By all conventional standards, Austin Iverson is the kind of kid who wouldn't normally qualify for scholastic recognition. He's autistic, which makes it really hard for him to participate in athletics and do his coursework. It's even hard for him just to be around other people sometimes, his mother, Sherry Iverson said through tears of joy and pride.

But Austin is a student that warms the heart of his teacher, Brenda Blancas. And at Aberdeen High School, that is the sort of quality that earns a student a People's Choice Award from the Renaissance Program, which strives to recognize students who may not be on the honor roll or participate in athletics, but who make the school a better place.

"Austin ends each day with a smile," said Cori Krick, an AHS English teacher and the coordinator of the Renaissance Program, as she read his nomination form. "His endearing compliments are something Ms. Blancas wishes all teachers had from their students every day."

Austin was one of 45 students honored last night at the People's Choice Awards at a ceremony that opened with a replica of the red carpet of the Academy Awards. The students, many in prom dresses and suits and ties, piled into a white limo parked in front of the AHS auditorium and filed out as their names were called, signs were waved and their pictures were taken by their friends and family, who lined the staircase in the lobby.

Some students looked abashed at the reception. Others didn't, like Jimmy Myhre, who blew kisses at the crowd.

Although the ceremony itself moved at a fast clip, small portraits of each student emerged as they came up to the stage to receive a small clear medal emblazoned with a star and a hand-calligraphed certificate.

Although some of the students were nominated for academic success, it wasn't always because their grades were consistantly stellar. Davis Disol, for example, was nominated by math teacher Harley Revel for improving his math grade more than any other student Revel had ever known.

"Students like Davis give teachers energy and make them want to keep teaching," Disol's nominator said.

If there was a theme to the evening, it was how much teachers appreciate students who respond to their classes. Perhaps the most common adjectives used in nominations were "respectful," "polite" and "happy," followed closely by "hard-working."

Certainly the students who received awards were surprised by the impressions they'd made on their teachers.

"This award makes me feel empowered about myself," said Michael Hunter, a sophomore who said he'd only received awards in track and cross-country sports before. His nominator, Michelle Nilsson, called Hunter a "diligent worker."

Aydenia Garcia, nominated by Connie Bell, said the award made her look differently at her teachers, knowing that they were keeping tabs on her.

"I am taken seriously," Garcia said. "I didn't know that before."

The awe works both ways.

"I've been teaching 10 years and Renaissance has changed my life, it has changed the way I teach, and changed the way I relate to other people," Krick said.