One of the core values of school sports is that the interscholastic athletic program must do as much as possible to enhance and as little as possible to frustrate the educational mission of sponsoring schools.

While we promote athletic excellence and applaud athletic achievement, it is far more important for us to advance scholarship in high school than to attract athletic scholarships to college.  That’s inherent in our brand:  educational athletics.

These objectives are advanced in a myriad of small ways by member schools throughout the school year, but tomorrow we make our theme blatantly obvious.

Tomorrow during halftime of the Class C Boys Basketball Finals at MSU’s Breslin Center, we will honor the 2009-10 recipients of the MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award, generously supported by Farm Bureau Insurance.  These 32 students join more than 500 previous recipients since the program began with Farm Bureau’s assistance 21 years ago.  A total of $513,000 in scholarship funds has been given to students of MHSAA member schools.

Applicants for the Scholar-Athlete Award must have:  a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, and must have previously won a varsity letter.  Applicants also show involvement in other school and community activities, submit two letters of recommendation and a 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.

Recipients of the 2009-10 Scholar-Athlete Award receive a $1,000 college scholarship to be used at the college, university or trade school of their choice during the 2010-11 school year.  This year, 1,835 applicants from 432 schools were received for the 32 scholarships.  Class A students were guaranteed 12 winners, Class B eight winners, Class C six winners and Class D four winners.  Two at-large winners were also selected.

Click here to learn more about the program and this year’s recipients.