Lake George High School bowler Rachel Hunsicker really got it rolling this year, both on the lanes and off.

The singer, actress, editor and star student spearheaded a cultural showcase as well as a lecture series as part of her ongoing effort to “provide people opportunities to learn about one another and the world around them.”

The president of her school’s Spectrum (Gay Straight Alliance) Club and an active participant with its online GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) Street Team, Hunsicker chaired Eyes on the World which in February brought together students, teachers and community members for a cultural gathering that featured music, foods, interactive displays and the arts.

“She is a thinker who thinks beyond the box,” Lake George bowling coach Todd Wood said of the senior who is one of 10 high school honorees for the inaugural Capital District Sports Women of the Year awards, which also sees three college athletes recognized.

Among the objectives for Eyes on the World, Hunsicker said, was to “have kids increase their cultural confidence,” and “to increase understanding and empathy for other people in the community, and in other communities.”

With the Hunsicker-led Being Human Project, panelists were set up to discuss issues prominent to the youth in Warren County. Two sessions were held before the coronavirus shut down schools and put a hold on social gatherings.

“The first three lectures were about mental health, and mental health awareness,” Hunsicker said. “What teens and adults face.”

Hunsicker has worked with teens as a Rock Solid Mentoring Program team leader and as a Student to Student peer counselor. She has also worked for teens as a member of the Lake George Leadership Council and the school’s Breakfast Club, which offers ideas that would enhance the overall school experience, and as a member of SPARC (Strategic Planning and Review Committee), which offers teachers ideas that would enhance the learning experience.

“She goes above and beyond when she sees someone needs help,” Wood said of the Capital District Sports Women of the Year scholastic-division honoree. “She has a compassionate, sensitive, calming nature.”

The versatile Hunsicker played one of the lead characters, Jenna Rolan, when the Lake George Drama Club staged “Be More Chill” in November, and she was also a member of the Cabaret Club, Senior Select Choir and Castleton Select Choir. Yearbook editor and treasurer and school newspaper editor also line her resume, as well as French Club, Senior High Art Club and Astronomy Club.

“My schedule is still full, but not as full as it was,” Hunsicker said of her routine since schools were closed. “I used to get up at 6 a.m. and go straight through until 11 at night.”

Hunsicker ranks seventh in her class of 84 with a 94.53 average. She will attend Colgate University and major in international relations with a double minor in economics and gender studies.

Hunsicker was among the January honorees for The Glens Falls Post-Star’s 2020 Teen Excellence Awards. The Teen Excellence Awards look to go beyond academic subjects and athletics to identify outstanding young people between the ages of 13 and 19 who have demonstrated personal growth, leadership and innovation along with a commitment to the community.

“We are so proud of Rachel and all of her characteristics, and we know that she will continue to grow beyond her high school and is bound to do great things in her life,” Wood said.

Hunsicker bowled on the Lake George varsity team for five years and served as a team captain.

This article appeared in the 2020 CDSWOY Awards Program on August 18, 2020.

Can you imagine playing five sports, playing three musical instruments, and hitting the books hard enough to earn a bunch of academic awards and rank third in your graduating class?

Clare Howard, Taconic Hills’ senior class president, doesn’t have to imagine it.

“I really want to be the best version of myself as I can,” the 18-year-old academic and athletic star said. “It’s rewarding to see it all pay off.”

Howard has been adding sports to her resume since she began competing for Taconic Hills as a seventh grader and capped off her record and award-filled scholastic career this school year by participating in soccer and cross country in the fall, swimming and skiing in the winter and track in the spring. She would have done the five as a junior, too, had the spring season not been taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Clare is a remarkable young lady that manages her time well in order to be successfully involved in as much as she is,” Taconic Hills Athletic Director and math teacher Angela Webster said of the Capital District Sports Women of the Year high school honoree. “She is one of the most all-around talented individuals I have met in my career. I admire her for her positive, calm demeanor in the classroom while being an aggressive, sportsmanlike competitor on the field.”

Howard will focus on the 400 hurdles at William and Mary, and while she has yet to declare a major, she has great interest in the math and science fields where the National Honor Society member has received several prestigious awards.

