Whiz Kid: Mercer Island High's Ben Emanuels a Leader on Field and in Classroom

Our next Whiz Kid shouldn't be a stranger to sports fans, high school teachers or the MIHS class of 2011. This week's Mercer Island Patch Whiz Kid is a student-athlete who is both visibly representing the high school (and the community) as a top-notch athlete and as an intellect.

Mercer Island Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: 

• Name, Age: Ben Emanuels, 17 years old
• School, Class:  , senior class of 2011
• Accomplishment: Voted "Most Inspirational Player" by his teammates, Ben was one of 4 backs (along with 4 lineman) selected from nominees from every high school in the greater Seattle area for the 45th Annual Scholar-Athlete Award from the Seattle/King County Chapter of the National Football Foundation. He also has a 3.85 GPA in a heavy Honors/AP curriculum and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT exam
• Why this is Awesome: Ben's classroom smarts rub off on teammates and coaches on the athletic field, helping Mercer Island High School as a three-sport Varsity athlete in Football, Basketball and Baseball (the only MIHS athlete to make varsity in all 3 major team sports in his class). As a team captain on the football teams, he led his team to their best finish in 5 years, leads the basketball team as captain as they make a run for the state title, and is a key player on the baseball team, earning Honorable Mention All-KingCo and Baseball Northwest Top Prospect watch list He’s also a Bridges leader at MIHS and a member of the Senior Service Club, National Honor Society and the National Society of High School Scholars. To cap it off, his community service includes coaching at the MI youth football summer camp, MI Little Dribblers program and MI Little League Player Development Program, and he has volunteered at Tent City, NorthWest Harvest and the Mercer Island Farmers Market.