Southside High School was among ten schools that received the Lemak Award last week at the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s coaches’ banquet in Montgomery.

The Lemak Award is a $2,500 need-based grant that the school plans to use for minor tweaks to their gymnasium and workout area.

“It was definetely a blessing to get it,” Bothwell said. “It’s not going to necessarily fix everything, but it is a start. It is money to get some things going before the season.”

Bothwell said the school already has  plans to use the money.

“It will be used to try to replace the rims and waxing the floors and buying training aids, workout equipment for the weight rooms and other things that deal with athletics that we might not have,” Southside girls basketball coach Jason Bothwell said.

Ten high schools received the Lemak Award, which has provided a total of $180,000 in grants to AHSAA schools since 2008. A special committee selected from more than 70 applicants to select the winning schools. Along with Southside, this year’s recipients included: Ashford, Chickasaw, Francis Marion, J. F. Shields, LaFayette, Loachapoka, Montevallo, Oakman and Phil Campbell.