“I definitely hope I appear as a role model,” said Howard. “Our school is K through 12, so I really hope to show the younger girls what you can do and where you can go. It takes a lot of hard work, but it can happen and it’s so rewarding.”

For her efforts, Howard has been rewarded with several state ski meet and state track championship appearances.

“In eighth grade, I made the state team in the 400 hurdles, and that was a turning point,” said Howard, who set PRs in the high and intermediate hurdle events at the recent East Coast Championships. “That’s when I thought, ‘I can do something with this.’”

The multi-talented teen can also play the piano, flute and cello, and was invited to perform with the Empire State String Youth Orchestra.

“I was always active growing up, and that carried over to my teenage years,” Howard said. “I am just really thankful that with everything I’ve done, I’ve had my family and friends and everyone in school backing me up and supporting me.”

Howard served as her class treasurer for three years, acted as a board representative for the Scholarship Committee for Dollars for Scholars, and was on the school’s COVID-19 reopening committee. Away from school, she has worked with the Humane Society and has helped with a youth track program.

“I have known Clare Howard for the last four years both as a coach and a teacher,” said Taconic Hills Dean of Students and varsity girls’ soccer coach Patrick McDonald. “Judging from these experiences, I can say with confidence that Clare is a dedicated student-athlete who leads others by setting a strong example with her effort and intensity both in the classroom and on the playing field. Clare is a very friendly, outgoing person. She has a great sense of humor and interacts wonderfully with her peers and adults.”

Jenna Hoffman and the word “idle” just don’t mix.

“As I grew up, I wanted to be involved with everything,” Maple Hill’s Student Council and National Honor Society president, senior class vice president and board of education student rep said. “I have a plan every morning. School first, sports, and do the clubs.”

There’s that volunteer work beyond the classroom, too, that keeps the four-sport athlete and Principal’s List mainstay on her toes. Just for starters, she is a Girl Scout Silver Award winner based on her community service, a Junior EMT and a Pen Pal for Castle Hill residents.

“When you have a passion for things, you make it work,” said Hoffman, who is one of 10 high school honorees for the second-annual Capital District Sports Women of the Year awards.

Sports are among her passions, and during her senior year she played four of them, including tennis for the first time last fall when volleyball due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time was shifted to the “Fall II” season in March and April. She played softball and basketball, as well, and will continue to shoot hoops when she attends St. John Fisher College and majors in Inclusion Childhood Education. The Service Scholarship she received from the Rochester institution means she will be doing many hours of volunteer work, and she said she can’t wait to find out just who she will be helping out.

“I just want to put people before myself,” said the 18-year-old, who during her time at Maple Hill mentored younger students, participated in the Miracle League Basketball program and served on its mental health committee. “It comes from my mom [Jackie Hoffman], who has always been a wonderful role model for me. She made me want to influence people around me.”

“Jenna volunteers so much of her time to help others which makes her an outstanding member of the school community and the Schodack community as a whole,” Maple Hill science teacher and varsity volleyball coach Leonard Bacon said of his team captain and MVP.

Hoffman has been honored time and again for her athletic performance and for her selfless efforts, and has received the YMCA Leadership Award, Hoby Leadership Award, Ryla Rotary Youth Leadership Award, Kiwanis Outstanding Senior Award and a Heisman Scholarship.

“It makes me feel great,” Hoffman said of her willingness to give, like she did by making thank-you signs for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and by creating and organizing a holiday video tribute for the Maple Hill staff. “When I become a teacher, my goal is to make them all feel they are something.”

While Hoffman earned first-team Patroon Conference all-star status this school year in basketball and volleyball, she proved to be a pretty good tennis player too and won the league doubles title to go with her numerous other accomplishments.

“She is everything a coach wants in a player and more; she works hard, values commitment, and is coachable. She is humble, hungry, and is always striving for improvement,” said Maple Hill social studies teacher and varsity softball coach Patrick Austin. “When it came time to choose a team captain for this season, it was an easy decision. Jenna is the quintessential role model that others look up to and she has the leadership, poise, and maturity that a coach looks for in a player to fill that position.”