FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2006


Mervis, Weaver named 2006 FHSAA Scholar-Athletes of the Year

ATLANTIC BEACH – Jake Mervis of Lake Highland Preparatory School (Orlando) and Kristen Weaver of St. Johns Country Day School (Orange Park) were respectively named the 2006 FHSAA Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year at the 12th Annual Florida High School Athletic Association Academic All-State Awards Banquet tonight at the Sea Turtle Inn in Atlantic Beach.

The two students – among the 24 chosen to the 2006 FHSAA Academic All-State Team – received a $2500 scholarship and commemorative trophy in addition to the $1000 award and medallion for being selected to the team. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award is generally regarded as the most prestigious award the Association confers upon an active student-athlete.

Mervis finished his high school career with a 4.0 cumulative unweighted grade point average. He earned varsity letters in football, track & field and weightlifting all four years of high school, as well as wrestling his sophomore year. Mervis will attend Washington University in St. Louis, undecided as to his course of study.

A National Merit Scholar finalist, Mervis earned a Washington University in St. Louis Book Award, a President Bush Community Service Award and was a Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando Scholar-Athlete Finalist as one of ten male scholar-athletes in Central Florida to nab the honor. Mervis also operates and maintains his own personal website, www.jaketwake.com, updating the site daily since 2001 with personal musings, extended essays and entertainment reviews.

Weaver finished her high school career with a 4.0 cumulative unweighted grade point average, valedictorian of her 63-member senior class. She earned varsity letters in soccer all four years of high school, track & field her sophomore, junior and senior years, and golf her junior and senior years. Weaver will attend the University of Miami in Coral Gables and study political science and communications.

Weaver, recognized as a National Merit Scholar, served as president of both her school's chapters of National Honor Society and Cum Laude Society. She received the Duke University Book Award for "outstanding academic achievement and unquenchable intellectual commitment." In addition to earning induction into the Quill and Scroll society for her journalism skills, Weaver served two years as editor-in-chief of the school's yearbook, claiming awards from Taylor Publishing and Columbia Scholastic Press for outstanding creativity and writing.

Last April, 24 student-athletes – 12 boys and 12 girls – were chosen from among more than 300 qualified nominees from the Association’s 636 member high schools as the 2006 FHSAA Academic All-State Team. To be eligible for selection to the team, a student must be a graduating senior, must have a cumulative unweighted grade point average of 3.5 or better, and must have earned a varsity letter in at least two different sports during each of their junior and senior years.

The FHSAA Scholar-Athletes of the Year recognition program began in 1991-92. Since the Academic All-State Team program was initiated during the 1994-95 school year, only those student-athletes who are selected to the team are eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.

The Florida High School Athletic Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida. It has a membership of more than 700 middle, junior and senior high schools.

Past FHSAA Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year
2005 – Christa Bosenberg, Walton (DeFuniak Springs)
2004 – Katherine Booth, Lake Mary
2003 – Revae Green, Tavares
2002 – Courtney Caplin, St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park)
2001 – Becky Tapp, St. Petersburg Catholic
2000 – Lisa Porter, Island Christian (Islamorada)
1999 – Tiffany Walker, Naples
1998 – Deborah Thomas, Stanton (Jacksonville)
1997 – Megan Beck, Lely (Naples)
1996 – Mary Jernigan, Dr. Phillips (Orlando)
1995 – Terri Phelan, Miami Sunset
1994 – Kelly Dillon, Port St. Lucie
1993 – Stephanie Eken, St. Cloud
1992 – Erin Thomas, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale)

Past FHSAA Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year
2005 – Eddie Tabasky, Mainland (Daytona Beach)
2004 – Ryan Truchelut, Trinity Prep (Winter Park)
2003 – Adam Kircher, Maclay (Tallahassee)
2002 – Nick Wilson, Paxon (Jacksonville)
2001 – Bob Ross, Rockledge
2000 – Nick Nestle, Mainland (Daytona Beach)
1999 – Jared Day, Liberty County (Bristol)
1998 – Isaac Morford, Keystone Heights
1997 – Robert Rutland-Brown, Spruce Creek (Port Orange)
1996 – Ethan Altaratz, Naples
1995 – Kevin Campbell, Jupiter
1994 – Grant Thompson, Oak Hall (Gainesville)
1993 – Clint Park, North Florida Christian (Tallahassee)
1992 – Shelby Highsmith Jr., Ransom Everglades (Miami)

Contact:
Robert Hernberger
Assistant Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 190
roberth@fhsaa.org