LRHS — Ben Johnson and Olivia Deschenes

Four local athletes were recognized at the Western Maine Conference Citizenship Banquet held on March 1.

Each year, the WMC sponsors an awards banquet to honor students from each school in the conference. Every WMC school is asked to select two graduating seniors for their overall contributions to their school in the areas of academics, athletics, leadership and extracurricular activities, as well as for their attitude and consideration of others.

Lake Region athletes selected were Olivia Deschenes and Ben Johnson.

Olivia is a member of the National Honor Society, Interact Club and Leadership Club. In field hockey, she was selected to the following: All-Academic Team, All-Conference Team, Player of the Year and All State. She is also a member of the Laker girls’ lacrosse team. Olivia has also been honored as a Lions Club Student of the Month and Rotary Club Good Citizen.

“Olivia’s hard work, determination and desire to do well has been beneficial for her, as well as our LRHS community,” said her banquet bio sheet.

Ben has been a member of the LR golf and outdoor track & field teams. He received the Rick Worthley Award for golf as a junior, participated in Boys’ State, was inducted into the National Honor Society as a sophomore, has been class vice president all four years, and is near the top of his class.

“Ben is an exceptional student, who strives hard to meet all the demands in life. He is good natured, polite and dedicated to performing well in both the classroom and academic environment,” his bio reads. “Ben is a positive influence and role model within the Lake Region school community.”

Fryeburg Academy students selected were Emily Carty and Ryan Hewes.

FA — Emily Carty

FA — Ryan Hewes

Emily was inducted into NHS as a sophomore and challenges herself in the classroom by taking FA’s most difficult courses. She is a member of Interact Club, CAKE, Girl Up and Partner’s Club, all of which focus on community involvement and volunteer work. She is a noted leader in each setting.

Athletically, she competes in cross-country, which she finished in the Top 10 for three years. After earning the Most Improved skier award in ninth grade, Emily earned a spot on the Eastern Regional U-16 Nordic team and was WMC All-Conference as a sophomore. She also competed in track & field and softball.

Ryan was inducted into NHS as a sophomore, is an Interact member, and volunteers at the Fryeburg Dinner Bell, Fryeburg Health and Residential Living Center and Camp Sunshine in Casco. He was nominated to Boys’ State.

Athletically, Ryan competed in football (playing cornerback and wide receiver) and basketball (captain his junior and senior years).