Sportsmanship

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Piper Sanders

Mattoon

Principal: Mr. Nathan Pugh

For her outstanding performance in and out of the classroom, Piper Sanders is the Scholar Attitude Award winner for Board of Directors Division L.

Piper has maintained straight As throughout middle school while participating in basketball, cross country, track, Student Council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and serving as president of National Junior Honor Society.

One of the greatest lessons she's learned from interscholastic activities is to support her teammates, win or lose. This lesson played out during a difficult situation at the state track meet. Piper tried out for track in sixth grade and was bumped up to the 4x100 meter relay along with two other sixth graders. Qualifying for state was a huge accomplishment for sixth graders racing against seventh graders. "We went to state so excited and ready to dominate the competition," recalls Piper, who anchored the lineup. Her team was in the lead the entire race when the third runner fell, hard, onto the track as she neared Piper. Although of course disappointed, the team supported the third runner and moved on because that's what teammates do, Piper says. If the group had gotten angry, perhaps her teammate would have never gone out for track the following year, and Piper's team would not have broken a school record or gone to state again.

After high school Piper plans to attend college with the goal of becoming a middle school teacher. "The students, teachers, and coaches I have been exposed to have helped shape me into the person I am," she says. "I would love to be able to provide that positive experience for others."

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