Michigan High School Athletic Association - Promoting Educational Athletics
Michigan High School Athletic Association - Promoting Educational Athletics |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Feb. 14, 2006 Class A Scholar-Athlete Award Scholarship Recipients Announced EAST LANSING, Mich. - Feb. 14 - The Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Award program has selected its Class A scholarship recipients for the 2005-06 school year. Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 17th year of sponsoring the award, will give a $1,000 college scholarship to 32 individuals who represent their member school in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a post-season tournament. The first 30 scholarships are awarded proportionately by school classification and the number of student-athletes involved in those classes; and there are two at-large honorees to assure minority representation among the scholarship recipients. A minimum of 12 scholarships will be awarded to Class A student-athletes, 6 female and 6 male; 8 scholarships will be awarded to Class B student-athletes, 4 female and 4 male; 6 scholarships will be awarded to Class C student-athletes, 3 female and 3 male; and 4 scholarships will be awarded to Class D student-athletes, 2 female and 2 male. The 2 at-large recipients may come from any classification, and are designated by their school at the time of entry. Each of the scholarship recipients will be honored at halftime ceremonies of the Class C Boys Basketball final game at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing on March 25. Commemorative medallions will be given to other finalists in recognition of their accomplishments. The Class A Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are: Asli Bashir, Ann Arbor Huron; Sarah Brewer, Wayland Union; Christine Brynaert, Romeo; Kelsey Ann Caverly, East Detroit; David Fuller, Temperance Bedford; Peter E. Loy, Warren DeLaSalle; Christopher Michaud, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern; Alex Mihelick, Plymouth; Margaret Scholtes, Grosse Pointe South; Dana Schweitzer, Grosse Pointe South; John R. Waynick, Troy Athens; Callie Youngman, Cadillac; and Eric Zhao, Novi. Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class A Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay is also included: Essay Quote – “Sportsmanship is an integral part of athletics, and without the laws and codes of sportsmanship, there could be no rules and sports would most certainly devolve into a barbarous chaos from which one could never glean the sense of achievement and value that athletes treasure. Indeed, there are no sports without sportsmanship.”
Essay Quote – “When I put on my jersey I know that I am an ambassador for my school and my actions are what others look at to draw opinions about me and my school. It is my chance to show others what sportsmanship is all about: respect. Respect for the officials, respect for other runners, respect for the coaches and volunteers. Without them, there would be no sports.”
Essay Quote – “To teach an athlete sportsmanship is teaching them the respect, responsibility, integrity, fairness, caring, good citizenship and trustworthiness they need for success in life. These values that are taught in sports are essential vales in athletic education. Not only a love for the game, but a sense of what a good character is, should arise from the players at the end of the season.”
Essay Quote - “Good sportsmanship is a deeply embedded value transcending to a sincere appreciation for the skills and determination needed to excel in a sport, including the spirit of the game itself. With positive conduct all the way around, all participants are able to enjoy the game to its fullest potential.”
Essay Quote- “Sportsmanship is based on the ideals of respecting one another. Playing fair, being kind to opponents, and accepting the outcome of an event with good humor are all based on principals of respect.”
Essay Quote- “Scholar-athletes have much to learn from John Landy. He did not shy from hard training or firs- rate competition. He ran to win and to set records. He set high standards and held himself to them. But when a higher duty, a concern for his fellow man, his fellow competitor, called, Landy answered.” Essay Quote- “We all played a game we love, we all played hard, we all wanted to win. But more importantly, we all knew that the relationships we had with our cross-district friends, and rivals, was bigger than all of it.”
Essay Quote- “The fact that I can collaborate on a project with a rival school’s athlete on Friday morning, line up across from him on a football field Friday evening, then complete our school project Saturday morning is only possible due to the value we place on competing with good sportsmanship.”
Essay Quote - “Playing by the rules is not only essential in educational athletics but also in life. Winning by illegal means does not mean you are the better player or team. Winning fairly and abiding by the rules is the true way to win an athletic contest.”
