The FCIAC awards Exemplary Scholar-Athlete honors to players from its 16 member schools every season. Each week, the league will be announcing eight of those award-winners, two each from four schools, with bios and photos on FCIAC.net.
Here are the first honorees for the Fall, 2024 season from Danbury, Fairfield Warde, Norwalk and St. Joseph:
Morwenna Zarba – Danbury
This senior captain of the field hockey team is a high honor roll student who has achieved a 4.2 GPA while taking honors and AP courses.
Morwenna is the vice president of Business Partnerships in Danbury High School’s chapter of DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), and is also a member of Class Act, Peer Leadership, and the National Honor Society.
She is also a member of the varsity girls golf team and proudly earned the Danbury Old Timers Sportsmanship Award for golf as a junior.
Morwenna organized and ran her own Danbury Youth Field Hockey Clinic this past summer. She plans to continue to help grow the field hockey community in Danbury. Her other favorite volunteer activities have included working with Special Olympics, Top Soccer, and Unified Prom.
Bear Schoenberg – Danbury
Bear was pretty much a phenom football player as soon as he entered the hallways of Danbury High School, and he also excels in the classroom.
He has a 4.1 GPA while taking all honors and AP classes. Bear is in Peer Leader and is passionate about supporting the younger teams to help create a positive pipeline for the high school and community.
Bear has been a starter on the varsity football team ever since his freshman year. Last year when he was a 6-foot, 215-pound junior defensive end, Bear was selected to the All-FCIAC Football First Team for the second consecutive year, the Connecticut High Coaches Association All-State Class LL/L Football Team, and the 91st Annual New Haven Register All-State Football Defense Third Team.
Sophie Spelman – Fairfield Warde
Sophie has a weighted cumulative GPA of 4.58 while taking all AP and honors classes and she just so happens to have been one of the best distance runners in the state for the last couple years.
She is a captain of Fairfield Warde’s girls’ cross country team who currently has the second fasted 4-kilometer time in the state. Sophie holds multiple school records in indoor and outdoor track and field, and she came into this fall cross country season with the goal of having another successful year in the postseason championship races.
Last year Sophie placed sixth at the 2023 FCIAC Cross Country Championships to earn her spot on the All-FCIAC Girls Cross Country First Team. Shortly thereafter she earned all-state status. Sophie finished in ninth place at the CIAC Class L Girls Cross Country Championships and then she placed 19th at the State Open. This past spring Sophie was runner-up in the 1,600-meter run at the CIAC Girls Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 5:04.4 and a week later she had a 5:02.03 clocking when she placed sixth at the State Open.
Sophie is a member of the National Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society, and she’s vice president of the Spanish Honor Society.
Elizabeth Lake – Fairfield Warde
Elizabeth is a well-rounded student-athlete who has been a member of Fairfield Warde’s girls swimming and diving team all four years and is a team captain this year.
She is a member of the National Honor Society and National Art Honor Society; she has received the Yale Book Award and is a multiple recipient of the National Latin Award.
Elizabeth was selected to the All-FCIAC Girls Swimming and Diving Second Team as a member of Fairfield Warde 400-yard freestyle relay team, and she qualified as a CSI Scholar-Athlete.
In addition to sports and academics, Elizabeth is involved with her community, serving on the Stratfield Village Youth Board as treasurer and volunteering with various clubs.
Camilla Baker – Norwalk
Camilla has earned a cumulative weighted GPA of 4.35 while taking honors and AP classes throughout her high school career. She is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
Her senior year she was chosen as a co-captain after being part of the varsity girls volleyball team for three years.
Camilla was a recipient of the Gettysburg Award, is vice president of the Ski Club, and co-president of Earth Club. She has also volunteered with organizations such as Key Club and Bears Beating Cancer.
Frank Bergin – Norwalk
Frank, a senior honor roll student with a GPA of 4.57, is the captain of the boys’ golf team in the fall and he also is a baseball player for the Bears in the spring.
While attending high school, he has pursued his associates degree in web development at Norwalk Community College. Even while trying to study for high school and college classes, Frank has qualified for the Hap Holahan Tournament.
Frank gives back to his community by volunteering at local food pantries.
Sara Parker – St. Joseph
Sara is a President’s Honor Roll student who has achieved a 103.09 weighted GPA taking AP and honors classes.
This senior co-captain of the girls’ soccer team is four-year starter who has collected many All-FCIAC and all-state postseason honors while helping lead the Cadets to two FCIAC titles and three state championships. Last year Parker scored two goals to help lead the Cadets to a 3-1 victory over Notre Dame-Fairfield in the championship game of the 2023 CIAC Class LL Girls Soccer Tournament and she he was selected to the CHSCA Class LL All-State Team, the GameTimeCT All-State Second Team, and to the All-FCIAC Girls Soccer First Team for the second consecutive year after having made the All-FCIAC Second Team as a freshman.
Sara is a member of the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, English Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and a recipient of the Yale Book Award. She is also a member of Student Ambassadors and Student Council. She has volunteered at Griffin Hospital and on several local projects.
Sara plans to continue playing soccer at Xavier University next fall.
Lucas Kellogg – St. Joseph
Lucas has achieved a 102.91 GPA and made the President’s Honor Roll for 12 straight semesters while taking all honors and AP classes. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, and English Honor Society.
Lucas has played for the varsity football team all four years and is now a senior captain. He plays for the boys’ lacrosse team, and took up wrestling as a sophomore. Last year he was selected to the 2023 FCIAC All-West Football Team, and he earned FCIAC Honorable Mention in wrestling for the second straight year after advancing to the state championship match in his 285-pound weight class at the 2024 CIAC Class S Wrestling Tournament.
Lucas received the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal Award and individual awards in math and science. He is involved with numerous clubs in the St. Joseph’s community and is a student ambassador and volunteer for his local youth lacrosse team.