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East Bay Senior Earns A Top Award

Tribune photo by JOHN CEBALLOS

Lauren Verbosky, center, receives a silver medal and a $2,000 check for East Bay High School from athletic director Scot Tipton and Wendy’s official Angie Valdez as the female winner of the Wendy’s Florida High School Heisman Award.

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By JOHN CEBALLOS

jceballos@tampatrib.com

Published: February 4, 2009

GIBSONTON - On the day East Bay High School seniors honored their peers, one student stood out.

A standout in four different high school sports, Lauren Verbosky was named the female winner of the Wendy's Florida High School Heisman Award.

During a Senior Notables assembly Jan. 27, Verbosky, who found out about the honor in November, received a silver medal, and the school accepted a $2,000 check from Angie Valdez, field marketing manager for Wendy's International.

"This award has been given out for 15 years now, and Lauren is as deserving a winner as we've ever had," Valdez said.

The $2,000 will go toward the school's athletic programs.

The Wendy's High School Heisman program was introduced in 1994 and celebrates the achievements of the nation's top high school seniors in and out of the classroom.

One male and one female winner from each state and the District of Columbia is chosen based on academic, athletic and leadership excellence. Noah Mosley of Rocky Bayou Christian School in Niceville, in the Florida panhandle, was the 2008 male winner.

Verbosky plays soccer, track and field and volleyball and is captain of the cross country team at East Bay. In March, she broke a 27-year-old school track and field record in the 400 meter race with a time of 59.5 seconds. Four days later, she broke her own record with a time of 59.28.

She also is the class valedictorian and class president. She's a nominee for the National Principal's Leadership Award and a recipient of the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award, which is presented to students who make a difference in their schools and communities.

"We're very proud of her," said Scot Tipton, East Bay's athletic director. "She represents what a student-athlete is all about."

Verbosky also received the Most Athletic and Best All-Around female athlete awards during the assembly. The 2009 senior class voted based on 21 categories, and the winners received a cardboard crown to wear in school for the day.

"I really appreciate all the love and support from all of you guys, and I couldn't have done it without you," Verbosky said.

Reporter John Ceballos can be reached at (813) 865-1555.

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