Essay Quote - “The value of sportsmanship is not limited to its application in high school sports, but rather lies in its continuation through the sport of life. Sportsmanship teaches everyone its valuable lessons that must be applied to more than the tennis court, or in any sport for that matter. It is essential to success in the business playing field and the world of individual relationships by developing and accentuating certain qualities.”
Essay Quote - “Sportsmanship is the character and practice of a participating athlete. When athletes learn to embrace sportsmanship, not only can they enjoy athletics to the fullest, they will learn valuable life skills that will set the sky as their limit.”
Essay Quote – “As the athletes of the Class of 2006 see their careers winding down, I hope that they can appreciate the opportunity they have been blessed with: to play sports at the high school level, in their purest form. Sports are a privilege and sportsmanship is the simple act of acknowledging this.”
Essay Quote - “By knowing that I’m doing the right thing, every pregame shrill, every bead of sweat, and every mark that I make in the sandpit means that much more to me. The effects of sportsmanship are everlasting.” Other Class A girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Emily Faletti, Allen Park; Jamie Wilkie, Birmingham Seaholm; Megan Roberts, East Lansing; Lauren Corona, Grand Haven; Brittany Bowen, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central; Elizabeth Greene, Grand Rapids Northview; Julie Zaranek, Grosse Pointe South; Christina Zajicek, Holland; Kelsey Sharkey, Jackson Northwest; Amy Putnam, Lansing Eastern; Emily Leffingwell, Midland; Chelsea Gray, Midland Dow; Mary Winters, Okemos; Ashley Bowden, Port Huron; Stacy Yee, Salem; Lindsay Chitwood, St. Clair Shores Lakeview; and Amy Misak, Wayland Union. Other Class A boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: David Mills, Battle Creek Lakeview; Eric Reilly, Bloomfield Hills Lahser; Harrison Whitmer, Cadillac; Ryan Slatton, Clio; Students applying for the Scholar-Athlete Award must be carrying at least a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average, and have previously won a letter in a varsity sport in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors a postseason tournament. Other requirements for the applicants were to show active participation in other school and community activities and produce an essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics. Class B scholarship recipients will be announced on Feb. 21, and Class C and D honorees will be announced on Feb. 28. Farm Bureau Insurance, one of Michigan's major insurers, has a statewide force of 350 agents serving more than 380,000 Michigan policyholders. Besides providing life, home auto, farm, business and retirement insurance, the company also sponsors lifesaving, real-time Doppler weather tracking systems in several Michigan communities. The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,800 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year. -0- MEDIA ADVISORY -- A complete list of scholarship nominees and finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award can be found by clicking on the Recognition link on the home page of the MHSAA Web Site, and then clicking on Scholar-Athlete Award. Information about scholarship recipients will be posted on the MHSAA Web Site according to the schedule listed in this release, and media in the markets of the scholarship recipients will be notified by fax the day before the public announcement. For more information about Farm Bureau Insurance, contact Luke Schafer, Public Relations Manager, at 517.323.7000. You can download the MHSAA’s Scholar-Athlete Award logo from the MHSAA Web Site – click on Forms & Graphics off the home page. RL06-032 Farm Bureau Insurance and MEEMIC Insurance are year-round MHSAA Corporate Partners
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Asli Bashir, Ann Arbor Huron. Earned four varsity letters in cross country and two in track and field. Team cross country MVP for three years. Cross country academic all-state. Involved with orchestra for three years. Choir member for three years. Key Club for three years. Also a part of Full Circle literary magazine for four years. Volunteers with U-M Hospital Gift Cart and tutors other students. NAACP Freedom Fund Scholar for four years. National Achievement Scholar semifinalist. Mentor for freshman students. Plans on majoring in social sciences. College choice undecided.
