Michigan High School Athletic Association - Promoting Educational Athletics
Michigan High School Athletic Association - Promoting Educational Athletics |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Jan. 17, 2006 2005-06 Scholar-Athlete Award Applicants Announced EAST LANSING, Mich. – Jan. 17– The applicants for the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2005-06 school year have been announced. The program, which has been recognizing student-athletes since the 1989-90 school year, will honor 32 individuals who represent their member school in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a post-season tournament. Farm Bureau Insurance underwrites the Scholar-Athlete Award, and presents a $1,000 scholarship to each individual. The program saw a major change in its structure this year, the work of an ad-hoc committee which sought to make the program better reflect the MHSAA membership. The result was an increase in the number of scholarships from 28 a year ago to 32; scholarships being awarded proportionately by school classification and the number of student-athletes involved in those classes; and the addition of at-large honorees to assure minority representation among the scholarship recipients. Under the restructured program, 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. A school could submit as many applications as there are scholarships available in their classification. Of 470 schools which submitted applicants, 80 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 2,145 applications were received. All will be presented with certificates commemorating their achievement. Additional Scholar-Athlete information, including a complete list of scholarship nominees, can be found on the MHSAA Web site at the following address: http://www.mhsaa.com/recognition/sahome.htm. The applications will be judged next week by a 76-member committee of school coaches, counselors, faculty members, administrators and board members from MHSAA member schools, from which the 120 finalists and 32 scholarship recipients will be selected. Finalists will be announced on January 28. Class A scholarship recipients will be announced on February 14; Class B scholarship recipients will be announced on February 21; and Class C and D scholarship recipients will be announced on February 28. All announcements will be made on the MHSAA Web Site. To honor the 32 Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, a ceremony will take place during halftime of the Class C Boys Basketball Finals at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing on March 25. To be eligible for the award, students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale), and have previously won a varsity letter in at least one sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a post-season tournament. Students were also asked to respond to a series of short essay questions, submit two letters of recommendation and submit a 500-word 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 -- Additional Scholar-Athlete information, including a complete list of scholarship nominees, can be found on the MHSAA Web site.. Please scan that list for the names of student-athletes from your area. Information about finalists and 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. RL06-027 |