Lauren Claypoole and Garrett Beyer of Island School were two of three Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation student-athletes honored during the 2012 HMSA Kaimana Awards and Scholarship Program at the Hawai‘i Prince Hotel in Waikiki Saturday. Joining the Island School pair, Kimberly
Lauren Claypoole and Garrett Beyer of Island School were two of three Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation student-athletes honored during the 2012 HMSA Kaimana Awards and Scholarship Program at the Hawai‘i Prince Hotel in Waikiki Saturday.
Joining the Island School pair, Kimberly Aguilar of Waimea High School was the third KIF student-athlete to be honored as part of the field of 30 high schools and 22 student-athletes from across the state.
“The HMSA Kaimana Awards and Scholarship Program is the only program in the state that rewards academics and athletics as well as sportsmanship and community service,” said Robert Hiam, HMSA’s chief executive officer, in a release. “The drive and dedication demonstrated by these young athletes is inspirational, as is the supporty they get from their schools. HMSA is honored to have this chance to recognize them for their accomplishments.”
The program, established in August 2005 and sponsored and administered by the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association, recognizes all-around accomplishments by high schools, rewards individual student-athletes with scholarships and supports education of coaches.
Island School also garnered first place in the high school recognition with Kapa‘a High School getting second place and Waimea High School finishing in third place among KIF schools.
Each of the 22 honored student-athletes received scholarships worth $3,000 and five of the students were named Distinguished Scholars — receiving an additional $2,000 each.
The high schools were recognized for achieving the highest program scores in their league and division in athletics, academics, sportsmanship and community service. The 10 highest scoring school received a check for $1,500.
Claypoole, recognized for her participation in basketball, cross country, tennis and volleyball, was one of the five Distinguished Scholars, joining Erin Carvalho of Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i, Charisse Manley of Moloka‘i High School, Cheyenne Pico of Hana High School on Maui, and Penina Lima of Kapolei High School on O‘ahu.
Claypoole plans to attend Williams College in Williamston, Mass., and pursue a degree in neuroscience, complete the pre-med track and continue her passion for basketball by playing as a Williams’ Eph at the Division II level in the NESCAC Conference, she said in a television interview.
She played basketball all four years in high school and prior to that, eight years in the community league, serving as team captain for three of the four years.
She also played KIF volleyball for four years as the Voyagers’ middle blocker, started tennis as a sophomore and finished as the school’s No. 2 Singles player and team captain.
As a senior, she was the president of student government and captain of the mock trial team, participating in the National Honor Society, Model UN and the SCUBA Club.
Her volunteerism comes through her church and volunteering at sporting events.
“A person that has been instrumental to all of this has been my mom, Cheryl Claypoole,” Lauren said. “She volunteered to be our high school’s basketball coach three years ago when no one else would step up to the plate, and she has inspired female student-athletes at Island School to accomplish what they never could have dreamed themselves doing. By doing this, my mom made my life-long dream of playing college basketball a reality for me. Her never-ending support is one of the primary reasons for all my success in sports, and life.”
Beyer was the captain of the Island School soccer team, a KIF all-star goalkeeper and co-captain of his tennis team.
He was on the school’s Honor Roll and the High Honor Roll, placed in the school’s science fair and was recognized for his achievement in geology. He captured first place at the regional Science Olympiad competition and is enrolled at Pepperdine University where he plans to study mechanical engineering.
Aguilar was the team captain of the Waimea High School air riflery team and was named the Most Valuable Player in both air riflery and canoe paddling.
She was the Waimea Junior ROTC Battalion Executive Officer, received the Citizenship Award scholarship from the Hawai‘i Lodging and Tourism Association, and traveled to Thailand on a missionary trip.
Her goals are to serve as a missionary in foreign countries and pursue a master’s degree in occupational therapy to help people abroad and on Kaua‘i.
HMSA is a nonprofit, mutual benefit association founded in Hawai‘i in 1938. It is governed by a community board of directors which includes representatives from health care, business, labor, government, education, clergy, and the community. HMSA is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Visit www.hmsa.com for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
