Waukon High School wins NEIC Sportsmanship Award for first time ...

Students from Waukon High School accepted the Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) Sportsmanship Award from students at Decorah High School during the Tuesday, September 5 volleyball match between the two schools played at Decorah. Waukon was named the award winner for the 2016-2017 school year, the first time the school has ever won the award, although it has placed second in each of the last three years to Decorah, which has won the award the last seven years in a row. "This is my proudest moment so far here as an AD," Waukon High School Activities Director Brian Hilsabeck said of the award. "It's a testament to how we do things here at Waukon High School." The award winner is determined by a scoring system that event officials turn into their respective State Athletic Associations - the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and the Iowa High School Athletic Association - for a school's fans, athletes and coaches. Those scores are then turned in by each of the seven NEIC schools to Mary Herman of the Northeast Iowa Conference to be averaged for determination of the award winner. Along with the banner, the school's name is also engraved on a traveling trophy that resides in the award-winning school with the banner during the year following its honoring. An assembly recognizing the school district for this first-ever honoring is being planned for later this week at the Waukon High School gymnasium. Pictured above at the banner presentation are, left to right, Decorah High School senior students Steven Baldridge and Jerod Redenius presenting the banner to Waukon High School senior student Abe Schwartz and junior students Mary Vander Velden and Aubree Cota. Submitted photo.