PFHS senior named Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year
<p>Post Falls High School senior DJ Luby laughs with Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County Ryan Davis after Luby was announced as the Club's Youth of the Year on Thursday at the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center in Post Falls. Luby recieved a $500 scholarship, and will move on to the regional selection representing the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County.</p>
<p>Ally Star, a freshman at Post Falls High School, gives a self-written speech to a crowd of more than 130 on Thursday at the the Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year recognition event at the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center in Post Falls. Star received a $100 dollar scholarship from the Club for participating in the event, where she and eight of her peers gave speeches and went through a rigorous selection process.</p>
POST FALLS — DJ Luby sauntered onstage at the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center and approached the podium with the confidence of a Post Falls High School senior destined for greatness.
"A wise man once said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.' This guy was Forrest, Forrest Gump," he began. "This quote resembles my life at the Boys and Girls Club, as well as outside of it. My life has been mostly sweet chocolates."
DJ shared a few his "sweet memories" of the Boys and Girls Club, where he is a junior staff member. He recalled making friends, playing tag and acting like a molten-metal terminator, setting a waterslide record and looking like a lobster after a day at the water park.
"Memories like these made my experiences great at the club and made me keep coming back," the 17-year-old varsity football player said. "Attending the club for nine years has taught me a lot of things. I’m now a friendly person and a role model for a lot of kids … the club has kept me on top of my game at school with a 3.7 GPA.
"I truly enjoy sharing my sweet memories for other people to enjoy."
DJ spoke to the crowd just moments before he was announced as the 2016 Youth of the Year for the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County during the Club's premier youth recognition event Thursday night.
"It was a great shining moment," he said, after being surprised by the announcement. "Just beautiful and awesome."
"DJ's the guy that always brings the fun to the meetings, always, he's that guy," said Youth of the Year program mentor Dani Zibell-Wolfe. "He's the one that makes everybody smile even when people are having a bad day. He's the one that makes everybody else smile and just keeps us a little lighter."
More than 130 people attended the Youth of the Year ceremony, where DJ and seven other local youths between the ages 14-18 gave heartfelt speeches about the role the club has played in their lives as well as the struggles they have overcome and successes they have experienced in their time with the club.
The contestants began working on the program in September, which required leadership and community service, academic excellence, poise, drafting essays/speeches, healthy lifestyle choices and being examples of the critical impact Boys and Girls Clubs have on young people.
"Just by being a part of this program, they are winners in my eyes, and it has been my honor to work with them," Zibell-Wolfe said. "I know the judges had a very difficult time, they had to, because knowing what I know about these kids, having seen most of their essays, going through their packets, knowing how they interview, knowing the answers to the many of their questions, it was a tough job."
The contestants presented their essays to the six-judge panel earlier in the day. Post Falls Mayor Ron Jacobson served as the head judge and made DJ's big announcement at the end of the ceremony.
"First of all, wow," Jacobson said. "This was by far the most difficult decision we've been lucky enough to make. This truly is a good experience for us. I hope you kids who have applied for this find it to be a good and rewarding experience, but I think very strongly that us judges probably got more out of it than you. We appreciate you very much."
Each contestant earned a $100 scholarship for being a Youth of the Year finalist. DJ won a $500 scholarship and will go on to compete for a larger scholarship in Boise at the end of February and the chance to compete for more scholarships in the national Youth of the Year program in Washington, D.C. He plans to attend Boise State University and become a physical therapist.
"It's overwhelming, I'm so proud of him and his accomplishments," said DJ's mom, Yvonne Luby of Post Falls. "He's more involved, he loves the kids and the kids love him."
The evening also recognized 2015 Youth of the Month winners from the Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene sites and Staff of the Year.
Runners-up in the 2016 Youth of the Year program: Sadie Schmeling, senior, Post Falls High School; Garrett Smith, freshman, Post Falls High School; Trey Kimmel, freshman, Lake City High School; Alicia Heuer, junior, Lake City High School; Ally Star, freshman, Post Falls High School; Hope Newman, junior, Post Falls High School; and Cassie Krajack, freshman, Lake City High School.