Orange Bowl scholarship recipient Alcivial Henrisme highlights improving academics in the Muck

Glades Central will be without a familiar face this fall as defensive end Alcivial Henrisme takes his talents, along with a $10,000 scholarship, to four-time national champion Valdosta State in Georgia.

Henrisme exhibited "valor and courage in the face of adversity" and was selected for the Orange Bowl Beigel-Feis-Hixon Valor Award, a scholarship in honor of the three coaches — Scott Beigel, Aaron Feis and Chris Hixon — who lost their lives in the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 2018.

Orange Bowl Committee President and Chair Frank Gonzalez announced the honor in June. Only one other Palm Beach County student, Christopher Volpe of Jupiter High School, has been awarded the scholarship since its creation.

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Henrisme competed with over 100 other applicants, all coming from backgrounds similar to his own.

"The process for applying for the Orange Bowl scholarship was a little nerve-wracking knowing that there were so many other students who were applying for it," Henrisme said.

But Henrisme "felt good about it" because he knew his story was just as strong as his grades.

“The courage he has shown to overcome some of life’s toughest challenges and progress into a self-sufficient scholar-athlete and a role model for his peers on and off the field speaks to how well-deserving he is for this award and scholarship,” said Gonzalez.

Henrisme spent the early part of his life with his sister in the foster care system before he was adopted in South Bay, a small town skirting Belle Glade.

Henrisme's adoptive mother spent long hours working to give her family a better life but still found herself in financial trouble.

"What gave me the motivation to keep going when things got the hardest is knowing that I could never settle for less and to get out of the situation I was in because no one was going to do it for me," Henrisme said.

As he grew old enough to understand his reality, Henrisme found escape on the basketball court, the diamond, and within the sidelines of the Raiders' beloved Dr. Effie Grear Stadium.

Henrisme graduated in the top 10 percent of his class while serving as captain of the varsity football team his senior year.

"Even though my last season in the Muck didn't go as planned, I'll definitely miss suiting up on Friday nights as a Raider," Henrisme said, already homesick for the "passionate fans" and the "never-ending tradition" that is the Muck Bowl.

In helping pave the Raiders' way to Class 4A region semifinals in 2021, Henrisme led the roster in sacks and earned the team leadership award.

Henrisme's legacy at Glades Central will last long after his final varsity tackle, as he was a leader in improving education in the Glades and helping fellow students walk the graduation stage.

"Being a role model for other students in the Glades area was never a first option for me, but it really came naturally," Henrisme said.

Henrisme's class graduated fewer than the previous two (87.5%), but Glades Central's graduation rates have improved by 3.3% in the past five years.

"I got to see a good percentage of my class have the opportunity to go off to college, which was very good," Henrisme said.

Rival school Pahokee's graduation rates have improved by more than double at 6.8%, this year's senior class graduating a peak of 99% of students. The Glades' lone charter school based in Pahokee, Everglades Prep, posted a 93.5% graduation rate, contributing to a 50% increase in graduates over five years.

Private school Glades Day graduated its entire senior class.

"It's huge," Gonzalez said. "To see one of their own has worked their tail off and worked against the odds to get that scholarship and recognition — it provides hope for those kids and I think that scholarship going there played a key role in creating incentive in the Glades area."

Henrisme said he hopes others seeing his academic and athletic achievements will inspire beyond Lake Okeechobee and the rich, black-soil fields that welcome visitors to the Muck "to go off to college or even just have a great plan for after high school."

"The best advice I can give to students applying for scholarships is to not procrastinate and do as many as you can," Henrisme said.

Henrisme will be recognized during the 2022 Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium.

The scholarship represents a continued "bigger impact" by the Orange Bowl in the Glades area recently. In 2018, the Orange Bowl gave a $3 million renovation of a football field at Glades Pioneer Park.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Orange Bowl scholarship recipient shows classroom triumphs in the Muck