Friendships, athletics link top teens in April
MARION – Two Marion County students devoted to team sports and helping others were selected by a board of their peers.
Harding’s Marco Rodriguez and Pleasant’s Boston Osborne were selected as April winners of the Marion Star Teen of the Month award.
Adjusting to new school
As a sophomore at Marion Catholic High School, Marco and his classmates had their tight-knit world turned upside down when the school announced it was closing its doors for good at the end of the school year.
“Me and my friends had been attending Marion Catholic since kindergarten, so it wasn’t easy. We had to make a decision pretty quickly on where we were going to go to school,” said Marco, who eventually chose Harding for its offerings of advanced classes and its soccer program.
Moving to a new school brought about a lot of changes for Rodriguez.
“I went from a class of seven students to a class of 300. Everyone was already in there own cliques, and I was a little nervous about making friends,” Marco said. “Even not wearing uniforms seemed strange at first, but you’ve got to participate in the here and now.”
Marco said his positive outlook on life helped him through the transition, as did a couple of close friends, Dale Lingo and Carson Collins, who transferred with him.
“And being on the soccer team definitely helped,” he said. “I like to be outgoing. I’ve found that even hard things always seem to get better if you keep a positive attitude about them.”
Marco’s father, Oscar Rodriguez, died when he was a boy, but not before instilling a love of soccer in his son. Marco began playing organized soccer with Marion’s recreation league at age 4 but still considers his father his first coach.
He considers senior night at his last home game for the Presidents a highlight of his time at Harding. He also credits his mother, Rebecca Rodriguez, who stole the show on senior night by wearing a sombrero while accompanying her son across the field, as an inspiring figure in his life.
“She’s a single mom, a widow, and works three jobs to support us. She’s really awesome,” Marco said.
Marco is a member of the Teen Institute, the National Honor Society, Mock Trial and the Ohio Youth Led Prevention Network, a statewide student group addressing issues of substance abuse and mental illness. Marco will attend Ohio University in the fall to study social work and play club soccer and perhaps attempt to walk on the Bobcat varsity soccer team.
“I’m pretty busy, but I have more downtime than most people I know,” Marco said. “I make time for myself. I take naps to relieve stress.”
Although he’ll miss seeing his friends every day after graduation, Marco said, he won’t miss getting up a 6:30 every morning.
“In college, I hope to schedule my classes to avoid that,” he said.
A song and dance girl
You could say Pleasant’s Boston Osborne sang and danced her way through school when she wasn’t out running with her friends.
Boston, the daughter of Angie and Damon Osborne, both educators, credits her parents for keeping her focused on classwork.
“I never felt pressure to get good grades, but they motivated me to be a better student,” said Boston, who carries a 3.97 grade-point average.
Boston plans on attending the University of Cincinnati’s College of Allied Health Sciences to study dietetics, an interest sparked by the link between nutrition and athletic performance.
“I started running track and cross country in the seventh grade and stuck with it,” she said. “I like running because I can see my progress. I can run anywhere; it’s a great stress reliever. I was a state qualifier in cross country during my freshman year, which was a highlight of my career, but I just love bonding with the team and getting closer to the girls.”
She credits training with teammates Karen Queen and Hannah Peltier for keeping the fun in her workouts.
Boston also runs the 4x800, the mile and the 3200 for the Spartans track team.
She enjoys singing, dancing and theater productions as well, and she credits her nine years performing with the Rainbow Singers, a countywide Christian show choir, as her earliest introduction to the performing arts.
“I’ve done show choir for four years at Pleasant, but performing with the Rainbow Singers is different,” Boston said. “It’s less about making the perfect moves, and more about the message, which is God’s love.
“Plus, I got to meet a lot of people from outside my own school.”
jsmiller@nncogannett.com
Twitter: @motionblur56
Award Criteria
The Marion Star’s annual tradition awards area high school seniors for their efforts in academics, activities and volunteerism.
The Star’s teen board comprises about five students each from Marion Harding, Pleasant, Ridegedale, River Valley, Elgin and the Tri-Rivers Career Center. Each high school nominates one male and one female candidate each month.
Nominees must complete a nomination form, submit a one-page essay and provide a letter of recommendation, all of which are forwarded to The Marion Star. To ensure anonymity, names, addresses, phone numbers and anything pertaining to a school or individual are marked out and candidates assign a nickname.
The selection process concludes in May as the board selects two Teens of the Year.