Two student-athletes at Saline High School were named as finalists for a prestigious state-wide honor.
Hunter Easton and Grace Roth were named as 2025 Scholar-Athlete Award Finalists in Michigan. Saline Superintendent Stephen Laatsch announced this as the last school board meeting. Both students were recognized at that time.
“We’re very proud of both Grace and Hunter being honored as two of the top student athletes in the entire state of Michigan,” Laatsch said.
Roth and Easton, both seniors at SHS, went before the school board to talk about the recognition and honor.
Roth said she has competed in track, cross country and basketball all four years and among a list of activities has played French horn in the band and is a National Honor Society member.
Roth said she’s “very grateful to represent Saline as a student athlete.”
She cited the balancing of sports and academics with other activities and said it’s important that students know they can pursue their different passions. She also thanked her teachers and coaches for being supportive and helping her along the way.
Easton has also mixed his different passions while in high school. He’s been on the varsity baseball team for the last three years and has served as the student council treasurer and been part of the National Athletic Honor Society. His interests in the classroom include his Marketing and Economic classes, which have been two of his favorites.
Easton said he tries hard to embody a positive spirit to help bring the community together. He’s also honored to represent Saline.
According to the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), 120 finalists were recently announced for the Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2024-25 school year, which is presented by Farm Bureau Insurance.
The MHSAA said the program is in its 36th year and again this winter they will honor 32 individuals from MHSAA member schools who participate in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament.
To be eligible for the award, students must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) and previously have won a varsity letter in at least one sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament. Students also were asked to respond to a series of short essay questions and submit two letters of recommendation and a 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
Farm Bureau Insurance underwrites the Scholar-Athlete Awards and will present a $2,000 scholarship to each recipient. Since the beginning of the program, 960 scholarships have been awarded.
The MHSAA said scholarships will be presented proportionately by school classification, with 12 scholarships to be awarded to Class A student-athletes, six female and six male; eight scholarships awarded to Class B student-athletes, four female and four male; six scholarships awarded to Class C student-athletes, three female and three male; and four scholarships awarded to Class D student-athletes, two female and two male. In addition, two scholarships will be awarded at-large to minority recipients, regardless of school size.
Every MHSAA member high school could submit as many applications as there are scholarships available in its classification and could have more than one finalist.
The MHSAA said Birmingham Seaholm has six finalists this year, while Munising and Whitehall have four, and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Midland Dow and West Bloomfield each have three finalists. Eight schools have two finalists: Ann Arbor Greenhills, Ann Arbor Huron, Bloomfield Hills, Detroit Catholic Central, Grosse Pointe South, Kingsford, Olivet and Saline.
Photo 1: Grace Roth and Hunter Easton (both at middle) with their families and Mr. Laatsch. Photo courtesy of Saline Area Schools
Photo 2: Grace Roth speaking to the school board. Photo courtesy of SAS
Photo 3: Hunter Easton speaking the school board. Photo courtesy of SAS
8123 Main St Suite 200 Dexter, MI 48130
