Scholar athletes honored

Published 11:35 pm Wednesday, December 10, 2008

EVERETT — An International Baccalaureate; two winners of the President’s Award for Academic Excellence; a couple of Eagle Scouts; oh and they just finished up their final season of high school football.

Yeah, these kids aren’t your average tackling dummies.

Those were just some of the many accolades for the five scholarship winners at the 27th Annual Scholar Athletes banquet held Wednesday night at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center at the Comcast Arena and presented by the Snohomish County Football Officials Hall of Fame.

Thirty-eight athletes from 19 high schools in Snohomish and Island counties competed for two $1,000 scholarships, two $500 scholarships and a $1,000 Armed Forces scholarship donated by Jeff and Betty Shireman.

Nicholas Deller, Dylan Estes, Nicholas Forsythe, Din Kuses and Bernard Do bested the rest of the competition for the awards.

Deller, a back from Mountlake Terrace, won the $1,000 scholarship award after posting a 3.95 grade point average, earning the President’s Award for Academic Excellence, being an all-star trombonist and also being an Eagle Scout.

Perhaps Deller’s biggest accomplishment was being the best little brother in the room, helping out his 22-year-old brother Andrew who has Tuberous Sclerosis, a genetic disorder that causes mental retardation.

“He’s been a great inspiration for me,” Deller admitted.

When his name was announced Deller was given a standing ovation, leaving many in the room, including his parents, with tears in their eyes.

“I’m sure Nick would agree that (Andrew) is the one that got Nick where he is,” Nick’s dad Jim said.

“I was really nervous, I wasn’t expecting it,” Nicholas Deller said about receiving his award and the ovation.

Snohomish’s Dylan Estes won the $1,000 award given to the lineman.

“It’s intimidating being in front of really great people,” Estes said to the audience, adding that football has helped him build dedication, and teamwork and leadership skills.

The $500 award winners were Edmonds-Woodway wide receiver Din Kuses (International Baccalaureate) and Mariner lineman Bernard Do (4.0 GPA, No. 1 in his class).

Marysville-Pilchuck’s Nick Forsythe took the $1,000 Armed Forces scholarship.

Forsythe is No. 1 in his class, a President’s Award winner and has mentored an autistic elementary student.

Former University of Washington head coach and Everett native Jim Lambright was the guest speaker.

Lambright recognized the banquet as being a “celebration of intelligence, dedication and the family unit, which is priceless.”