Portage High School’s Jake Dixon has had quite a senior year. On Saturday night, he added the title of Portage 2011 Outstanding Young Man to his already impressive resume. Dixon, who already has a full ride scholarship to play football at Fordham University, earned a $1,800 cash scholarship. He also took home a medallion, plaque, wrist watch, one year YMCA membership, Josten’s Graduation Package, gift certificates and gifts.
Dixon was selected as the winner out of a field of 20 well-rounded contestants in the 20th annual Outstanding Young Man program at PHS. The boys were judged on their individual interviews with the judges (30%), academics (10%), the physical segment (20%), the casual segment (20%) and presentation and address (20%). The majority of the judging (60%) was done prior to the event.
The four finalists, in order from first to fourth, were Christian Cherry, Zach Vaughn, Alan Barrett and Kevin Hinkle. There were several other award winners, all of whom received a $175 scholarship. Killian Kidd, Nathan Johnston and Tristian Pearman were all winners in the casual segment, while student council secretary Eric Curbow, aspiring musician Issac Perez and tennis standout Kyle Tampier were the top three in the dress. Parth Patel, who is sixth in his class, was one of the young men honored for his academics. Alex Acosta (10th) and Dean Anderson (12th) were also recognized for their excellence in the classroom.
A trio of Portage athletes took the top spots in the physical fitness segment. Baseball studs Mike Brunner (first baseman/pitcher) and Sam Puchalski (outfielder) were joined by football player Brian Barnes.
Dustin Edwards, who performed superbly on the saxophone during the talent portion, was presented with the Stevens Award. This honor is named after former Portage studio director Joe Stevens, who founded the OYM program. It is given to a person who shows up on time and works hard during rehearsals. Other performers during the talent segment, which was not required, included Parth Patel and Issac Perez. Patel performed an Indian dance, while Perez did a drum solo. The crowd was surprised with two special treats, 2010 Junior Miss Lexi Elisha singing and all 20 of the contestants performing “Wonder Wall” by Oasis as a group.
Dave Ybarra and Alex Acosta were given Good Guy Awards. Ybarra has been a student manager for seven years for a variety of sports including football, basketball, softball, wrestling and baseball.
The night was not only about Dixon and the 19 other senior boys. Indiana University’s Evan Dominquez, who was named Portage’s OYM in 2010, returned to speak to the crowd and assist in hosting the event. Dominquez is majoring in chemistry and made the Dean’s List for his first semester with a GPA of 3.869. In addition, longtime judge Dorothy Laco was honored for her years of service. Laco has been a judge for the program for all 20 years. She received a plaque from emcee Troy Williams on behalf of everyone involved in the event.
Principal Caren Swickard spoke about all the accomplishments of members of the program. Members of Captains’ Council, All-Conference athletes, participants in plays, musicals, variety shows, art club, foreign language clubs and student council were all represented. Six of the students have A or A- averages, while 17 are owners of a B average or better. Half of the young men hold part time jobs.
“These dedicated young men know that there are no shortcuts to the top. We, at Portage High School, are very proud of these young men because we know that they have what it takes to reach the top,” Swickard said.