Lindsay Rappleyea of Gloversville and Ashleigh Rajkowski of Tribes Hill have been named winners of the Fulmont Roadrunners Club’s 2004 James R. Dern Memorial Scholarships. The student-athletes received their $500 awards June 20 in ceremonies following the Mule Haul road race.
Lindsay, the daughter of Brian and Donna Rappleyea, graduated sixth in Broadalbin-Perth High School’s 150-member class of 2004. She’s a five-year member of the school’s indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country teams and has received every award these teams have to offer. She was captain of the outdoor track and field team last year and of the cross country and indoor track and field teams this year and holds more than a dozen track and field records at Broadalbin-Perth High. This year’s cross country season was rewarded with a third place finish at the Section 2 Cross-Country Championships, qualifying her for the New York State Championship where she finished 22nd (of 260) in the Class C race.
Lindsay has been on the Principal’s List for the past three years, and she was a member of the National and Science Honor Societies. She’s the recipient of the St. John’s University Women in Science Award and University of Rochester Humanity and Social Sciences Award. She has been a member of the concert and marching bands for the past four years. She also was a literacy volunteer, and member of several high school clubs.
Outside of school Lindsay worked part time at a local cinema, and she has been active in the Girls Scouts since kindergarten, winning the Silver Award for her many community service projects.
Lindsay will be going on to Marist College, where she will be majoring in biology with a long-range career goal of medicine or veterinary science. She will continue to run at Marist, which has awarded her a partial athletic scholarship.
Ashleigh, the daughter of Greg and Joyce Rajkowski, attended the Fonda-Fultonville Central School, graduating in the top third of the class of 2004 with a B+ average. A six-year varsity athlete, her first love is track and field, where she competed for her high school team in the long jump and triple jump, and in sprints and relays. She was captain of the indoor and outdoor teams in her junior and senior years and received two MVP awards from her school. At the end of her junior year, she received a national leadership award as a part of which a flag was flown in her honor over Washington, D.C. She was nominated for the award by Congressman Michael McNulty.
Ashleigh holds records at two local invitational meets and was awarded two Athlete-of-the-Meet plaques and numerous other awards during her high school years. She competed in 20 Sectional and nine New York State meets. At last month’s State Track and Field Championships, she finished sixth in Division II for the triple jump. She is ranked first in that event in Section 2 this year.
In addition to her athletic endeavors, Ashleigh was a member of several clubs in high school, and she was a active in the Sacred Heart Church Music Ministry and Fonda Reformed Church Youth Group. She also worked part time as a waitress at a local cafe.
Ashleigh will be attending the State University of New York at Cortland, where she will major in physical education and continue her track and field career. Her long-term career goal is to become a physical therapist.
Lindsay and Ashleigh are the 19th and 20th recipients of the scholarship that bears the name of the late Jim Dern, a Canajoharie resident, Beechnut executive, and longtime running enthusiast and Fulmont Roadrunners Club member. With this year’s awards, more than $9000 in scholarships have been granted to young men and women from eight area high schools. The awards program was begun in 1995.
Dern Scholarships are awarded to college-committed high school seniors who have participated in varsity track and/or cross country for at least two years. They are judged on the basis of work ethic, leadership, sportsmanship, commitment to team goals, and respect of peers.