Glacier High senior goes the distance for community service

Glacier High School senior Drew Engellant is described as a kind and giving person who leads by example and is respected by his peers and teachers.

Glacier Principal Micah Hill used these words to describe Engellant, who is the inaugural “Today’s Achievers, Tomorrow’s Leaders” honoree.

“Drew has been a model student/citizen in the time that I have known him,” Hill wrote in his nomination letter. “He is kind and accepting to everyone and goes out of his way to say ‘hi’ and acknowledge people. He displays his integrity, compassion, and excellence in a variety of ways, most of which are reflected in the type of community service he is involved in.”

Today’s Achievers, Tomorrow’s Leaders is a new program organized by Kalispell Regional Healthcare in collaboration with the Daily Inter Lake to recognize the academic achievements and community involvement of high school students who contribute to improving the lives of others. As part of the program, honorees choose a school club or activity to donate $250. Engellant plans to donate the money to the Special Olympics program at his school.

Besides academics — he is a 4.0 student — and athletics — he plays basketball, tennis and lacrosse — Engellant is heavily involved in community service.

One of the programs volunteers for is Special Olympics. He became involved with the program a couple of years ago when he was asked to referee by a family friend and teacher. He has since gone on to help with coaching, in addition to playing on the Unified Sports team, finding the experience enriching and rewarding as he gets to teach and play alongside friends.

He has also served as a Good Grief Camp counselor for children who have lost a loved one. Good Grief Camp is led by grief professionals and trained volunteers.

“I was there to bring some fun and energy,” he said.

Engellant said he initially got involved with Good Grief after his grandmother suggested he become a counselor when she learned about the program at church.

“I’ve helped out with a lot of camps in the past. I always went to summer camps,” Engellant said, but he is also part of a family that has experienced the loss of a family member.

“I did lose my baby sister when I was younger. She was twins with my brother and was born prematurely,” Engellant said, who was a toddler at the time.

Her name was Tessa and she left an indelible mark on his family, which includes his father Daren, mother Melissa and younger brothers Trey and Sam.

“Every year on her birthday my mom goes and buys pink balloons and we each take one and write a message. We’ll go on the back porch and release them and watch as they float away,” he said.

Family and church are two areas Engellant kept returning to in reflecting on his community service involvement and academic and athletic success.

“I feel I’ve been given a gift to be in a strong family with two parents who are really involved in community service,” Engellant said.

In addition to Special Olympics and Good Grief Camp, he’s rung the bell for the Salvation Army Red Kettle drive, cleaned up trash along the highway and served meals for Feeding the Flathead.

In addition to family and church, many of the community service opportunities have come out of his involvement in National Honor Society, where he serves as the Glacier chapter senior representative; the Wolfpack Leadership Club; Northridge Lutheran Church, where he is a member, and through helping his father’s Rotary Club.

“It feels good to give back to my community,” Engellant said.

The next deadline cycle to nominate a high school student is Dec. 27. Nominate a student at krh.org/TomorrowsLeaders.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.