Way to Go! Elwood student-athlete on the right track
James Rourke, a senior at Elwood-John H. Glenn High School, has excelled running track. Credit: Elwood School District
An Elwood student is proving he’s on the right track.
James Rourke, a senior at Elwood-John H. Glenn High School, has accumulated achievements that range from serving as president of his school's Habitat for Humanity Club to being the inaugural co-president of his school's Best Buddies Chapter, which pairs students with peers who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.
He is also captain of his school’s winter and spring track teams and has received a number of accolades in the sport — such as having been named all-league and all-county in the 300 meters as well as his team's most valuable player. He is also on the varsity soccer team and has been named all-conference, all-league and his team's leading scorer.
Most recently, Rourke was a winner of a News12 Long Island Scholar Athlete Award, which comes with a $1,000 college scholarship from Bethpage Federal Credit Union.
"I think it’s a testament to a lot of the coaches that we have here, and the faculty and the administration that we have in the building," Rourke, 17, said of receiving the award. "It wasn't a one-man show at all."
Rourke's other activities include being student body president and a member of his school's marching band, Freshman Buddies mentor program, and a peer-helping program called Natural Helpers. He is also an Eagle Scout and has participated the American Legion Boys State, a program on the structure of government.
— MICHAEL R. EBERT
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
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