4/6/2012 - Scholar-Athlete Dinner Great Event
Last week I had the honor and privilege of being surrounded by the best and brightest that Sussex County has to offer.
And the neat thing? These incredible and vibrant people are all still in high school.
I was fortunate enough to attend the 27th Annual Sussex County Scholar Athlete Dinner at Perona Farms, and once again, I was blown away by the quality candidates from each of the area’s 11 schools.
Year after year I keep telling myself that the candidates can’t get any better. When I read their resumes, I can’t believe how accomplished these young men and women are at such a young age.
They debunk the myth of the “dumb jock” and then some.
Every single one of the candidates blew me away with not only their accomplishments, but poise and character on and off the playing field.
Working at Mugs Media has allowed me the opportunity to cover these outstanding student-athletes, but until you read about their academic achievements and community service, you have no idea how much there is to them besides athletics.
I interviewed Soleil Schatteman after a Sussex Tech basketball game this year and she was a great sound bite. Little did I know that she was part of group that built a submarine based on the movement of the blue fin tuna.
A submarine. Are you kidding me?
When I was in high school I was lucky that my socks matched in the morning and that was a 50-50 proposition.
After each candidate was introduced by Glenn Lewis of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, who did an outstanding job once again, I was touched by each candidate’s thoughtful acceptance speeches in which they thanked their parents, teachers, coaches, siblings and teammates.
You can see that each candidate reached their lofty status through the help and support of many and each of them acknowledged that fact, which was very gracious.
The evening’s top scholarship winner was Carly Pierson of Kittatinny who took home the $3,500 donated by Romano family and Ronetco Supermarkets Inc.
Schatteman was given the $1,250 scholarship from First Hope Bank, while Jullianna Vitolo of Sparta won the $1,000 scholarship donated by Thor Labs. Cody Wilson of Pope John was presented with a $750 award from Sussex Bank and Marissa Arahill of Vernon was presented with a $1,000 Community Service Award donated by Ira Lubert on behalf of the Local United Way.
Carly Zinner of High Point: Stephanie Van Beke of Hopatcong; David Swerzenski of Jefferson; Deanna Utter of Lenape Valley: Kevin Boyd of Newton and Shane Brown of Wallkill Valley were all awarded $500 scholarships.
When Pierson’s name was announced the shouts of joy coming from the Kittatinny table were genuine and heartfelt. Pierson became the first Kittatinny candidate to take home the top prize, something that was not lost on Pierson.
The talented runner and swimmer acknowledged the fact she was the first Cougar to win and thanked all the previous Kittatinny candidates that came before her, a classy move.
But the dinner is not about winners and losers and I know that may sound cliché, but it is the truth. The dinner is an outstanding way to honor those student-athletes who go above and beyond, while raising money and awareness for the United Way.
And there is really just one man to thank for that and that is John Mathews of Hinkley Auto.
Mathews has been driving force behind this event since its inception in 1986 when he was working at Condit Ford in Newton.
A former star quarterback for Newton in the 1950s, Mathews has tirelessly given back to the community he loves so much. Getting this program off its feet was quite an accomplishment and it was neat to watch his reactions at the dinner as he sat upfront with his business partner Nelson Hinkley.
Mathews sat like a proud grandfather as the dinner unfolded, probably thinking about how much work it took to start the program in the mid 1980s.
The program has been so beneficial over the years and is, in my opinion, one of the most special events of the year in Sussex County.
It is a night when school rivalries are put aside and we celebrate the young men and women of the county.
In the program there is a “Where Are They Now” list and it is quite impressive. List goes back to 1986 with names like former Major Baseball player Mike Bell from Newton, Julie Desmond from Sparta and Drew McKenzie of Pope John.
The names go on and on like current Lenape Valley wrestling coach Doug Vetter, Andy Iliff of Newton, a member of the Sussex County Hall of Fame, Michelle Casserly of High Point, and Frank Abelson of Jefferson.
The other thing I noticed was how many doctors are listed. At least one candidate from each year’s class is a doctor. Pretty impressive.
In fact over the last few years the program has invited former candidates to speak and this year Sabrina Moran of Vernon, who was part of the Class of 2005, gave a funny and inspirational speech.
Hearing from a former candidate must hit home for the scholar-athletes because of the shared experience, and a nice touch.
All in all it was another memorable and enjoyable evening. Jim Furgeson of Newton Medical Center said it best in his opening remarks that Sussex County is a special place with special people and we really do rally around each other.
Let’s hope that never changes and it won’t as long as there are people like John Mathews and everyone else involved in the Scholar-Athlete program still around.
That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.
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