ASSOCIATION SPOTLIGHT: NCHSAA SCHOLAR-ATHLETE PROGRAM

The Scholar-Athlete program of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association has become one of the most positive and popular voluntary programs with which the Association is involved.

Last year over 20,000 certificates were awarded to deserving scholar-athletes from across North Carolina in this program, again encouraging excellence in the classroom as well as on the playing court or athletic field.

There are two different components to the Scholar-Athlete program which contribute to its uniqueness. The individual award may go to any student who is a member of a varsity athletic team and obtains a 3.5 or higher grade point average for the designated semester. Students are eligible to receive an individual award for each sport in which they participate at the varsity level and must be nominated by their school.

In the team division, any varsity athletic team with a 3.10 or higher composite grade point average for the designated semester is eligible to receive a team academic award. Every member of that team gets a certificate recognizing that team accomplishment since they were all involved in reaching that goal, and the school is awarded an attractive certificate noting the team’s efforts. In all cases, the school fills out the appropriate forms verifying the grades, those forms are signed by the principal and the coaches of those sports, and then they are submitted to the Association.

In each sport approved by the NCHSAA, a team plaque is awarded to the team in the state for that sport who has the highest overall team grade point average.

The program has been operated by the NCHSAA for well over 20 years.