Westerville North High School Senior Rachel Jackson signed a Letter of Intent to swim for Ohio University. She is pictured with her parents, Marilyn and Bruce Jackson.
Rachel Jackson’s friends, teammates, family members, teachers and coaches gathered at Westerville North High School on April 25 to watch as she signed her Letter of Intent to attend Ohio University in Athens, where she will swim competitively.
On the same day, Jackson was notified by Ray Stein, Sports Editor for The Columbus Dispatch, that she had been chosen, from a field of more than 200, as one of the newspaper’s top scholar-athletes for the 2012-2013 school year. Scholar-athletes were judged on accomplishments in the classroom, in the athletic arena and as leaders in their schools and communities. She will receive a $2,500 scholarship.
Jackson holds a 4.38 cumulative grade point average, and was named Outstanding Honors Chemistry Student and Outstanding Honors Physics Student. She was a winner of the Wendy’s High School Heisman award and was voted homecoming queen last fall. Jackson served on the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee and on the Forward Thinking Advisory. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, the International Club Fair, and the Spanish Club. She volunteered at Knights of Columbus events, at an animal shelter, as an English as a Second Language teacher’s aide, and as an office helper. She recently organized a community 5K run to benefit the Westerville Area Resource Ministry.
Jackson is a four-sport athlete. As a swimmer she was a state qualifier in her freshman and senior year. She was previously named to the 2nd team OCC, Honorable Mention; earned All-District honors two times; was Most Valuable Player during her freshman year; is a two-time letter winner; and was First Team All OCC this year. In track she was a district qualifier, top 8 finisher; was named “most improved” in 2011; earned a Dedication Award in 2010; and lettered twice. She ran cross country in grades 10 and 11, and, with her team, was a regional qualifier. She received a Coaches Award and lettered two times. She also served as Team Captain for Water Polo in 12th grade, a club sport.