Serving Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Oak Park & Westlake Village
Monday, July 8, 2024
LEGACY—Above, left to right, awardees Michael Sieber, Hannah Thompson and Brady Russ. Courtesy photos
Three Agoura High School students were named recipients of the Be Like Carter Scholarship awarded twice a year in memory of Carter Stone, an incoming first-year student at Agoura High who passed away in 2022 unexpectedly just before the start of the school year and after making the football team.
“These scholarship winners honor Carter Stone and his legacy,” said Clint Cummings, athletic director for the school.
“Carter was funny, kind and had a strong work ethic. The scholarship recipients represent the best in athletics and academics,” Cummings said.
The boy was 15 when he died.
The winners are: senior Michael Sieber, a defensive player and long-snapper for the Agoura High School football team; 11th-grader Hannah Thompson, a varsity soccer player; and 11th-grader Brady Russ, a third-year varsity member of the school’s lacrosse team and team captain.
Scholarship winners are selected based on character traits they display on and off the field: work hard, be true, be humble, be kind.
Carter Stone in his freshman football photo at Agoura High.
Carter Stone in his freshman football photo at Agoura High.
Michael said his goal is to create something that will go into space and explore the universe. He plans to go to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida next year to major in mechanical engineering with a focus on space and robotics. His community volunteer work includes helping at homeless and rehabilitation shelters and animal shelters. Michael was a volunteer coach for kindergarten flag football at the Yarrow Family YMCA.
Hannah said she dreams of being a doctor. She wants to study pre-med, chemistry or health sciences at a four-year university. She currently volunteers at West Hills Hospital.
During the pandemic, Hannah started a project that raised more than $700 to provide more than 100 meals to needy people through an organization called Hunger Not Impossible.
Brady volunteers with such organizations as the Boys Team Charity, My Stuff Bags and Ruben Castro Charities. Through the City of Agoura Hills, he coached a six-week beginner lacrosse class for boys and girls ages 5 through 12. Brady’s goal is to attend a four-year university and study business or sports management.
“Their desire to help others is making a difference in the community,” Cummings said.
California Strong/Southeast Ventura County YMCA and Proactive Sports fund the scholarships. California Strong was founded by professional athletes with the YMCA after the 2018 Woolsey fire to provide support after a natural disaster. Agoura Charger alumni Ryan Capretta founded Proactive Sports in Westlake Village.
Each winner receives a $500 scholarship, four months of training at Proactive Sports, a nutrition plan and an in-person mentoring session with California Strong founder and former professional baseball player, Ryan Braun.
For more about Be Like Carter, go to belikecarter.com.
—Acorn staff report
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