The award is given to graduating high school students from seven high schools in the Olympia, Tumwater and North Thurston school districts. The recipients are chosen for their excellence in academics, athletics and community service and receive a $1,000 scholarship. The award is given in the name of Dick Nichols, long-time sports announcer, former county commissioner and supporter of young people in the community.
Black Hills
EVAN HINDMAN
4.0 GPA; Black Hills High School Class of 2010 co-valedicto- rian; enrolled in six Advanced Placement classes and received the AP Scholar Award; played soccer for Black Hills High School and the Black Hills Football Club; three varsity letters, three first-team all-league, two years second team all-state, and two-year Team MVP recognitions; on Student Government as ASB President; has 230 hours of documented community service as a tutor, counselor and school board representative. He would like to study law at Harvard University, Yale University, Georgetown University, University of California, Berkeley or Western Washington University.
Taylor Hale
4.0 GPA; secretary of the National Honor Society and an All-Academic Athlete; four varsity letters in soccer and played club soccer; com-munity service includes being a team leader and organizer on her church’s mission trip; also volunteered for a cancer benefit dinner, flood relief, 30-Hour Famine and the Union Gospel Mission. She will attend either Pacific Lutheran University or Seattle Pacific University to study medicine.
Capital
KELLEN CAMUS
GPA above 3.5; was an Academic All-American winner during his high school career; varsity football for three years, varsity baseball player for four years and varsity basketball for one year; as a quar-terback, led the football team to a third place finish in the state tournament; as a defensive back, was picked first-team all-state; team captain for the baseball team from 2008 to 2010 and twice received all-league honors as a utility player and pitcher; percussionist in the Capital band; has been a LINK leader at Capital High School, a blood donor, a youth football and basketball coach, a food server to the homeless, and a seasonal maintenance worker at the Bellevue Community Center. He hopes to attend either Gonzaga University or Lower Columbia Community College and study business.
KAILYN SWARTHOUT
3.96 GPA; an eight-time Academic All-American and an Inter- national Bacca- laureate diploma candidate; named a National Young Leader; four varsity letters in cross country and was a three-time state meet com-petitor, two-time first-team All-League and co-captain for two years; four-year varsity letterman on the track team, two-time district competitor and named co-captain of the track team for two years; volunteered as a YMCA camp counselor, raised money for numerous Peace Clubs, tutored elementary school students and helped with the Capital City Marathon. She hopes to attend Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and study International and Environmental Studies.
North Thurston
DAVID SCHUSTER
3.72 GPA; member of the National Honor Society and DECA team; LINK Leader on the North Thurston Leader- ship Team; four varsity letters in tennis and placed second in the state cham- pionships during his junior year; ranked fifth in the United States Tennis Asso-ciation Boys North-west Division and made the Junior Davis Cup National Tennis Team for Boys-18; played two years in the school’s symphonic and marching bands; took first place in drumline at a marching band competition; volunteered as an assistant golf instructor and at his church in “Gleanings for the Hungry” program. He will attend the University of Hawaii – Manoa on an Air Force ROTC scholarship, where he will continue his tennis career and study business.
KELLY JOINER
3.8 GPA; National Honor Society member for three years; received the Scholar Athlete Award and WCC All-Academic Award for main-taining a 3.5 GPA while par-ticipating in sports; a LINK leader and vice president of the Bible Club; received three varsity letters in volleyball and tennis; in volleyball, she received the Coaches Award in 2007 and 2008, Most Improved in 2008 and Most Inspirational in 2009, and was named second team All-League in 2008 and 2009; in tennis, she was named Varsity Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009, Coaches Award in 2009 and First Singles Player in 2010; volunteered more than 100 hours at the Salvation Army, Lacey Presbyterian Church, Feeding the Homeless Program and Capital Medical Center. She will attend Eastern Washington University to study Physical Therapy.
Olympia
REUBEN TALUKDAR
3.7 GPA; received the AP Scholar with Honor Award for the eight AP courses he took during his high school career; member of Olympia High School’s Future Business Leaders of America club for three years, including a first place finish at the regional spread-sheet app-lications event, leading to the state com-petition later this year; three-sport athlete throughout high school; received three varsity letters in tennis and one varsity letter in both basketball and baseball; in doubles tennis, he and his partner placed third in the league and will compete in the state tournament this month; has volunteered 100 hours of service to the Thurston County Food Bank. He has not chosen a college, but is committed to study engineering.
MARGARET BROWN
3.92 GPA; president of the Olympia High School National Honor Society; ASB president; awards include the King 5 News Athletic Academic Student spotlight, AP Scholar Award and Math-ematics Student of the Month; her senior class voted her Most Likely to be president; four-year varsity basketball player and team captain during her senior year; was voted First Team All Narrows League, First team All-Area by The Olympian and Team MVP; also participated in drama for four years and played in the high school musical performance of “Bye Bye Birdie” junior year; volunteered as an intern at the Children’s Theatre Camp, as a high school basketball counselor, WIAA basketball officiator, Olympia School District peer tutor and youth volunteer in Sten Village. She will attend Clarmont McKenna College and study accounting or political science.
River Ridge
JORDAN KRONEN
3.93 GPA; National Honor Society ambassador, ASB senator, Student Safety Summit facilitator and LINK leader; recognized as the Wendy’s High School Heisman School Winner, Lacey Lion’s Club student of the month, and three-time Evergreen Conference All-Academic recipient; attended the National Young Leaders Con-ference; par-ticipated on both the football and track and field teams; football team captain, starting wide receiver and kick returner for the Hawks; co-captain of the track and field team and participated in the pole vault, 100 meter dash and 4x100 relay; co-founded and co-captained the Powerlifting Team, which placed third in state; had the lead role in several high school musicals; volunteered as a YMCA teen counselor, Lacey City Council Youth Representative, Black Hills Junior Football League referee, Charlie’s Safari Thanksgiving server and with several blood drives. He hopes to attend either Willamette University or Pacific University and study political science.
KENDAL CRAMER
3.94 GPA; vice president of the River Ridge National Honor Society; class representative for the Class of 2010 and serves on the Captain’s Council as a liaison between athletes and the athletic director; nine-time Evergreen Conference All- Academic team member while on the varsity fast pitch softball, bowling and volleyball teams; captain of the softball team and received the Most Improved and Coaches Award; three-time bowler of the year and team captain; volunteered more than 400 hours at Providence St. Peter Hospital; volunteered also at Trinity Lutheran Bible Camp and as a River Ridge High School peer math tutor; she will attend Boise State University in the fall to major in elementary education and athletic training, with minors in coaching and mathematics.
Timberline
ALEC BEAL
3.86 GPA; honor roll every semester, received the Distinguished Scholar Award every year, was twice named outstand- ing math student and once outstanding honors biology student and once out-standing health and fitness award; has taken six AP classes and four honors classes; a three-year varsity baseball player and was named to the first-team all-state team and first-team all-league in 2009; played on the varsity basketball team during his senior year and was named to second-team all-league and led the Blazers in three-point shots; was also involved in many community service activities; was a cabin counselor at the Trinity Lutheran Bible Camp, Little League coach and group leader with Christ the Servant Vacation Bible School and youth group leader. He hopes to attend Concordia University in Portland, Ore., to possibly study sports journalism.
MARIKKA BENSON
GPA above 3.9; seven AP classes and many honors classes; honor roll each semester and received the Distinguished Scholar, AP Scholar and WCC All-Academic Team awards; named the 2009 Pre-calculus and Chemistry Student of the Year; member of the Interact Club and Title IX commit- tee; fast pitch softball since she was 4 years old and during her high school career received All-League honors each year; four-years varsity soccer and during her junior and senior years received All-State honors as a goalie, was team MVP and team captain; volunteered as a fast pitch coach, Salvation Army bell ringer, Knicker Bocker maintenance worker and neighborhood dog walker. She has verbally committed to play fast pitch on a schol-arship at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland and study medicine.
Tumwater
JEFFREY LEVINE
3.4 GPA; the All-Academic Award in fall 2009 for earning a GPA above 3.5 while competing in varsity sports; member of the Tumwater High School Leadership class, a LINK leader and represents his high school at school board meetings; three varsity letters in both basketball and baseball and two varsity letters in football; as a sophomore, became the starting catcher on the varsity baseball team; vol-unteered more than 275 hours of community service; volunteers as a youth leader for AWANA International, youth basketball coach for Tumwater Parks and Recreation and assistant coach of the Tumwater Saturday Morning Basketball Clinics and Tumwater Spring Break Baseball Camps. He plans to attend Lower Columbia College to continue his baseball career and begin his studies in medicine before transferring to a four-year university.
MEGAN HERBERT
3.76 GPA; Evergreen Conference All-Academic Award for three years and the WIAA 2A State Academic Cham- pionship for bas- ketball; named math student of the month and PE student of the month; four letters in both soccer and basketball and played JV fast pitch softball in 2008; in soccer, named most improved player, team captain and received the Coach’s Award; vol-unteers as a LINK Leader at Tumwater High School, a peer math tutor and helped select the Teacher of the Year Award recipient, as a girls camp counselor, youth soccer and basketball coach and youth group leader for her church. She will attend BYU Idaho in the fall and begin her studies in sports medicine.
If you go
Luncheon will be held at Olympia Red Lion Hotel. It starts at noon and is open to the public. Lunch costs $15.
