Tatum Lyon and Calvin Urdahl selected as ExCEL Award Winners

Congratulations to Tatum Lyon and Calvin Urdahl on being named this year’s ExCEL Award winners!

Every year SAVHS has the chance to recognize two junior students through the Minnesota State High School League’s ExCEL Award program. The ExCEL Award - Excellence in Community, Education, and Leadership - is designed to recognize students who participate in school activities, are leaders in the school, and demonstrate a strong commitment to community service.

Lyon and Urdahl stood out among a talented junior class for their impressive leadership on their teams and in the school community, strong academic performance, and dedication to community service.

Tatum is a member of the cross country, Nordic ski, and track teams, serving as a captain for both cross country and track. She has helped the cross country team to three state meet appearances and has been a Tri-Metro Conference champion in both the 3200m and 4x800m relay events on the track. She has been named All-Conference in all three sports, while also earning Academic All-State honors.

At school, Tatum has a 4.0 GPA and is involved with National Honor Society (NHS), Yearbook, Youth in Government, and Model United Nations. Lyon also has a remarkable commitment to serving her community, volunteering her time in a number of different ways. Some of those ways include being a camp counselor for girls age 7-12, giving sailing tours to raise money for leukemia research, writing cards to grieving families through the Dragonfly Project, serving meals weekly through her church, tutoring younger students, and coaching youth in soccer and track.

Calvin plays football, hockey, and baseball, and was named a captain for both the hockey and baseball teams. He has been awarded All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in baseball twice, and was most recently named the District’s Most Valuable Receiver for football. Last hockey season, he ranked second on the team in points, with 11 goals and 10 assists as a sophomore.

Outside of sports, Urdahl is involved with NHS, Student Council, the Entrepreneurship Club, and is a member of the Honor Roll with a 4.0 GPA. In the community, Calvin has had the chance to serve by packing meals at Feed My Starving Children and helping with highway cleanup efforts.