Laurel Highlands
Fayette County Student/Athlete Scholarship Program Monaghan exudes success
UNIONTOWN – At the 46th annual B’nai B’rith Sports Awards Banquet, Michol Erin Monaghan was “officially” honored.
Three years earlier, Monaghan, then a freshman, was “officially” nominated for the award, only to have the nomination rescinded when it was found out the honor had to go to a senior.
Some luck huh? But the honor alone of being nominated wasn’t lost on Monaghan.
“Mr. (Tom) Walls, one of my soccer coaches, nominated me for the B’nai B’rith when I was a freshman,” Monaghan said. “It was very touching. It made me feel that I had worked hard and made an impression as a freshman. I had to wait a couple years, but that was OK.”
Just about everything Monaghan touched during her four-year high school career turned out more than OK, and, for that reason, she will be honored once again for her efforts.
Monaghan was selected as the top female student/athlete at Laurel Highlands High School and will receive a $500 scholarship through the Fayette County Student/Athlete Scholarship Program.
The program, sponsored by Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law in conjunction with the Herald-Standard, will provide $7,000 in scholarship money to 14 of Fayette County’s best and brightest student/athletes.
The Scholarship Program will culminate with a banquet, to be held Sunday at 5 p.m. at Uniontown Country Club. At that time, each honoree will receive $500 towards a college education. The program will be videotaped by HSTV for tape-delayed broadcast.
Monaghan has had a busy four years. The daughter of Gary and Louise Monaghan, she finished as Laurel Highlands’ co-valedictorian out of a class of 242 with a grade-point-average of 4.3823. She will continue her education at Brown University in Providence, R.I., and major in economics.
Monaghan’s ninth-grade B’nai B’rith nomination my have been her first for an award, but it certainly wasn’t her last. She has been honored with the WPIAL Scholar/Athlete Scholarship, the B’nai B’rith Student/Athlete Scholarship, the National Honor Society Scholarship, the AMVETS Post 103 Joseph Vicites Memorial Scholarship and now, the Fayette County Student/Athlete Scholarship.
Throw in being named a Wendy’s High School Heisman finalist and a Principal’s Leadership Award, along with being named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Athlete of the Week and a winner of the KDKA-TV Extra Effort Award and it’s easy to understand why that ninth-grade B’nai B’rith nomination wasn’t unfounded.
Athletically, Monaghan earned 12 letters in three sports: soccer, track and field and cross country. She wound up being captains in all three sports, and was a PIAA and WPIAL cross-country and WPIAL track and field medallist, as well as being named a member of the Fayette County Coaches’ Association All-County Soccer Team.
Oh, by the way, Monaghan was president of the National Honor Society and president of her senior, junior and freshman class.
“It all makes me realize that other people appreciated what I’ve done,” Monaghan said. “When you’ve worked hard, that’s a great feeling. And it’s a great feeling to represent Laurel Highlands (at the Awards Banquet).
Along with Monaghan’s multitude of successes, there have been times of anxiety as well. Monaghan’s GPA reflects four years of never scoring below an ‘A’ on a test. No A-minuses either. There were also many late nights of homework and many days of waking up early to study or to finish up an assignment.
“I’ve had those days when it was tough,” Monaghan said. “I remember times when it was class elections or the night before a big test or paper and I would be stressed out or overwhelmed. But I always had my family to help me get through it. My brother (Colin) would stay up all hours of the night to help me. And my parents have been there and helped me get through some really tough times.”
Monaghan’s parents have always been there, standing proud, for the good times as well.
Ashton likes to point the way
As he’s grown older, William Ashton has learned when to listen and when to speak.
“There’s a time to be a follower, and a time to be a leader,” Ashton said.
The recent Laurel Highlands’ graduate has been busy with the latter throughout his high school career, and his efforts speak for themselves.
Ashton was selected as the top male student/athlete at Laurel Highlands High School and will receive a $500 scholarship through the Fayette County Student/Athlete Scholarship Program.
The program, sponsored by Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law in conjunction with the Herald-Standard, will provide $7,000 in scholarship money to 14 of Fayette County’s best and brightest student/athletes.
The Scholarship Program, will culminate with a banquet to be held Sunday at 5 p.m. at Uniontown Country Club. At that time, each honoree will receive $500 toward a college education. The program will be videotaped by HSTV for tape-delayed broadcast.
Ashton is now able to lead, because he took the time to sit back and watch the big dogs when he was younger, instead of trying to run with them.
“All through elementary school and junior high, there were no leaders and followers,” Ashton said. “When I started ninth grade, I was the low man on the totem pole. I learned to follow. Eventually, I was named a captain of the swim team when I was a senior, and I learned how to help younger athletes in their endeavors.”
Ashton has been setting a fine example throughout high school. The son of Bill and Lori Ashton, he was named Laurel Highlands’ salutatorian after finishing with a grade-point-average of close to 4.3.
Ashton will attend Brown University in Providence, R.I., and major in either electrical or computer engineering.
Perhaps one of the best adjectives to describe Ashton is reliable. Starting with the first day of kindergarten, he attended class every day for 13 straight years. Through upset stomachs, through dentist appointments, through senior skip days, Ashton was there.
“I never take a break. I think I can always be counted on to get things done for people.”
Ashton has got a lot done. He was a four-year letterman in swimming, and helped guide the Mustangs to a 14-1 record his senior season.
“My senior year of swimming was really big.
“We didn’t win the section, but we had our best season ever and it was really exciting to have two people from our team make it to the state finals.”
Ashton is also a member of the National Honor Society, a Kusniar Memorial Award winner, a chamber of commerce student of the month, a member of the Mustang track and field and cross country teams, a member of the marching and concert bands, a member of the quiz, math and JETS team, took part in the Hopwood Village Project and was also a Herald-Standard newspaper carrier.
“The more work I had to do, the more I wanted to take part in,” Ashton said. “I get more energy from participating in different activities.”
All the hard work Ashton put into each of those activities has now paid off.
“I was very proud to be named a top scholar athlete and to be able to represent Laurel Highlands,” Ashton said. “It makes you feel really good. I always thought Mikie (Monaghan) was the greatest, and I was always reading about her in the newspaper. Now, I’m there with her and it makes me feel really good.”
Spoken like a true leader.