Positive Athlete honors 28 Colorado students, awards record $15,000 in scholarships

By AI, Created 9:01 PM UTC, June 04, 2026, /AGP/ – Positive Athlete recognized 28 Colorado high school athletes, plus coaches, an athletic director, an athletic trainer and schools, at its June 3 awards event in Colorado. The group also handed out a record $15,000 in scholarships as nominations hit all 64 counties and 292 schools.

Why it matters: - Positive Athlete’s Colorado awards spotlight student-athletes recognized for character, not just performance. - The program reached all 64 Colorado counties this year, signaling broad participation across the state. - A record $15,000 in scholarships adds direct financial support for students heading into the next school year.

What happened: - Positive Athlete recognized 28 Colorado high school students as the state’s “Most Positive” male and female student-athletes for the 2025-26 school year. - The organization also honored two coaches, one athletic director, one athletic trainer and three schools in separate “Most Positive” categories. - Winners were recognized June 3 at the 2026 Colorado Positive Athlete Award Experience at DCSD Legacy Campus. - Colorado Gov. Jared Polis proclaimed June 3, 2026, as Positive Athlete Day in the state.

The details: - More than 920 nominations came from coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, principals, teachers, guidance counselors and parents. - Nominations represented 292 public and private high schools, equal to 78% of Colorado schools with formal athletics programs. - Positive Athlete said that percentage is the highest in the country. - Nominations covered all 27 state-sanctioned sports, plus e-sports, archery, climbing, cycling, equestrian, martial arts, powerlifting, rugby and Unified Sports. - Athletes had to show the organization’s O.P.E.R.A.T.E. traits to be nominated: optimistic, puts team first, encouraging, respectful, admits imperfections, true heart for others and embraces service. - The organization was created by sports industry veteran Scott Pederson in the early 2010s as a movement for more positivity in youth sports.

Between the lines: - The awards program is expanding beyond traditional varsity sports and standard school recognition, which helps explain the statewide nomination volume. - Colorado has become a strong proving ground for Positive Athlete, with participation reaching a large share of schools and every county in the state. - The mix of student, coach and school awards suggests the program is trying to reward culture as well as individual achievement.

What’s next: - Nominations will reopen in the fall for the next school year. - Positive Athlete is taking pre-nominations at PositiveAthlete.org, which will trigger an automatic reminder when nominations reopen.

The bottom line: - Positive Athlete used its Colorado awards to elevate character-driven athletes statewide and backed the recognition with scholarships, a governor’s proclamation and broad school participation. - Scholarship recipients included Ke’Von Taylor and Olivia Moss for Denver Health For Life’s Journey awards; Jeremiah DeLaCerda, Makena Cleveland and Sulaiman Ebadi for Positivity Champ awards; Megan Waters and Trevor Prock for VKTRY Good Sole awards; and Dixie Bitner and Teagan Martin for O.P.E.R.A.T.E. awards. - Large School award: Montbello in Denver. - Small School award tie: DSST: Cedar in Denver and The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs. - Positive Athlete says it has recognized thousands of student-athletes nationwide since 2013 and awarded more than $700,000 in scholarships.