BEAR RIVER HIGH - May 5, 2020
Bear River Student Athlete of the Month is a recognition and scholarship program for students that represent our school and community in an exceptional way via exceptional sport performance, maintaining a great GPA, demonstrate leadership qualities and conduct themselves as a respectable person inside and outside our community.
Recognizing that these students are the future of our community and our future work force, some of the local business owners have joined together to fund the Athlete of the Month Scholarship Program. The honored student of the month is selected by Van Park and the coach. The students are then presented with a $200 mini scholarship donated by the sponsors.
At the end of the year each monthly winner will be required to submit an essay explaining why they should receive the scholarship. The essays are then reviewed and voted upon by the sponsors with the student’s identity remaining anonymous. All of the monthly winners are invited to a banquet where the overall scholarship recipients will be awarded. Both a male and female winner will receive a $2,000 cash scholarship.
KATI GIBBS
Kati Gibbs has had a great career participating on the Bear River High softball team. As a four-year letterman she has been instrumental in our success.
As a freshman, late in the season, she was called on to pinch hit in the top of the seventh inning with Bear River trailing 2-1. Bear River had to win in order to tie for region championship and we had to win by at least three runs in order for us to represent the region as the first-place team.
She promptly hit a three-run homerun and we went on to win 5-2. To my recollection, that may have been her only at bat as a freshman, but she demonstrated that she was going to be an excellent hitter. That year Bear River went on to win second in state.
Kati has played varsity the last three years helping us to win the state championship in 2018 against Spanish Fork, a team that had been ranked as high as 13th nationally. During the 2019 season, Kati was our starting 2nd baseman and helped us to a 3rd place finish in state.
This year Kati was our starting shortstop. In our only game of the year she went 5-for-6 with a three-run homerun, a double and three singles.
Kati has worked hard to develop her skills as a softball player and has been rewarded with a scholarship to Snow College.
Calvin Bingham
Head Softball Coach
Bear River High School
Kati has been someone that I have been so impressed with ever since she was a little girl coming to my summer basketball camps. Even at a very young age I could tell she was something very special.
Then when I had the opportunity to teach her in my Health class as a sophomore, she further solidified just how awesome she is. She was a great student who just quietly came to class every day and just did exceptional work. This has kind of been her mantra, as she just quietly goes about her business with excellence.
If you were to see Kati in the hall you would see this quiet unassuming person but then you go watch her on the volleyball court, basketball court or softball diamond and you see her metamorphose into this fierce competitor. She always puts a full effort into everything she does and fights to the bitter end for her team. She is definitely the type of person you want to go to battle with because you know you are always going to get her full effort and support.
She puts this same effort and dedication into her schoolwork as is shown by her 3.994 GPA, while taking about every college class and higher-level class we offer. Kati doesn’t back down from a challenge or difficulty. These characteristics are rare and will take her far in a very successful life.
Another quality I have always appreciated about Kati is her integrity. She is a person of her word and she always stands up for what she believes is right. I would trust her with anything.
Thanks Kati, for being such a great example to me and everyone at Bear River High. I look forward to seeing you have great success at Snow College and the rest of your life.
Van Park
Athletic Director
Bear River High School
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DILLON MARBLE
Dillon is a tremendous young man! He is a TRUE BEAR in every aspect!
Dillon is the ultimate Team First Individual Last guy. He knows the value of executing his role for the benefit of the team. He is always looking for ways to help teammates, whether that be helping them out with developing a specific skill or putting his arm around them and leading by example.
Those characteristics do not change off the field either. You can see Dillon in the halls of the school and the community making those around him better by the example and person he is.
His dedication, relentless positive energy, competitive nature, and never give up attitude are contagious and are qualities that people gravitate toward wanting to be around.
Donald Hawes
Head Baseball Coach
Bear River High School
As I have observed Dillion over the last four years, I can’t help but feel a little cheated because I didn’t get the opportunity to teach him. I have always been a big fan of his family so right away when he started competing for Bear River High, I started paying close attention to Dillon.
It only took a short time to see he was everything we look for in a student athlete here at Bear River High. I watched him do things like never take a play off, always work extremely hard, encourage teammates, show great sportsmanship and always showing respect to his coaches, teammates, opponents and officials. This is very rare that you see all these characteristics in an adult or teenager.
Then you watch Dillon in the halls of Bear River High, and you see the same characteristics as he deals with classmates, teachers, administrators, custodians and secretaries. What is even more impressive is how involved he has been at school then you look at his grades which he maintained a 3.9 GPA throughout his high school career while taking many college and AP classes.
Then you look at his citizenship and see all honors and you see that Dillon is a rare breed. I would like to throw in one more word that I feel epitomizes Dillon - and that is the word integrity. I look forward to seeing what Dillon does in life because no matter what it is it will be done with excellence and he will be a success. I want to wish Dillon all the best in life!
Van Park
Athletic Director
Bear River High School
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