Troy Middle School student Is IESA Scholar Attitude Award Winner

Photo: Troy Middle School student Zach Pekol.

Zach Pekol, eighth-grader at Troy Middle School, has been honored as a 2019 Illinois Elementary School Association Scholar Attitude Award winner. Only 15 students throughout the state were chosen for the award.

To be considered, a student must be an eighth-grader at an IESA member school, have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, have participated in at least one IESA activity during both years of junior high or middle school, and have demonstrated outstanding citizenship during those two years. In addition, each student is required to submit an essay titled, "The Value of Sportsmanship."

According to a statement released by the IESA, the students chosen “represent the very essence of what the junior high school experience represents, having excelled in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in fine arts activities, and have demonstrated outstanding leadership in their communities.”

“I am very proud of Zach’s accomplishment,” Troy Middle School Principal Renee Marski said. “Zach is a well-rounded young man who embodies the ideals of a student-athlete. Since the creation of this award 20 years ago, Zach is the first recipient from Troy Middle School.”

Zach and the other award recipients will be honored by the IESA at a ceremony on April 30 in Bloomington.

Troy Middle School is a Troy Community School District 30-C school.