Tigard High students have made it clear that academics are just as important to them as their athletics and activities. This year, we have done better than ever before when placing in our spring sports and activities in the OSAA Academic All-State. Whether it be softball, band, or girls tennis, OSAA has ranked Tigard as having some of the highest GPA’s.

The OSAA Academic All-State competition is where athletes in various activities compete not only in their activities, but also to have the highest GPA while being successful in that. This year, in particular, is an excellent one for Tigard students.

“I think the reason these student-athletes succeed in the classroom is because all the research shows students who are athletes have the highest success rate in high school due to what they learn in their sport.  The characteristics instilled through sport carry over to the academic world and in this case are recognized by the OSAA,” Alan Boschma said.

Softball player, Sara Moss wasn’t surprised when softball ranked #1 for Academic All-State. “My team is a very hardworking group of people,” Moss said. Athletes often take pride in both working hard for their sport and in school.

Balancing sports, school and their social lives is difficult. Athletes often have to be very particular with how they spend their time. “Knowing when to say no is huge, if you don’t buckle down, nothing will get done. You have to focus and get your work done on time,” Moss said.

Softball coach Pete Kostel couldn’t be happier with his players. “I expect our girls to always have high GPA’s. We have great kids that buy into the student athlete-mentality and do a great job in the classroom and the field. It’s a great honor for the high school,” Kostel said.

Tigard rankings:

Girls Track       9th

Boys Tennis     7th

Orchestra         7th

Boys Golf         6th

Speech             6th

Boys Track      4th

Baseball           3rd

Girls Tennis    2nd

Band                 1st

Solo                   1st

Softball             1st
This is the best Tigard has ranked in years. Our athletes and our students encourage others around them to make Tigard what it is today.