Menlo's Holland-McCowan Named CCS Male Scholar-Athlete of Year

Menlo School senior John Holland-McCowan was named the Central Coast Section’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year this week.

The four-year water polo player and swimmer to the 2010 CCS Division II water polo championship and has compiled a 4.09 GPA.

“It means a lot to me that at the end of the road, after all this hard work, that this award is possible,” Holland-McGowan said. “I’m really happy and honored to have it.”

Holland-McCowan, an Atherton resident, is headed to Harvard, where he will play water polo.

During his senior water polo season, he was selected the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division’s MVP for the second straight year. He also was named to the All-CCS team.

In addition to lauding Holland-McCowan’s athletic and academic successes, the CCS Scholarship Selection Committee called special attention to his dedication to the community.

With the help of his mother, Holland-McCowan began a not-for-profit organization called Kids Cheering Kids. The organization is made up of volunteers between the ages of 5-23 who want to help and touch the lives of kids who may be less fortunate. The groups of volunteers spend time with children who have life-threatening diseases or who are homeless or are in need of special help through tutoring.

Holland-McGowan, who began working toward this cause when he was 6, established the Menlo School chapter of Kids Cheering Kids as a freshman.

Menlo athletic director Craig Schoof said, “John is truly a once-in-a-lifetime person. … Experiencing this remarkable young man and his efforts to improve things for those less fortunate than him, I realized this is one special individual. John’s work with the community does not stop with his foundation as he also volunteers as a youth water polo coach and has received great praise for his positive coaching style.”

Holland McGowan, who credited Knights water polo coach Jack Bowen for mentoring him, said he was thrilled he has had the opportunity to thrive in several areas in his time at Menlo. “It’s wonderful how many supporting pieces there are – such as my family and my school,” he said. “It really makes me appreciate the opportunities I’ve had in high school.”

Holland-McCowan’s honor includes a $1500 scholarship.

Carmel High’s Melanie Hong was named the CCS Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Cupertino’s Abby Swye, San Benito’s Jacob Hunter, Willow Glen’s Matthew Potter and North Salinas’s Julia Rose Ashen also received CCS scholar-athlete honors.

After listening to all of the accomplishments of the other honorees at a recent awards ceremony, Holland-McGowan said he was very impressed.

“It was incredible, listening to their credentials,” he said. “I’m really proud and really humbled I’m with that group.”