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Anna is a freshman at Simla High School and she has not missed a single day of school since the second grade. Motivated by sports, she has been on the honor roll year after year.
"For basketball, if I don't keep my grades up I don't play and that's something I don't want to happen. Keeping my grades up is very, very important. It's like me getting fired from a job."
Anna also helps her parents out at home, like cooking meals for her siblings. She says she sees it as preparing herself for adulthood.
"For me to step up, I feel like it's me learning because I will be gone in three years. It's me getting to know, I guess, what it will be like when I don't have my parents."
But Anna goes a step further and does community work, bagging and delivering toys throughout eastern Colorado with Toys for Tots.
"That's my favorite part is delivering toys and seeing their parents and the kids' faces of them getting gifts that maybe the parents can't provide. I also love bagging toys because what if this kid wants this or maybe it's something that I may not have had that they get to have for Christmas."
Back to the court, she's playing productive minutes on a top-three team in class 2A. She's averaging 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals on the year.
"It means everything to me. I think it's just great to come out as a freshman but it's also great to have the team I have. I love my team and it's just great."
Anna mentioned how proud she is to be from Simla, saying she wouldn’t trade it for the world and couldn’t imagine being from any other town because to her Simla just feels like one big family.
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About Athlete of the Week
News5 works to honor the high school Athlete of the Week throughout the school year in our Tuesday evening newscasts. We’re looking for that special teen who is working hard and playing right all while making parents and coaches proud.
Nominate your Athlete of the Week today! See our current and past athletes of the week, click here.
