Outstanding in the classroom, great service to her school community and the community at large, and she just might be able to go all William Tell on you and shoot an apple off the top of your head with an arrow. All of that, and more, make up the reasons why that Hopkinsville’s Allison Delahunt is the latest student-athlete to be named a Chick-fil-A ‘Triple A.’
A sharp-shooting member of the archery team at Hopkinsville High, Allison has it ‘on-target’ in many areas of her young life. She happens to carry a 3.8 GPA.
With her great efforts in the classroom, she is a member of the National Honor Society. The National Honor Society allows students to learn how to help within the community while also learning to be a leader in that community. As a member of the National Honor Society, Allison has helped in many different areas of her school and community.
She was accepted into the Youth Leadership program this past year as a junior year. To be in the Youth Leadership program you must be selected based on the application which asks you to name the organization you are associated with, GPA, and write an essay. Only 30 students from the high schools in Christian County are accepted into the program. In the program, students get to go throughout the community and learn about different aspects of it and learn how each part works together to benefit the entire community.
Within Youth Leadership, there are smaller groups and within these groups, students must do service projects to benefit targeted groups such as Boys to Men, Sanctuary House, and Special Olympics. Participants must spend at least one hour per month helping their group.
As a sophomore, was received 2nd place in the Career Exploration at Educators Rising state competition. Allison says “Teaching has always been my passion. So when I found out there is competition in teaching. I immediately joined. Educator Rising has multiple different types of competitions from creating poster boards to career exploration. Career exploration is a competition that requires me to job shadow a principal at a school in my county, make a slideshow of what I did during the job shadowing, do an on-the-spot speech about what I saw that day, and answer any questions the judges may have.”
She is also a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. The NSHSS is an organization that recognizes top scholars who are leaders, dedicated, and helpful. Through the organization, Allison has access to scholarships, gets the chance to meet with other future-minded peers, and prepare for college.
Even with her obvious focus on academics, Allison finds time to be involved in both her school community and her overall community. She is involved with the Beta Club. Beta is a club that allows high-achieving community-minded students to come together and volunteer in different areas of the community to make it better. Allison notes ‘I love being part of Beta Club because you get to work with hardworking smart leaders much like myself.” By the end of her junior year, she had volunteered more than 31 hours.
Allison is a multi-year participant in the Kentucky Youth Assembly. KYA is a mock legislative or judicial conference that aims to teach students how the legislative and judicial systems work and helps in creating the next generation of political leaders.
Through her membership in the National Honor Society, Allison has had the opportunity to help in many different areas of her school, from concession stands at a band competition to field days to adopt a teacher (a program that allows students to be assigned a teacher they provide encouraging gifts to every month) to making valentines for teachers. She adds “NHS has provided me with opportunities to serve not only in my school but within my community such as the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast, Feeding America, and Trash for Cash. NHS has taught me how simple it is to lift someone’s spirits and how to take charge in my community.”
As a person who wants to help out in her community, the Key Club was another perfect opportunity for this outstanding young lady to exhibit her leadership and skills. Allison says “Key Club has given me experience helping out in many ways such as bell ringing for the Salvation Army, serving food at Joy’s Closet’s gala, donating candy bars and drinks to Hopkinsville High school teachers, and help out with welcome events for new teachers.”
Her faith also plays a very important role in her life. Allison attends Southside Church of Christ in Hopkinsville, and there you will find her involved in several aspects of the life of the church. She is an active member of the youth group at Southside.
The youth group at Southside participates in conventions like the Christian Youth Conference, Impact, and Spring Retreat. The group helps within the church and the community. Southside offers children’s worship during Sunday sermons in which children under the age of 5 can participate. It is the weekly responsibility of two youth group members to help with children’s worship. They have also done other events such as a Valentine’s Day dinner for older church members and making gift baskets for the fire, EMT, and police departments.
Allison also helps out with Vacation Bible School and Camp Can Do at Southside.
By the way, this summer, Allison is spending time at Morehead State University, taking part in the 2024 Governor’s Scholars Program. Busy young lady eh?
All of this, and more, adds up to why Allison Delahunt is the latest of the exceptional student-athletes in this area to be named as Chick-fil-A ‘Triple A.’
