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Crystal Creamery Carton Salutes EHS Scholar Athlete
Kindberg mug

For one Escalon family, milk is likely being served as part of their graduation party menu because their high school graduate is being recognized as a top student athlete on a special-edition Crystal Creamery milk carton. Madison Kindberg, a senior at EHS, is one of 49 recipients of the 2018 Dale Lacky Scholarships.

Crystal Creamery has begun delivering new commemorative milk cartons to local grocery and convenience stores from Los Banos to Marysville to honor the winners of the 2018 Sac-Joaquin Section’s Dale Lacky and Clark Coover Scholarships. A long-time sponsor of the Sac-Joaquin Section, Crystal Creamery has recognized more than 150 Sac-Joaquin Section and State champions on their milk cartons over the past six years.

“These young people are so accomplished when it comes to producing top grades and being a student leader at their schools. This is a fun way to recognize four years of hard work in the classroom, on campus and on the playing field,” said John Harrington, director of marketing at Crystal Creamery. “We have always been impressed by the Lacky and Coover scholarship winners and we are excited for them as they begin their new chapter.”

Each year, every high school athletic league in the Sac-Joaquin Section nominates their top male and female candidates to the Dale Lacky and Clark Coover Scholarship Committee for consideration. The Section first awarded the Dale Lacky Scholarship in 1993 to honor the longtime principal of Woodland High School who also served as the Section President from 1966-1978 and as the California Interscholastic Federation State President from 1978-1980.

Initially, a scholarship was awarded to one male and one female athlete. Over the years, the Section has been able to expand the scholarship program through funds generated from “foundation games” where Section schools play designated basketball and volleyball games with 50 percent of the gate receipts being dedicated to the scholarship program thereby expanding the scholarship funding from two scholarships to 49 scholarships for graduating seniors. In addition, two $1,500 scholarships are awarded in honor of former Section President Clarke Coover who was the Section’s second Commissioner and served from 1968-1993.

Madison Kindberg was a $1,000 scholarship winner. She played golf and soccer for four years each, she also played basketball for two years. In golf, she was the team MVP three times, league MVP once; her senior year, the Cougars were divisional Section champions. In soccer, she was the team captain three times, team MVP once and was named most dedicated twice. She’s a member of CSF Club, Interact Club, FFA and Floral Club. She’s won academic excellence awards in six different subjects and she won the Escalon Kiwanis Writing Contest. She volunteers for Relay For Life, Fair Boosters, Escalon Rec and for the local large animal veterinary clinic. She is undecided on her college choice, but she plans on majoring in animal science with the future goal of becoming a veterinarian.

“The Dale Lacky and Clark Coover Scholarships are considered one of the most outstanding programs offered to Sac-Joaquin Section student athletes and we are very happy that Crystal Creamery partners with us to recognize these young leaders,” said Michael Garrison, the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Commissioner. “The commemorative milk cartons are unique to our program and add additional prestige to these student athlete scholarships.”

Crystal Creamery has been a sponsor of the Sac-Joaquin Section since 2012. The company became involved to support high school sports and help offset the continued cuts to athletic budgets. The company is a proponent of high-school athletics because it provides student athletes with unique experiences and an understanding of the importance of teamwork, dedication and commitment which can last them a lifetime.

The commemorative cartons can be found for a limited time at a variety of grocery and convenience stores including Bel Air, Raley’s Costless Markets, Holiday Market, Mar Val, O’Brien’s Market and Podestos.

The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section oversees high school athletics for 198 schools and 225,000 students. Its geographic boundaries stretch from Merced in the south, Grass Valley in the North, Napa to the west and the Nevada state line to the east. The Section is the second-largest of California’s 10 athletic sections.