Sarah Brewer, Wayland Union. Earned four varsity letters in cross country and track and field and two in competitive cheer. All-Allegan County cross country team, 2002-05; and all-Allegan County track team, 2003-05. All-conference cross country 2002, 2004-05. Academic all-state cross country 2004. Cross country MVP 2002, 2004-2005. Freshman and sophomore pole vault record holder. Team captain for cross country as junior and senior, and track in 2005. Participated in Student Council for four years, Wind Ensemble for two years, Peer Assistant Listeners for two years, Fellowship of Christian Athletes for four years and National Honor Society for two years. Served as a City Council student liaison for one year, has volunteered at middle school track meets for four years, and church praise band for four years. Plans to attend the University of Michigan or Grand Valley State University and major in pre-medicine.
Christine Brynaert, Romeo. Participated in basketball and softball for four years, earning two varsity letters in each sport. Basketball honors include all-county honorable mention and a 2005 conference division championship. Softball awards include rookie of the year and division champions in 2005. Served as class president for four years. Involved with National Honor Society and Students Against Driving Drunk as a junior and senior. Active volunteer with church and Key Club for four years. Plans to attend Grand Valley State University and major in business management, marketing, accounting or advertisement.
Kelsey Ann Caverly, East Detroit. Three-year varsity letterwinner in volleyball, earned two varsity letters in track and one in cross country. Volleyball sportsmanship award winner in 2004 and 2005. Most improved volleyball player 2004. Most spirited volleyball award 2005. Track and field rookie of the year in 2005. All-league for 400 and 1,600-meter relay. A member of the National Honor Society, serving as treasurer for the 2005-06 year. Two-year member of STATIC line Christian organization. Four-year volunteer for Survivors of Suicide Support Group and a two-year volunteer for MCREST and elementary school activities. Plans to attend Michigan State University or Lawrence Technological University and major in business management or engineering. 
David Fuller, Temperance Bedford. Earned two varsity letters in cross country, and one in track & field. Named 2003 most improved runner in cross country. Member of National Honor Society junior and senior year. Member of Principal’s Advisory Committee as a sophomore junior, and was president his senior year. Participated in choir all four years and earned a varsity letter his junior year. Participant in Boy Scouts of America for four years and was scout senior patrol leader junior year. Scout junior assistant scoutmaster and received the Scout Wildlife Conservation Award senior year. Will attend Yale University in the fall. 
Peter E. Loy, Warren DeLaSalle. Four-year letterwinner in cross country and track & field. Finished sixth individually at the MHSAA Division 1 Lower Peninsula Cross Country Championships in the Fall. Academic all-state in cross country 2004 and 2005. All-Catholic and all-county cross country first team 2003, 2004, and 2005. Detroit Catholic League A-B Division cross country champion 2005. Set course record at DLS Invitational in 2005. Cross country MHSAA Finals qualifier and team MVP in 2003, 2004 and 2005. MHSAA Finals qualifier in the 3,200-meter relay and 3,200-meter run in 2003 and 2004. Track & field team distance MVP in 2003 and 2004. All-Catholic and all-county track team 2003 and 2004. Dancer for the Wig and Mask Society in 2002, 2004 and 2005. Student Council representative junior year. Participant of Big Brother Program senior year. FOCUS: Hope Volunteer four years. Plans to attend University of Michigan, Cornell University or Princeton University to study electrical or chemical engineering.
Christopher Michaud, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern. Lettered two times in varsity basketball and baseball. Captain of freshman and junior varsity basketball and baseball teams and junior varsity soccer team. Member of Peer Listening Program four years and program leader junior and senior year. Received “I Dare You” leadership award. Member of the marching band and three-year drum line section leader/quad player. Most valuable marcher senior year. Participated in the school musical four years. National Honor Society member junior and senior year. Played music at mass for his church last seven years. Participated in Project Charlie and Coach Kid’s Basketball Campsfor four years. Plans to attend the University of Michigan or Grand Valley State University to study pharmacology.
