East Grand Rapids High School is known for its tradition of excellence and its numerous state championships, however, this year East is being recognized for their athletic program as a whole. East is receiving the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Exemplary Athletic Program Award for the first time this year. Any school in Michigan has the ability to apply for the award. The program requires each participating school to go through hundreds of questions about their athletic program. Athletic director Tim Johnston explained how the process works:

The committee reviews what kinds of programs the school offers, coaches training, involvement, participation, supplies, facilities, support from boosters, and more. Once all this information is gathered, they come to the school and interview students, coaches, and staff to confirm that everything is true. After this year-long process, they follow a rubric to determine which school deserves the award. Johnston said we are the 25th school in the entire state to receive this award.

“It’s exciting for us because it’s a good look at a review of what it is that we do. It’s nice because it doesn’t just recognize one team, it recognizes the whole program, so I’m proud about that,” Johnston said.

East will be recognized at the State Athletic Directors conference this March and they will present the award to the school this coming Fall at a large game. This award has proven how dedicated our sports program is and has allowed East to be recognized for their tradition of excellence.