Ellenberger to be honored with prestigious scholarship
Ten student-athletes at Class C and D member schools of the Michigan High School Athletic Association have been selected to receive scholarships through its Scholar-Athlete Award program, Included in the group is senior Chris Ellenberger, Onaway High School?s first-ever recipient.
Each of the scholarship recipients will be honored at halftime ceremonies of the Class C Boys Basketball final game at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing on March 15.
?I would be lying to you, if I told you I didn?t want to win every ballgame, but I would be a lot happier if all our kids graduated and kept heading in the right direction in whatever they pursue,? said athletic director Marty Mix, who is aware of other schools from the Ski Valley Conference receiving the honor, but cannot remember any student from Onaway getting named. ?They couldn?t have picked a better kid,? said Mix.
TO BE eligible, Ellenberger needed to have a 3.40 GPA or higher and submit a 500 word essay. ?His essay on sportsmanship was nothing shy of amazing. It is one of the best papers I?ve ever read,? said Mix. ?It really puts a good mark on what we are pushing for our student athletes.?
Ellenberger?s essay was about a boys? basketball game he played in during his junior year. The game was at Alanson and Onaway was up by 20.< p> Alanson put a mentally handicapped student into the game. ?We let him shoot the ball,? said Ellenberger. ?He jacked four or five shots, but on the last one he fired he made a buzzer beater, which was pretty cool. Both sides (Onaway and Alanson) went crazy. The Alanson coach came over and thanked us for giving him a chance to make one.?
Ellenberger has received two letters in track, cross country, football, basketball and baseball.
COMMEMORATIVE MEDALLIONS will be given to other finalists in recognition of their accomplishments. Senior Trevor O?Meara was one of the finalists. Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 19th year of sponsoring the award, will give a $1,000 college scholarship to 32 individuals who represent their member school in at least one sport in which the Associati
The first 30 scholarships are awarded proportionately by school classification and the number of student-athletes involved in those classes; and there are two at-large honorees, whocan come from any classification. ?He?s gone down to the Michigan State University basketball camp, so he?s been on the floor of the Breslin, but this time it will be for something special,? said Mix, ?when his information is displayed on the scoreboard.?
Ellenberger?s family and a group of supporters form the community will be making the trek to East Lansing to see the ceremony.
He is a member of the National Honor Society and has participated in Youth Group, Goodfellows, and Boy Scouts. Ellenberger is currently working on refurbishing the tennis/basketball courts at Edna Lound Recreation Area as part of an effort to earn his Eagle Scout merit badge. He plans to attend Grand Valley State University.