Leah Seibert with big smiles and quiet grace received the Ken and Betty Joy Blankenship Student Achievement Athlete of the Year Award. She beat out 51 other regional winners from around the state at Monday's Bryant-Jordan Scholarship banquet in Birmingham. Leah was chosen for her ability to overcome major obstacles during her high school athletic career. “It was an incredible honor. It still feels so surreal. I took my trophies to the school this morning because I wouldn't have won them without my community and school,” Seibert said.
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| Bryant-Jordan Winners - RaKavius Chambers of Opelika High School and Leah Seibert of Elkmont High School - Congratulations! |
During her freshman year, she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a cancer of the connective tissues. Of the two types of RMS, she was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, which tends to grow faster and usually requires more intense treatment. Since diagnosis, the Elkmont cheerleader and softball player has spent as much time in the hospital for treatment as on the sideline or in the dugout. Seibert's attitude in the face of such adversity has inspired her friends and teammates at Elkmont on and off the field. Most impressive, the Elkmont senior has managed to maintain a 4.14 GPA, despite routinely missing school for cancer treatments.
“The hardest part has been staying away from home so much,” said Seibert. “I've always been such a social person. It's hard staying in Memphis for a week and being away from friends; just trying to be a normal teenager.”
“I've never seen her through this whole process without a smile on her face,” said Elkmont cheerleader sponsor Cindy Wales. “From the day she was diagnosed. That's just how she is. She's tried to keep her schedule and activities as normal as she can.”
“She has faced it head-on. She's always had a positive outlook,” said Elkmont softball coach Mary Jane Hobbs. “Anytime I'm having a bad day, I remember that it's nothing compared to what she's going through. The kids look to her. She is there cheering them on and does what she is asked to.”
“We think we are supposed to take care of her, but she tends to take care of us,” said Hobbs. “She takes her leadership role very serious. She wants to be there with the team always.”
Third Elkmont winner
Becoming one of eight regional winners in each classification is difficult enough, but Seibert is the third state winner of the Bryant-Jordan Achievement Award from Elkmont High School. Rhett Bailey won the award in 2014 while Kristen Ball won the award 10 years earlier. “Elkmont is a great community. Once you're a Red Devil, you are always a Red Devil” said Cindy Wales. “We've always rallied around our community and this is no different.”
To read more:
Elkmont's Leah Seibert wins top award at Bryant-Jordan banquet
Leah Seibert - Regional Bryant-Jordan Winner
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