Three-Sport Star TJ Smith Honored as
Lion's Club Athlete of the Month

For his exemplary work in the classroom and his leadership on the rink as a captain on Rye's Section Champion ice hockey team, senior TJ Smith has been named February's Lion's Club Athlete of the Month.

“It's a really big honor for me,” said Smith. “Growing up, I always read the paper and looked at that award and wanted to earn it one day. It's just exciting for me to be a part of something with such a rich tradition.”

In his time at Rye, Smith has been both a beacon on the field and in the classroom. A three-sport athlete, Smith served as a captain for football and hockey and will continue those duties in the spring for lacrosse. His teams have won numerous Sectional titles along the way, and Smith was also a part of 2005's State Champion football team. Most recently, he served as a major cog in the hockey team's run to the State Semifinals, and was named an All League player for his efforts. In football he took home an All State and All Section award in 2006, to go along with his All League honors from 2004-06. Smith was on varsity hockey all four years at Rye, and has been a varsity level player on football and lacrosse for the past three years.

In the fall of 2006, Smith was given the Christopher D. Mello Memorial Award for being the top scholar-athlete on the football team. Smith has consistently made honor roll at Rye since 2004.

Outside of school and sports, Smith takes part in Students Undertaking Services to Aid Those in Need, a volunteer group that provides the community with valuable services. He also wrote and presented a speech in Carnegie Hall for the Be Proud Foundation, which stressed the need to stamp out terrorism.

Somehow finding time between school and sports, Smith involved himself in the Teach for Change program in 2006 and helped Hispanic immigrants learn to speak English.

Come this fall, Smith will be heading off to Ohio State to play lacrosse.