Scintilla Charter Green13 Award winner Kaleb Cook with his head basketball coach at Scintilla, Evan Grantham, mother Tamika Davis, and stepfather Chris Davis.

VALDOSTA —  Scintilla Charter Academy has announced that Kaleb Cook, a standout student-athlete in basketball and track, has been selected as one of only 13 recipients nationwide of the prestigious Green13 Award, presented by Lead ‘Em Up and powered by Chick-fil-A.

The Green13 Award honors student-athletes who demonstrate exceptional leadership, character, and growth. Cook’s story is remarkable.

Just a year ago, Cook faced a difficult season and had an honest conversation with his coach and family about his leadership. He embraced accountability, applied feedback, and committed to leading himself and others better. That decision sparked a year of extraordinary transformation.

Cook went on to earn the highest Green Leadership score in school history and was voted MVG (Most Valuable Green) by his teammates. His leadership helped turn his team’s basketball record around from 3–11 to 13–3, not through a dramatic stats increase, but through the influence, energy, and accountability he brought to every practice and game.

“Kaleb is the best lifeguard I’ve ever coached,” said Evan Grantham, head basketball coach, referencing the Lead ‘Em Up philosophy of leaders who ‘keep others from drowning.’ “He senses when teammates are struggling and knows exactly how to lift them up — with encouragement, honesty, and heart.”

“Kaleb’s emotional intelligence, humility, and willingness to be coached have made him the kind of leader who raises the floor for the entire program,” said Grantham. “In a time when it’s easy to check out or transfer, Kaleb chose to lean in, and now, everyone around him is better because of it.”

As a Lead ‘Em Up Green13 Award winner, Cook will receive free Chick-fil-A for a year and be celebrated nationally for his outstanding example of what real leadership looks like.

Scintilla Charter Academy is a public state-commissioned charter school currently serving grades K-11. Scintilla has been approved to expand to serve grades K-12 and will expand one year at a time over the next two years. It has been approved for candidacy for both the International Baccalaureate Middle Years

Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP).

For more information on the Green13 Award and Lead ‘Em Up’s leadership programs, visit www.leademup.com.