Jelani Murray, of George C. Marshall High School, and Margaret Kerfoot, of Vienna, are two of Fairfax Athletic Council’s Champions of Character.
Lila Roades, Female Athlete, Vienna Youth Soccer
Lila is an active athlete in Vienna. She has played soccer and basketball since she was in kindergarten and she is currently on the James Madison High School team for each of those sports. While playing for the high school and local travel teams, Lila maintains an A average in her academic classes. She is a certified Red Cross Babysitter and she is trusted in her neighborhood as a valuable evening resource. Lila has a dear friend with epilepsy and she has raised thousands of dollars for the National Epilepsy Foundation, in support of research, to help find a cure. She also raises money each year for the Heifer Foundation. The foundation sends livestock to developing countries, which then empowers those families to rise above. Aside from the charity work, the successful career as a student athlete and the community outreach, Lila somehow finds the time to coach a young girls team for Vienna Youth Soccer. The girls look up to Coach Lila as a strong female role model and they hang on her every word.
Jelani Murray, Male Athlete, Marshall High School
Jelani Murray is one of the strongest student athletes, both academically and athletically, to attend Marshall High School in many years. This young man leads by example. His teammates and peers follow him because of his mature attitude and stunning work ethic. Multiple faculty members have commented that Jelani is the “most mature and hardworking student athlete” they have ever coached or been around.
In the classroom, Jelani carries an IB workload and maintains a 4.015 grade point average. He finds time for work in his community. He has volunteered to work many hours at high school summer camps. He also volunteers to work at various fundraisers, including Christmas tree and mulch sales. His basketball coach at Marshall made the following comments: “He is unselfish in his personal relationships and he possesses the innate ability to empathize with others. I believe Jelani will be successful in any area that he chooses to pursue in life. I cannot think of a better candidate to represent our program, our school and our community as a Champion of Character”.
Katie DiFrancisco, Female Athlete, Vienna Girls Softball League
Katie is a positive role model, not only for her teammates, but also for players on opposing teams. Katie attends every practice and game with a smile on her face. As a pitcher, she is happy to strike batters out, but she is also thrilled when they get a hit. When she plays first base, she makes sure to congratulate opposing hitters who get hits and reach base safely. She does this all while making great plays in the field.
She is a member of the James Madison High School field hockey and softball teams. She also plays basketball for VYI, softball for VGSL and field hockey for Beyond Sticks.
As a student, she takes a full honors curriculum. She is involved in the Girl Scouts of America. She is active in Young Life. She is a member of Virginia Girls Summit, a program which empowers girls to achieve their goals. Katie was even an international finalist in the Council of Education Facility Planners International, Green School of the Future design competition.
Margaret Kerfoot, Parent, Marshall High School pyramid/Vienna Youth Soccer
As the president of Vienna Youth Soccer Margaret worked tirelessly with VYI and Marshall High School administration to coordinate both school and community needs. When Margaret’s oldest son went to Marshall, she jumped right into a volunteer role as a member of the Booster Board. She quickly became Vice President, and for the last four years she has served as the president. She is quick to volunteer whenever the need presents itself. Before her service at Marshall, Margaret was also the PTA president at Freedom Hill Elementary School for two years. She then served as the PTA president at Kilmer Middle School. Her peers describe her as an amazing leader and role model. Her commitment to Marshall has also made the jobs and lives of school administration much easier. They are very grateful for her service and her assistance. All of her work, along with her Booster Board, has transformed the Marshall High School athletics program. In the past two seasons alone, Marshall has achieved 18 conference championships, including six in two days this past spring. Margaret Kerfoot embodies the precise definition of a Champion of Character.
The Champions of Character awards program honors youth, coaches and parents for extraordinary service in pursuing victory with honor.