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High School Golf Award Presented
Honoring the outstanding achievements of high school golfers .
The annual Kenneth Smith Award was presented to Thomas Gogel in August during a ceremony at Shawnee Mission East High School . The award is sponsored by the Kenneth L . and Eva S . Smith Foundation . It is awarded annually to both a Greater Kansas City Area High School female and male golfer who best demonstrate excellence in the following areas :
● Performance in high school golf tournaments
● Academic Achievement
● Leadership on the golf team and in other school areas
● Community Service through school , church , or other activities
All area high school golf team coaches and athletics directors were invited to submit nominations for this award .
As a senior at Shawnee Mission East High School ( SME ), Gogel won each regular season tournament and won the Sunflower League Championship ( i . e ., the lowest combined score in the three-round tournament ). Gogel won the Regional Tournament ( score of -1 ) and won the Kansas State 6A Championship in a playoff ( score of 68-70 ).
In the classroom , while enrolled in five advanced placement and honors courses , Gogel achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 4.36 on a 4.0 scale , placing him on the honor roll every semester — graduating Summa Cum Laude — earning him a Presidential Education Award each year , and earning him membership in the National Honor Society .
Gogel was Captain of the highly competitive and successful SME boys ’ golf team for three years , during which SME won three league team championships , two regional championships , and one state championship .
He was an executive officer at SME , one of eight elected SHARE executives who coordinated all school events for community service . The SME SHARE is regarded as the largest student-led volunteer organization in the nation .
Gogel was an SME Service Award recipient ( 150 + hours of service ) and a Gold Presidential Award recipient ( 250 + hours of service in one year ). He plans to continue his education this fall at Texas Christian University .
In recognition of Thomas Gogel ’ s outstanding performance during this past school year , a representative of the Kenneth L . and Eva S . Smith Foundation presented a $ 5,000 contribution to The First Tee of Greater Kansas City to support their cutting-edge child development programs , which teaches life skills to over 10,000 local kids annually .
A companion Kenneth Smith Award was presented last fall at the conclusion of the girls ’ high school golf season to Maya McVey of Blue Springs South High School .
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Thomas Gogel , the 2023 male Kenneth Smith Award winner .
For additional information about the Kenneth Smith Award , please contact Patrick J . McMahon at 913.491.9855 or plemcmahon @ earthlink . net .
22 September 2023 TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE