Two Lenawee County Youth to Receive Scholar-Athlete Award Program Scholarships

Lansing, MI – The Michigan High School Athletic Association has selected athletes from member schools to receive scholarships through the MHSAA-Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award program… including students from the area.

Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 35th year of sponsoring the award, will give $2,000 college scholarships to 32 individuals who represent their member schools in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament.

Adrian’s Elaine Gordon was selected from Class B schools. She is playing third season of varsity basketball and will play her second season of varsity softball this spring. She also participated on sideline cheer team as a senior. Elaine also earned league sportsmanship and scholar-athlete awards and served as captain of basketball and cheer teams. She is dually enrolled and expects to graduate high school with 52 college credits. Elaine is playing in marching band and symphony for third year, and has served as section leader for both and qualified for state competition for solo and ensemble every year. She performed in school’s spring musical throughout high school and in lead roles every year, and is participating in first year of National Honor Society and second as part of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and has served as president, first counselor and second counselor of church youth group and as a church camp coordinator and counselor. Elaine is undecided where she will attend college, but intends to study Spanish education and sports management.

Here is a quote from her essay: “Our experiences shape our lives. They help sculpt us into who we become. However, they do not mold the core of who we are. The credit for that feat is given to our choices… I have learned through educational athletics that sportsmanship needs to be continuous to build the habit so it becomes part of our core. An individual with good sportsmanship will make it a lot farther than an individual without.”

Other students from area Class B schools include: Jackson Dell from Chelsea, and Navya Ashok and Lucas Nor from Ann Arbor Greenhills.

The Class D Scholar-Athlete Award recipients from the WLEN listening area includes Alivia Salenbien from Britton-Deerfield, Ryin Ruddy from Whiteford, and Ridley Fast from Hillsdale Academy.

Alivia played three seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her fourth of varsity basketball and will compete in her fourth of track & field this spring; also played on the boys varsity golf team as a junior. She earned all-county honorable mention for basketball as a junior and is a five-time Regional medalist in track & field. Alivia earned scholar-athlete honors in multiple sports and served as captain for volleyball and basketball teams. She is participating in third year of National Honor Society, serving as chapter president, and third year of student government serving as class vice president. Alivia participated in American Legion Girls State and earned girls nation runner-up finish. She is teaching church elementary catechism class for a third year. She is undecided where she will attend college, but intends to study early childhood education.

Here is a quote from her essay: “Balancing school, home life, and sports are difficult tasks. However, growing up in that scene, I thought that doing all these activities was the only way to a successful life… But now, as a senior in high school looking back at my time at Britton Deerfield, I realize this could not be farther from the truth. Nobody judged whether I was good at the sports I played or not. Nobody judged whether I was at the top of the class or the bottom. Nobody judged how well I could balance my life. What people will remember about me when I leave high school is my sportsmanship.”

Students applying for the 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.