Alex Mihelick, Plymouth. Lettered twice in football and baseball. Received the Wildcat Coaches Award in baseball. WLAA Scholar-Athlete. National Honor Society Member junior and senior year. Mock Trial participant junior and senior year. Member of the Math Olympiad team for three years. Member of Math Faculty Interview Team junior and senior year. National finalist in the American Invitational Mathematics Examination. Finalist in the Michigan Mathematics Prize competition. Published problem solver at the Alma College Math College. Special Olympics coach and referee junior in senior year. Team Service Team Volunteer-Springhill Camp sophomore year. Canton Community Youth Volunteer Corp freshman and sophomore years. Plans to attend the University of Michigan to study biomedical engineering.
Margaret Scholtes, Grosse Pointe South. Earned three varsity letters in volleyball, soccer and field hockey. Three-year volleyball team captain, Molson Award for most valuable attacker, and MAC White all-conference team. Soccer team captain, helped team to MHSAA Semifinals as sophomore. Field Hockey MVP junior and senior year. Two-time Division 1 All-State selection in field hockey, helping team to state title as a junior and runner-up as senior captain. Involved with French Club, Business Club and Yearbook Staff. Served as Class officer freshman, junior and senior year. Volunteers at Cottage Hospital with Services for Older Citizens. Is a youth field hockey, soccer, and volleyball clinic counselor. Plans to attend Tufts University and major in chemistry or international relations.
Dana Schweitzer, Grosse Pointe South. Earned four varsity letters in tennis and three in volleyball. Division 1 first team All-State for tennis in 2003. Runner-up in No. 2 Doubles at the 2004 Lower Peninsula Division 1 MHSAA Tennis Finals. All-MAC Red Division for tennis in 2004. Team was runner-up at the 2005 Lower Peninsula Division 1 MHSAA Tennis Finals. Volleyball team won MAC Division championship in 2004. Four-year class senator. Involved with MAC Student Activities Commission. President and founder of "Go Make a Difference." National Honor Society member junior and senior years. Volunteers for the Sigma Gamma community service group and Women’s Committee for Hospice. Plans to attend the University of Michigan.
John R. Waynick, Troy Athens. Lettered in baseball and soccer his junior and senior years. Captain of both teams. Member of National Honor Society junior and senior year. Part of the Athens Theatre Company sophomore, junior and senior year. Book Club member freshman, sophomore and junior years. DECA state qualifier junior year. Co-chair of A-T Children’s Foundation four years. March of Dimes volunteer four years. Raised more than $2,000 at three golf outings for the Henry Ford Liver Transplant Fund. TYSL Youth Trainer. Plans to study business and economics. College choice undecided. 
Callie Youngman, Cadillac. Earned four varsity letters in soccer, three in basketball and two in volleyball. Basketball honors include first team all-Big North Conference, all-area by Cadillac News and Traverse City Record Eagle, team MVP and captain for two years. Volleyball awards include first team all-Big North Conference, all-area by Cadillac News and Traverse City Record Eagle, MIVCA all-region, and coaches award. Soccer honors include team captain, team MVP, all-district; second team all-Big North Conference. Also been involved in honors wind ensemble for two years, National Honor Society for three years, and Interact Club for three years. Class vice president as a junior and senior. Volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters, First Night, and the Cadillac Sound Garden Project. Plans to attend Northern Michigan University to major in secondary education with a minor in social studies.
Eric Zhao, Novi. Four-year letterwinner in track & field. Lettered in football and basketball junior and senior years. Named team captain of the track & field team in 2006. All-conference first team track & field. Member of the Student Council junior and senior year. Class treasurer junior and senior year. National Honor Society member sophomore, junior and senior year. Chemistry Olympiad junior year. National Merit Scholar Chemistry Olympiad Detroit Section Team Award 2005. Volunteer Network Technician at Wayne State University freshman year. Volunteer for Elderly at Whitehall Convalescence Home freshman, sophomore and junior years. Math and sciences tutor the past three years. Will attend the University of Michigan to study pre-pharmacy.