AARP Eye Center
Kanawha County two-sport athlete, strong academic performer earns statewide honor
CHARLESTON – Jared Phalen of Riverside High School has been selected as the AARP West Virginia/MetroNews Scholar Athlete of the Week for the week of September 7.
A senior, Jared is a 4.82 g.p.a. AP Honors student and a member of Mu Alpha Theta National Math Honor Society. His school activities include Prom Committee, Ski Club and Baseball Diamond Club. He is the son of John and Missy Phalen of Glasgow.
He is a four-year starter with the Riverside varsity soccer team, serving as team captain as a junior and senior. He earned Honorable Mention All-Mountain State Athletic Conference honors as a junior, and was the team’s co-Most Valuable Player as a Freshman. He is also a four-year member of the Warrior’s varsity baseball team. In a starting role last season, Jared helped the Warriors earn Sectional and Regional Championships en route to a berth in the 2014 WVSSAC Class AAA State Baseball Tournament and a State Runner-Up finish.
On a community level, Jared is actively engaged in volunteer and service activities in the Upper Kanawha Valley through the Glasgow United Methodist Church youth group. He has served as a peer volunteer and field instructor with youth baseball camps in the area during the past four years, and assists as a field maintenance volunteer at Riverside High School.
Phalen will attend West Virginia University in Fall 2015, where he plans to major in Chemical Engineering. He hopes to apply to law school, following completion of his undergraduate degree.
During the 2014 Fall Sports season, one high school student athlete will be selected each week as the AARP West Virginia Scholar Athlete of the Week and recognized on the popular West Virginia MetroNews High School GameNight program, which airs 9:30 p.m. – midnight each Friday night on nearly 40 radio stations across the Mountain State .
West Virginia student athletes in Grades 11 and 12 with a minimum 3.0 grade point average are eligible for the award. Nominees should excel in one or more athletic program, and be active within their community through service and community involvement. Nomination forms may be completed online at http://wvmetronews.com/scholar-athlete-of-the-week.
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AARP WV Media Contact: Tom Hunter, 304.340.4605, tphunter@aarp.org