Elwood Senior Named NIAAA Student-Athlete Scholarship Award Winner

A senior at Elwood-John H. Glenn High School was recently named the winner of the New York State National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Student Athlete Scholarship.

The NIAAA Scholarship program aims to recognize the distinguished scholastic, leadership and sportsmanship attributes of high school student-athletes as well as the importance of high school athletics in each student’s life.

To receive this honor, Alexis Groark had to meet the following NIAAA application requirements:

• Submit a personal essay
• Submit a letter of recommendation from an athletic director
• Hold a minimum B+ average or be ranked in the top 25 percent of the class
• Participate in two sports for at least two years
• Earn at least one varsity letter in each of the two sports.

While a valued player of the volleyball and basketball teams, Groark has received several athletic honors and recognitions. As the captain of both teams, she has helped lead her teammates through successful athletic seasons and to the championships. During the summer, she volunteers with the Elwood Athletic Club as a camp counselor to teach children basic fundamentals of sports.

During the Elwood Board of Education’s regular business meeting in February, Superintendent of Schools Peter Scordo presented Groark with an award certificate. While at the meeting, she read an excerpt from the essay she submitted for the scholarship program. Groark began her essay stating, “In life we all have one goal, to find greatness within ourselves. For me, this true greatness can be achieved through high school sports.”

Story by Syntax, Photo courtesy of the Elwood Union Free School District : Elwood-John H. Glenn High School senior and winner of the New York State National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Student Athlete Scholarship, Alexis Groark (center) with Superintendent of Schools Peter Scordo (left) and Director of Athletics and Physical Education David Shanahan (right).