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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Feb. 26, 2007 Class A Scholar-Athlete Award Scholarship Recipients Announced EAST LANSING , Mich. - Feb. 26 - Twelve student-athletes at Class A member schools of the Michigan High School Athletic Association have been selected to receive scholarships through its Scholar-Athlete Award program. Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 18th 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 which can come from any classification. 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 24. Commemorative medallions will be given to other finalists in recognition of their accomplishments. The Class A Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are: Kerry Brennan, Dearborn; Alessa Cekauskas, Birmingham Seaholm; Alexander Davenport, Grosse Pointe North; Michael Charles Harden, St. Johns; Jeffery David Koelzer, Grand Rapids Northview; Jessica Konal, Berkley; Seth A. Meyer, Okemos; Nicole Naidoo, Brighton; Chelsey N. Quinlan, Plymouth; Alexander M. Ralston, Fenton; Chelsea Read, Grand Ledge; and James John Ciennik IV, Waterford Mott. 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 – “Without good sportsmanship present in high school sporting events, student-athletes will not fully grasp the true meaning of winning. Treating others with respect and acting with dignity are far more important than the numbers glowing on a scoreboard.”
Essay Quote – “In life, as in athletics, sportsmanship will allow me to always be proud of my actions, and to keep my sights focused on those around me as I strive to always achieve my personal best.”
Essay Quote – “As a high school Senior, I acknowledge that it is difficult to express true sportsmanship to classmates and opposing teams after heated competitions, yet it is important to do so no matter the outcome of the event.” Essay Quote – “Sportsmanship extends from simple team membership to issues of loyalty, constructive problem solving, and continual re-evaluation of goals. Without sportsmanship, team unity and a structured learning environment would be unattainable.”
Essay Quote – “Sportsmanship reveals character, creates respect, and builds friendships that last a lifetime. These traits allow for educational athletics to combine the classroom and the court to create a student-athlete.” Essay Quote – “Educational athletics is one of the greatest experiences of my high school career. But what has made the experience as fun as it has been, has been the good sportsmanship of everyone involved in the games in which I participated.” Essay Quote – “Life lessons taught through sportsmanship like respect, solid work ethic, and overcoming adversity, are important morals that should be molded into one’s personality before they enter adulthood. Educational athletics have granted me these morals and I am grateful to emanate these skills learned through good sportsmanship.” Essay Quote – “I realized something that day; sportsmanship in athletics is merely an extension of the respect people ought to show one another in daily life. We all have the power to further this noble cause, ultimately leading to our own pleasant conclusions.” Essay Quote – “Sportsmanship is a key lesson I have learned from my involvement in high school athletics. Nowhere can one learn the meaning of sportsmanship as well as in high school sports because high school athletes not only represent themselves, and their team, but the school and community as well.”
Essay Quote – “The importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics is something larger than just being fair and responsible. It is about competing hard during the contest, and enjoying the competitive challenge while being respectful of the opponent standing across from you, knowing that they want to win just as much as you.” Essay Quote – “In order for high school athletics to be truly educational, we must remember that at the end of the race, game, or match, it is not the victor to whom the attention flows, but to he or she who is most gracious in the outcome.”
Essay Quote – “The lessons of sportsmanship learned in high school athletics cannot be duplicated in a classroom setting. They have to be experienced firsthand on the dirt, on the grass, or on the court.” Other Class A girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Alina Gatowski, Birmingham Groves; Chelsea Selden, Canton; Annie Hakim, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley; Jennifer Pisani, Farmington Hills Mercy; Taylor Hicks, Fraser; Bianca Cilla, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central; Helana Herberg, Jackson Northwest; Kristin Kingma, Mattawan; Ankita Mohanty, Mt. Pleasant; Rachel Lebovic, North Farmington; Kimberly Rustem, Okemos; Rachel Rideout, Okemos; Joanna Halls, Rochester Adams; Emily Martin, South Lyon; Margeaux Leighton, Temperance Bedford; Erica Olson, Traverse City West; Leslie Russell, Warren Cousino; and Jennifer Hittle, White Lake Lakeland. Other Class A boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Bentley Goenka, Ann Arbor Pioneer; Will Heininger, Ann Arbor Pioneer; Cullen Salada, Battle Creek Lakeview; Joseph Jakcsy, Dearborn; David Galiyas, Detroit Catholic Central; Joshua Cupp, Fenton; Matthew Fitzgibbon, Garden City; Nicholas Ballou, Grand Ledge; Neil Delaney, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central; Alistair Smith, Kalamazoo Central; John Gundry, Lansing Waverly; Daniel Martin, Livonia Churchill; Luke Knochel, Livonia Stevenson; Anthony Schiro, Okemos; Tyler Dickenson, St. Johns; Charles Mouch, Troy Athens; Ryan Schell, Troy Athens; Zachary Ciochetto, Utica Ford; and James Ciennik, Waterford Mott. Previously announced were the scholarship recipients in Classes B, C and D. The Class B Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are: Allison M. Assaly, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern; Andrew Cuthbert, Dowagiac; Adam DeWolf, Marshall; Alexandria N. Henry, Alma; Tyler J. McCoy, Tawas Area; Katelyn E. Preisel, Imlay City; Shane Sinda, Capac; Shaziah Singh, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern; Ashley A. Theobald, Kingsford; Jason Thompson, Ludington. The Class C Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are: Hilary Beauchamp, Iron Mountain; Riley S. Ford, Harbor Springs; Ben Halbower, Holton; Allyson J. Karaba, North Muskegon; Daniel L. Olsen, St. Ignace; and Kayla Jo Thompson, Marlette. The Class D Scholar-Athlete Award scholarship recipients are: Emily Anne Feldhake, Cedarville; Aaron R. Fletcher, Walkerville; Spencer Andrew McFarland, Mackinaw City; and Brenda Sisung, Fowler. 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. 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 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. RL07-040 AT&T, Farm Bureau Insurance, Henry Ford Health System and MEEMIC Insurance |