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District 214 honors Howard Lester Award winners

District 214 continues to honor the legacy of Howard Lester by awarding an outstanding senior male and female athlete each year.

Lester devoted a lifetime to youth. He worked 42 years in the field of education and served as the district's coordinator of health, P.E., athletics and driver education. Buffalo Grove's gymnasium is named after him.

The award criteria includes athletic achievements, academics and character - including truthfulness, heart and effort.

The male recipient, Max Christie, is a familiar name in the news. He was an integral member of the Rolling Meadows High School basketball program. During his four-year run, he led the 2021 team to an undefeated 16-0 season.

His many individual accomplishments include being named to four All-Conference, All-Area and All-State teams. He was named player of the year by the Daily Herald twice, the Sun-Times in 2021, the Hoops Report in 2021 and the Champaign Gazette in 2021.

He was also named a 2021 Jordan Brand Classic All-American and a McDonald's All-American in 2021. He was a 2019 Team USA Gold Medalist, and finished his great high school career by being named 2021 Gatorade Player of the Year.

Christie also excelled in the classroom, finishing with a GPA of 4.16. He will continue his education and basketball career at Michigan State University.

Mary Kate Fahey of John Hersey High School was named this year's outstanding female athlete. She was a 13-season athlete. She received four varsity letters this year, including picking up an additional sport, tennis, this year. Her other sports include volleyball, track, and her best sport, basketball.

Fahey is a four-year all-conference, all-area player, captain for the Daily Herald all-area team, IBCA first team all-state, multiple time Daily Herald Player of the Week and the captain of this year's 16-0 unanimous AP Poll #1 ranked team in Illinois.

In addition, Fahey has excelled in the classroom and in the community. She was a member of numerous clubs and activities at Hersey, including Service Over Self, National Honor Society, Peer Tutoring, Super Buddies, Scrubs Club and Orange Crush. She will take her talents to New York University next year to play collegiate basketball.

The board of education recognizes the Howard Lester Award recipients each year.

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