Previously called the All-Academic Award, this award is given annually to AHS students who meet the following criteria:

• Awarded to students in grades 9-12 in May each year.

• Student must maintain a 3.8 GPA average for Term 4 (of the previous year), Term 1, Term 2, and Term 3.

  • Transfer students and Freshmen use grades from Term 1, Term 2, and Term 3.

  • Early graduating seniors use grades from Term 4, Term 1, and Term 2.

Students who meet these standards will receive an Academic Letter and a ribbon medal their first year, then a ribbon medal each year following. A student who earns this award through their four-year high school career would receive an Academic letter and four medals.

*Please note that for the 2020-21 school year, Term 4 of 2019-20 was not used in calculating winners for this award because GPAs were frozen due to COVID-19.

This award is given annually to AHS students who meet the following criteria:

• Awarded to students in grades 9-12 in May each year.

• Student must maintain a 3.5 GPA average for Term 4 (of the previous year), Term 1, Term 2, and Term 3.

  • Transfer students and Freshmen use grades from Term 1, Term 2, and Term 3 grades.

  • Early graduating seniors use grades from Term 4, Term 1, and Term 2.

• Must participate in a Varsity sport.

Students who meet these standards will receive a certificate from the Central Wisconsin Conference. A student who earns this award through their four-year high school career would receive four certificates.

*Please note that for the 2020-21 school year, Term 4 of 2019-20 was not used in calculating winners for this award because GPAs were frozen due to COVID-19.

The winners of Letters, Pins, and Bars are determined by each sport's coach. Generally, the award is given to students based on effort, teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship.

• Awarded to students in grades 9-12 at the end of that sport's season. (For example, Volleyball awards are usually given out in November once the postseason is over.)

• The coach provides the office with a list of students who have met the coach's requirements to earn a Letter in that sport.

• Students only receive one actual Athletic Letter during their Amherst High School career, but they can meet that standard many times. Here is an explanation of what items a student can win using Volleyball, Girls Basketball, and Softball as examples.

  • Jane earns a Letter in Volleyball her freshman year, so she receives an Athletic Letter and a Volleyball Pin.

  • Jane then earns a Letter in Girls Basketball her freshman year. Since she already received an Athletic Letter for Volleyball, she will receive a Girls Basketball Pin.

  • If Jane then earns a Letter in Softball her freshman year, she will receive a Softball Pin.

  • When Jane is a sophomore, she earns another Letter in Volleyball. So she receives a Bar of Service since she already has an Athletic Letter and a Volleyball Pin.

  • She earns another letter in Girls Basketball her sophomore year, so she gets a Bar of Service since she already has her Girls Basketball pin.

  • Now let's say Jane goes out for Track & Field instead of Softball her sophomore year and she earns a Letter. As this is her first year earning an Athletic Letter in this sport, she will receive a Track & Field Pin.

  • If Jane participates in Volleyball every year for four years and earns a letter each year in that sport, she will have an Athletic Letter, a Volleyball Pin, and three Bars of Service. If she earns a letter every year for four years in Girls Basketball, she will have a Girls Basketball Pin and three Bars of Service. And if she earns a Letter for one year of Softball and three years of Track, she will have one Softball Pin, one Track & Field Pin, and two Bars of Service for Track.

• Coaches can also award Captain, Manager, Most Improved Player (MIP), and Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards. MIP and MVP winners receive plaques with an engraved plate featuring their name, the sport, and the school year. Captains and Managers receive a Captain Pin or a Manager Pin for every year they are named captain/manager in a sport.

The William Engel Award is awarded by the Activity Director to one senior boy and one senior girl each year. The requirements are:

• Student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 or higher.

• Student must participate in at least two varsity sports.

The students chosen for this award will receive their name on a plaque that is displayed in the Amherst High School commons.