The Edmonds School District honored its top scholar athletes, coaches and community members at the 22nd annual Scholar-Athlete and Community Recognition awards celebration banquet Wednesday, May 24 at Edmonds-Woodway High School.

Director of Ceremonies Justine Locke noted that the awards — given to an outstanding group of 16 young student athletes — “acknowledge the role played in that success by the coaches, parents and friends who make it all possible.” 

Each of the district’s four high schools honored four athletes along with their coaches. The scholarships and awards presented were made possible by sponsors that included many local individuals and businesses. The My Neighborhood News Network is among the sponsors.

The top two scholarships awarded on the evening — for $3,000 each — went to Edmonds-Woodway High School’s Rebecca Hershey and Lynnwood High School’s Kalyani Blackwell.

Hershey was honored for leading by example “at all times,” both in the competitive arena and in the classroom. A four-year standout in both track and swimming, she has served as a team captain for both sports her senior seasons. Her career highlight was winning the ambulatory 50 freestyle state championship at the WIAA state swim meet during both her junior and senior seasons, and she now has five ambulatory state championships combined in both sports. She will also look to add a sixth state championship at the WIAA state track meet this week when she represents Edmonds-Woodway in the ambulatory shot put, discus and javelin events. She also excels in the classroom, earning a full International Baccalaureate diploma and graduating with a 3.76 GPA. Hershey plans to attend Gonzaga University this fall where she will major in sociology with a minor in sports management and marketing.

Blackwell arrived at Lynnwood High just two years ago, but made an instant positive impact on the school and the sports programs. She was named co-captain of the varsity tennis and volleyball teams, on which she has competed the past two years, and helped her volleyball team reach the state playoffs for the first time in 21 years. For volleyball, her accolades include most improved, most inspirational and the outstanding leadership award, and she has also been named athlete of the month. Off the court, she is involved in the Women’s Car Club, Black Student Union, French Club and Club POWER.  Her community service includes the Rotary Club of Lynnwood: Challenge Race, Mukilteo Community Cleanup, Volleyball Power League Tournament, and the LHS Volleyball Day Camp.  She will graduate with a 3.9 GPA and plans to attend San Jose University to major in animation and illustration. 

Following are the other award recipients by school.

Edmonds-Woodway High School

Halle Waram – Basketball and track and field. 3.31 GPA. Attending the University of Alaska-Fairbanks to pursue a career in secondary education. $1,500 scholarship.

Ben Hanson – Basketball, soccer and tennis. 3.71 GPA. Attending Washington State University to study business/sports management. $2,000 scholarship.

Liam Fitting – Football and wrestling. 4.0 GPA. Attending Gonzaga University and plans to study computer science or biomedical engineering. $2,500 scholarship.

Lynnwood High School

Anna Artamanova – Swim and track and field. 3.7 GPA. Attending Edmonds College to pursue a nursing degree. $1,000 scholarship.

Eric Phan – Tennis and track and field. 3.97 GPA. Attending the University of Washington to study mechanical engineering. $1,000 scholarship.

Rachel Elliott – Cross country and track and field. Attending either or Biola or Northwest University to study nursing. $2,500 scholarship.

Meadowdale High School

Nick Callahan – Cross country and track and field. 3.5 GPA. Attending Montana Technical University to study mechanical engineering. $1,000 scholarship.

Natalie Webster – Dance team. 4.0 GPA. Attending Western Washington University to study dance or theater. $1,000 scholarship.

Lucas Robinson – Golf, soccer and tennis. 3.853 GPA. Attending Washington State University to study computer engineering. $1,500 scholarship.

Jordan Leith – Basketball and cross country. 3.993 GPA. Attending Whitman University to study neuroscience. $2,000 scholarship.

Mountlake Terrace High School

Mark Tiersma – Cross country and track and field. 3.93 GPA. Attending Evergreen State College to study education.$1,500 scholarship.

Sierra Sonko – basketball, soccer and track and field. 3.35 GPA. Attending California State University Sacramento to study biological sciences. $2,000 scholarship.

Phoung Lam – track and field and volleyball. 3.9 GPA. Attending University of Washington to study environmental engineering. $1,500 scholarship.

Riki Kobayashi – Golf, soccer and swim. 3.999 GPA. Attending Whitman College to study pre health. $1,000 scholarship. (Student was unable to attend the ceremony so no photo available.)

A coach from each high school received a Community Award, which included a gift certificate compliments of Anthony’s HomePort Restaurant, and a professional development award of $150, as well as some new swag for their school. Those recognized were: