The following is being distributed at the request of the Newfoundland and Labrador High School Athletic Federation:

Newfoundland and Labrador High School Athletic Federation announces award winners at annual awards banquet, May 23, 2003

The Newfoundland and Labrador High School Athletic Federation will honor its top student athletes, coaches, sport administrators and schools at its Annual Awards Banquet. The banquet will take place at the Battery Hotel in St. John�s, Friday, May 23, in conjunction with the Federation�s Annual General Meeting.

The male and female Student Athlete of the Year Awards are named after Brother G.I. Moore, one of the founders of the Federation. Newfoundland Power supplies a $750 scholarship to each winner. As well, the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation will be giving the runners-up scholarships as follows: one scholarship of $500 for each male and each female first runner up, and one scholarship of $250 for each male and each female second runner up. The awards are presented to male and female students in their graduating year, who best combine athletic and academic success and sportsmanship.

The Female Student Athlete of the Year is Melissa Noonan. Noonan is a five-time winner of the High School Cross Country Running Championships, having won the junior event in Grades 8 and 9 and the senior event in Grades 10, 11 and 12. Along the way she helped her team to regional gold five times and provincial gold twice and silver once. Noonan has also been a standout in cross country skiing, winning five team gold medals, four individual gold medals and two team silver medals at the provincial level during her high school competitions. In Track and Field she has captured numerous medals at the provincial level and competed at the national level in middle and long distance events. Noonan has been a member of provincial track and cross country skiing teams, finishing among the top ten at national events in both sports.

The runners-up for the Brother G.I. Moore Female Student Athlete of the Year are Rachel Coffey from Gonzaga High in St. John�s and Michaela Alexander from Stephenville High.

Marc Pittman from St. Lawrence Academy is the recipient of the Male Student Athlete of the Year Award. Pittman has excelled in soccer and basketball, having represented Newfoundland and Labrador on four occasions at national championships. He has been a member of the provincial under-16 soccer, under-17 soccer and the 2002-2003 National Challenge Cup Team, which captured a silver medal. He has also represented the province in the under-15 Boys Basketball. Throughout his high school career, he has helped his teams to a junior cross country running banner, two provincial basketball titles and two soccer titles. Both as an individual and as part of a team, he has captured sportsmanship awards.

The runners-up for the Brother G.I. Moore Male Student Athlete of the Year are Tyrone Felix from Stephenville High and Lee Kendall from King Academy, Harbour Breton.

The High School Athletic Federation recognizes coaches who have had a particularly successful year with the Coach of the Year Award. Ron Blair from Eric G. Lambert School in Churchill Falls is this year�s winner. Within the last year, Blair has been very successful on a provincial level in a number of sports. He has coached teams that have won back-to-back Table Tennis championships, coached both the Badminton team and the Girls Volleyball team to silver medals and won the team sportsmanship award.

Carl Johnson from Baltimore High, Ferryland, and Terry Mosher from Queen Elizabeth High, Foxtrap, were the runners-up for this award.

The Coaching Service Award is presented to as many as three individuals per year. It is awarded based on a coach�s success and commitment to high school sports. This year�s recipients are Ken Hunt from Elwood High of Deer Lake and to Bob Riche and Ron Noseworthy, both of Bishops College in St. John�s. Ken Hunt has a high school coaching career spanning 30 years. He has been very involved in soccer and wrestling. His wrestling teams in particular have met with great success at the provincial and Atlantic levels. Bob Riche is known for his commitment to basketball at Bishops College in St. John�s. H e has been coaching senior boys basketball since 1983, with his teams winning numerous medals. He also has hosted the Provincial Boys 4A Basketball Championships on two occasions, as well as being to chair of the organizing committee for Hoopla 82 and 94. Ron Noseworthy of Bishops College has coached high school volleyball for 20 years. He has had seven city championships, eight regional championships, provincial medals and appearances at national tournaments and the Canada Games. In addition, he was assistant coach of the Memorial Seahawks for 2001.

The Honor Award is presented annually to an individual who has had a long and successful career as a high school coach, convenor and sports administrator. Charlie Barker from Elwood High in Deer Lake is this year�s recipient. Barker has been involved in high school sports for an amazing 31 years. His dedication to the sport of basketball has created a dynamic basketball environment in Deer Lake. He has coached both boys and girls teams throughout his career, developed a junior (Grades 6 - 10) program and has had many successful seasons coaching. For his efforts, he was named High School Coach of the Year in 1992. Barker has been heavily involved in all aspects of basketball, from officials development to convening regional, invitational and provincial tournaments. Finally, he was instrumental in implementing a school policy on the relationship between student athletes� grades and behaviour and their eligibility for extra-curricular activities.

The Federation honors schools that have had an exceptional year, in combination with strong overall programming, with its School of the Year Award. This year�s winners include: 2A School of the Year - Random Island Academy, 3A School of the Year - Baltimore High (Ferryland) and 4A School of the Year - Carbonear Collegiate. The School Milk Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador sponsors these awards.

Each of the 11 regions in the province recognizes an individual at their own regional level who has made a significant contribution to school sport. This year�s winners are:

• St. John�s Region - Mont Pritchett, Queen Elizabeth High, Foxtrap
• Trinity-Conception Region - Bob Alcock, Roncalli High, Avondale
• Avalon South Region - Thelma Stamp, Dunne Memorial, St. Mary�s
• Burin Peninsula Region - Vince Pickett, Sacred Heart School, Marystown
• Central East Region - Craig Ralph, Glovertown Academy
• Central Region - Douglas Wells, King Academy, Harbour Breton
• Central West Region - Bernard Ball, Retired Teacher
• Western Region - John Walsh, Piccadilly High, Port au Port Peninsula
• St. Barbe-Labrador Region - Todd Farrell, St. Mary�s All Grade, Mary�s Harbour
• Northern Region - Marg Urquhart, Goose High School, Goose Bay

Media contact: Karen Richard, Communications, (709) 729-2795

2003 05 16                                      2:40 p.m.