By WJBC Staff
BLOOMINGTON – The Classic Tournament, Inc., which organizes one of the largest, coed high school holiday basketball tournaments in the nation called the State Farm Holiday Classic, has selected four winners as recipients of the 2016 Holiday Classic Scholarship award.
Each of the winners will receive a one-time, $1,000 scholarship to go directly to their college of choice for tuition costs.
Established to recognize and award scholarships to eligible high school seniors who participated in this past year’s tournament, a selection committee of former educators, State Farm employees and scholarship recipients chose the winners from nearly 40 applicants based on leadership skills and academic performance. Applicants were also asked to demonstrate their experiences in student activities and community service, and required to submit an essay titled “How my high school sports experience helped prepare me for success in higher education.”
The 2016 Holiday Classic Scholarship award winners:
Jake Baughman, Bloomington Central Catholic High School – Jake is a four-sport student-athlete for the Saints, participating in basketball, football, bass fishing and bowling. He is a Student Ambassador at Central Catholic, on the Student Council and National Honor Society, and is a Special Olympics volunteer. Jake plans to attend Loyola University in Chicago where he will major in business and be a walk-on with the Ramblers basketball team.
Brooklyn Crum, Springfield High School – Brooklyn is a four-year member for both the Senators’ basketball and volleyball teams, earning academic all-state honors in both sports, She ranks #1 in her class academically, and is a member of the Senator Leadership Team, High Pride, National Honor Society and German Club. Brooklyn plans to major in Accounting at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL.
Perry Lim, Normal University High School – Perry is a three-sport student-athlete for the Pioneers, playing basketball, soccer and tennis over the past four years. He participates on the Chemistry and Math Teams at U-High, and volunteers for the Miracle League, Special Olympics and American Red Cross blood drives. Perry ranks first in his class and plans to major in Chemical & Bio-molecular Engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
Courtney Monier, LeRoy High School – Courtney plays three sports for the Panthers, participating in basketball, golf and track where she holds school records in three different running events. She was class president all four years, is a member of the Key Club, Student Council and National Honor Society, and volunteers as a youth group leader for The “EDGE”. Courtney plans to attend Missouri State University in Springfield, MO and major in Acting with a minor in Business.
“We have honored many fine student-athletes in the past, and this year’s group of recipients is no exception,” said tournament Manager of Student-Athlete Recognition, Derek Sieg. “Each year is a tough process for our selection committee due to the many outstanding applicants, but these four student-athletes stood above the rest based on their involvement in school, athletics and their communities.”
The Holiday Classic Scholarship fund is administered through the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation in Bloomington, IL, and scholarship payments are made directly to the attending college/university of the winning students. One winner from each of the four tournament brackets (Small School Boys, Small School Girls, Large School Boys and Large School Girls) is awarded a scholarship each year.
This is the 11th consecutive year the tournament has offered the Holiday Classic Scholarship program which has now awarded a grand total of $44,000 in scholarships. For more information about the State Farm Holiday Classic, visit the official tournament Web site at www.theclassic.org.
