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Left to Right; Tony Pivec, SHS superintendent, Amanda Little, and Ellis Little, Amanda's father.

TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA - At a softball tournament when most kids are watching the other teams playing, one dedicated young lady is doing her homework. This dedication to her homework has paid off.

Amanda Little, (Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole) who will be a junior at Sequoyah High School (SHS) in the fall, recently received a special certificate that acknowledged her as an Oklahoma Scholar. The prestigious title is awarded to students that score at or above the 95th percentile on one of several state qualified tests.

What makes this tremendous accomplishment even greater is the fact that she also plays five sports at SHS. She is a member of her school’s fast-pitch softball, slow-pitch softball, cross-country, track, and basketball teams.

"I’m real proud of her", said Ellis Little, Amanda’s father. "I’ve seen stories like this before about the multi-sport athlete, but what amazes me is how she maintains her 4.0 along with all of her sport responsibilities. It could wear a person out. I know it would me."

"It’s kind of hard sometimes, especially during softball season, but I manage", Amanda Little said.

Because of her busy schedule, Little finds time to study whenever she can.

"Sometimes I have to stay up until midnight to make sure I get my homework done", she said. "Or if I have an evening game I’ll bring my books with me. I can study between games or something like that. It’s not unusual to find dirt in my books because I’ll have them down at the softball field."

Academic awards are not the only awards that Little has taken home.

"She’s won two Golden Glove awards in slow-pitch and was a Northeast Lakes All-Star", Ellis Little said proudly.

"Amanda is an extremely special student", said Tony Pivec, SHS superintendent. "She excels academically, athletically, and socially. As an educator, she’s a pleasure to watch grow up because you know any day she’s going to surprise you with another accomplishment."

Sequoyah High School "Home of the Indians!" Sequoyah High School is an Indian boarding school which originated in 1871 when the Cherokee National Council passed an act setting up an orphan asylum to take care of the many orphans that came out of the Civil War. Sequoyah High School's approximate 300 enrollment represents 42 tribes and 14 different states. Students are eligible to attend if they are members of federally recognized Indian tribes or one-fourth blood descendants of such members.