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Our ND "seniors in the spotlight" - Jill Marshall, daughter of Paul Marshall and Maureen Torrey Marshall of Elba and Kevin Francis, son of Mark and Cindy Francis of Batavia - both recently received the prestigious Ronald McDonald Game Sportsmanship Award for their respective teams during the Saturday, March 28, 2009 Ronald McDonald High School Basketball All Star games held at R.I.T. It is a rarity that two student athletes from the same school are selected to represent their [Genesee Region] league and school in this annual showcase of local basketball talent, much less receive the same prestigious award as a result of their performance in this contest! Congratulation on jobs well done!

Kevin Francis is a very talented student-athlete and has been a stalwart member of our Fighting Irish Football, Basketball and Baseball programs throughout his high school career. He has been a member of our Section V Class D Varsity Football Championship team as a Sophomore and Section V Class D Varsity Baseball Championship team as a Junior earning Sectional [Section V – Rochester Region] patches during both of these seasons. He played a key role in the success of our Fighting Irish Baseball team last year which captured the NYS Far West Regional championship and advanced to the NYSPHSAA “Final 4” at SUNY Binghamton last June. Kevin earned a spot on this year's 2009 Section V Class D- All Star team for his exemplary play during our recently concluded season. Regardless of the sport, Kevin can always be counted on to play hard and give it his all. He consistently plays within the parameters of the rules and lets his performance on the field or court “speak for itself.” Kevin has been a very unselfish team member throughout high school and makes everyone else that much better by his presence in a line up. He was selected to receive the "Birdseye Player of the Year" in the Genesee Region by a vote of league coaches in addition to being selected to play in this year's Ronald McDonald High School Boys All Star Basketball contest!

Kevin is also the type of student who is capable of “stepping up” and taking on leadership roles. A two time Genesee Region All-Star in both football and basketball, Kevin is a leader by example both on and off the field of play. He has captained each varsity sport that he has competed in during his Junior and Senior years at Notre Dame. He is a role model for all of the younger student-athletes in our athletic programs. 

An individual who enjoys spending time helping others, Kevin has volunteered to assist others through his involvement with Salvation Army bell ringing at Christmas time, reffing grade school basketball games and assisting veterans at the Batavia Veterans Administration Hospital and Home.

Kevin is considering attending St. John Fisher College in Rochester, SUNY Fredonia and D’Youville College in Buffalo and is interested in pursuing a degree in business administration. He also has aspirations of continuing his football and/or basketball career at the collegiate level.

Jill Marshall has a never-ending thirst for knowledge and exhibits an outstanding work ethic on a daily basis at Notre Dame. She is the type of student that any instructor would love to have based on her appreciation for education and willingness to work hard to achieve her goals. She is the type of individual who is not afraid to challenge herself academically having spent the second semester of her Junior year as a Page for United States Representative Louise Slaughter in Washington, DC, as well as having taken summer courses at Cornell and Georgetown Universities.

A very well rounded individual and member in good standing of the National Honor Society, Jill served as her Class President during her 9th, 10th and 11th grade years at Elba. She is currently a contributing member of our Notre Dame Environmental Club, as well as our ND Mission Club and SADD organization during her senior year, as well as a member of the Genesee County Youth Court, a position to which she was appointed in December 2008.

A very talented student-athlete, Jill has been an integral part of our highly touted Fighting Irish Varsity Girls Cross Country and Basketball teams during the 2008-2009 school year. She has received numerous individual Genesee Region honors in Basketball and Soccer, as well as Section V NYSPHSAA All Star recognition in both Cross Country this past fall and in Basketball twice - once at Elba and this season at ND. She [like Kevin Francis] is the consummate team member, sacrificing individual recognition for the success of a team victory and was a fitting representative to this year's Ronald McDonald High School Girls All Star game from the GR league. She makes everyone better just by being in the lineup. She is a leader by example and has achieved prestigious NYSPHSAA student athlete status (minimum 90% team average) during each varsity sports season she has played during her combined high school career at Elba and Notre Dame.

Jill plans to continue her education at Cornell University while pursuing a degree in the area of nutritional science next fall.

The Notre Dame Family is proud to salute Kevin Francis and Jill Marshall as our spotlighted seniors for the month of April 2009 and wish them the best of luck next year at the collegiate level!!!

Pictured: Jill Marshall ‘09 and Kevin Francis ‘09

www.ndhsbatavia.com