Ryleigh Hicks, Grant Kenamond, Kathryn Prather, Zoe Zervos honored for academic prowess by WVSSAC
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WHEELING - Wheeling Park and John Marshall high schools were well represented when the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission honored student athletes for their academics and social service Saturday morning.
The WVSSAC hosted its annual academic achievement awards breakfast at the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack. The event coincides with the Super Six State Football Championships at nearby Wheeling Island stadium.
Wheeling Park High School senior soccer player Kathryn Prather received the WVSSAC's award for top female academic athlete. Classmate Grant Kenamond, a tennis team member, was honored as the top male community service athlete; and Ryleigh Hicks, who plays soccer and basketball, was the top female community service athlete.
Maddox Rader of Parkersburg South High School was tapped as the top male academic high school athlete.
Each of the individual high school winners received a $1,000 scholarship from the WVSSAC.
Among the high school team award winners, the John Marshall HIgh School volleyball team members were selected as the team sport participants with the highest academic achievement. And the school's girls swimming received the plaque for individual sports.
In the middle school category, Zoe Zervos, a student at Sherrard Middle School, was honored as the top female academic middle school athlete.
A large contingent was on hand in Wheeling representing Clay-Battelle Middle School in Monongalia County. The school's girls basketball team took home the middle school award for academic achievement among team sports, while the girls cross country team received the plaque for individual sports.
The bands from both Clay-Battelle Middle School and Clay-Battelle High School also took home the academic award in their respective categories.
Retired Wheeling Park Principal Christine Carder, a former member of the Ohio County Board of Education, has organized the Academic Achievement Awards breakfast for 30 years.
She noted the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack has been providing the breakfast annually for about 30 years at no cost.
"It’s a great opportunity to honor the students for their hard work in the classroom, their hard work on the (athletic) fields, their hard work in the bands and their community service ," she said. "It has been a pleasure to continue to do this."
Kenamond acknowledged it isn't always easy balancing athletic, academic and community service responsibilities.
"I can manage my time well. When I'm doing stuff I love, I can always make time for it," he said.
He sees himself majoring in chemical engineering.
Prather, who plans to major in engineering, agreed that time management is paramount.
"You can't procrastinate too much if you have already been at soccer practice or had a game," she explained. "You come back at night, you have to get your homework done, sleep, and repeat again the next day."