rather than the club selecting honorees, high schools are invited to name 10 students who are “leaders in various areas.”

Among Suffolk’s five high schools, 50 students are usually honored, Powell said; but the club doesn’t quibble if one school, as happened this year, puts forward more than 10.

Suitable students are generally honor society or Beta Club members, government officers or association presidents.

They are also leaders in sports, academics and other areas of school life, Powell said. Many, she added, volunteer in the community or provide free tutoring to those that need it.

“They have won science fairs and received Girl Scouts awards,” she said. “We had an Eagle Scout.

“We had one young man in his senior year who has not missed one day of school. Most of them are very active in their church. They volunteer for all sorts of things.”

Each year, a different high school hosts the awards ceremony. During last week’s event at NSA, Powell read aloud from their resumes an accomplishment for each honoree.

“You have been chosen by the faculty and/or staff of your respective high schools for your outstanding accomplishments in your high schools, for your community service, for your academic accomplishments and for your leadership abilities,” Powell told the crowd.

“You are to be commended on your perseverance and determination.”

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy spokeswoman Ashley Greene stated that the school was proud to host this year’s event. “We salute the outstanding student leaders recognized from all our Suffolk high schools this year,” she wrote in an email.

Powell added that the awards are a worthwhile tradition. “These students that do so much for our community should be recognized,” she said.