GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida High School Athletic Association announced Wednesday the winners of the fourth annual
Roger Dearing Heart of the Arts Award and the
Roger Dearing Spirit of Sport Award. Priya Sambasivan (Robinson High School) earned the Heart of the Arts honor, while Cole Vaccarella (St. Thomas Aquinas High School) took home the Spirit of Sport Award.
Both nominees demonstrated their hard work and determination by fighting their way through adversity to surpass expectations. Sambasivan and Vaccarella will both receive a $1,500 scholarship in their names on behalf of the FHSAA.
Roger Dearing Heart of the Arts Award
Priya Sambasivan, Robinson High School (Tampa) – Sambasivan is an International Baccalaureate student, member of the varsity golf team, and 2021 All-State Choir. Her performance of “On My Own” from
Les Misérables earned her a 4.2 rating out of 5 at the CS Music National High School Fall Competition. She is the Executive President of her school’s Student Government Association, member of Mu Alpha Theta and co-founder of Women in STEM. Outside of school, Sambasivan volunteers her time with Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa General Hospital, and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and uses her gifted skills as musician to teach piano lessons. Sambasivan used her passion for music and drive to help her community during the Covid-19 pandemic to create her own radio station over Zoom. PriyaFM is an interactive virtual jazz singalong that was created to help combat loneliness amongst senior citizens and improve their mental health through music. Her radio station is currently active in six senior living facilities across six different states. Sambasivan embodies heart with her musical talents and strives to improve her community with each performance.
Roger Dearing Spirit of Sport Award
Cole Vaccarella, St Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale) – Vaccarella has been a member of St. Thomas Aquinas’ soccer program since his freshman year. Despite all the challenges and adversity he’s faced, he remains a vital part of this team. In January of Cole’s sophomore year, he was diagnosed with a cancerous growth in his upper right arm. The treatment included a surgical removal, followed by aggressive and intense chemotherapy and rehabilitation which caused him to withdraw from school and soccer in order to recover. Throughout Vaccarella’s entire recovery process, he’s been able to sustain his academic excellence and maintain an impressive 3.9 unweighted GPA. A year after his diagnosis in January of 2021, Cole returned to school and was cleared to resume non-contact athletic activities. Cole refused to let any of this hold him back and has attended every practice and game, except one. Instead of attending the game he missed, Cole was donating a $5,000 check to the Sarcoma Patient Assistance Fund at the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, the same cancer treatment facility that treated him throughout his process. When Cole was approached by Make-A-Wish South Florida about providing him a ‘Wish” as a cancer survivor, he explained how there was nothing more that he needed or wanted but rather wished to donate the monetary equivalent value to this facility. Vaccarella has shown extraordinary perseverance as he’s overcome adversity and continues to inspire everyone around him.
About the Roger Dearing Heart of the Arts Award
The FHSAA has developed the “Roger Dearing Heart of the Art Awards,” to honor individual(s) who embody “Heart of the Arts.” The award covers an excess of performing arts disciplines and seeks to recognize those individuals who illustrate a positive heart of the arts and represent the core mission of education-based activities. The award may be given in recognition of specific act or for an activity of longer duration. The winner of the Roger Dearing Heart of the Arts Award will be submitted to the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations (NFHS) as the FHSAA’s nomination for the NFHS Heart of the Arts Award.
About the Roger Dearing Spirit of Sport Award
The FHSAA has developed the “Roger Dearing Spirit of Sport Awards,” to seek those individual(s) who showcase the ideals of the positive spirit of sport and represent the core mission of education-based athletics. The individual or group should demonstrate exemplary sportsmanship, exceed normal expectations, and has overcome adversity or a challenging circumstance. The award may be given in recognition of specific act or for an activity of longer duration. . The winner of the Roger Dearing Heart of the Arts Award will be submitted to the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations (NFHS) as the FHSAA’s nomination for the NFHS Heart of the Arts Award.
About the FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association supervises and regulates interscholastic athletic programs for high school students at member public, private and charter schools. The organization also recognizes and honors academic achievement among student-athletes at almost 800 middle, junior and senior high schools statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, it is the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.