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When high school athletes go to college, some want to play sports with the hopes of making it to the pros – others leave their pro dreams behind and focus on academics.

Shawn Springs, Omar Evans and Michelle Mwalimu competed in high school athletics in Montgomery County. Springs and Evans were multi-sport stars at Springbrook High School in the early- to mid-1990s, while Mwalimu played basketball at Paint Branch High School before graduating in 2002. Their approach to high school academics, combined with the role of supportive teachers and coaches, played a large role in shaping their future.

Mwalimu, a two-time captain of the Panthers' basketball team, graduated with honors from Stanford University in 2006 and is currently attending doctoral school at Michigan State University.

Springs is playing in his 12th NFL season and his fifth for the Washington Redskins. Evans overcame a tough academic start in high school to graduate from Howard University before playing in the Canadian Football League.

Springs and Evans have remained friends and have spoken to students about the importance of academics. Springs worked hard in high school while Evans was "a challenge," according to Springbrook High School teacher Joyce Amatucci.

She said today's athletes need to understand that getting good grades and taking the right classes are necessary before they attend college.

"Colleges now have mandatory study halls and mentoring," Amatucci said in an e-mail. "The players need to be prepared for this."

Rafey Judd of the Montgomery County Task Force on Mentoring said she hopes mentoring will expand more into athletics so more students can be reached.

"An adult in a leadership role is going to have an opportunity [to mentor]," Judd said.

From Springbrook

to the Redskins

Springs is known by some as No. 24, a cornerback for the Washington Redskins. But that is just part of the picture for Amatucci, who has tutored Springbrook student-athletes in addition to teaching Spanish.

In her classroom sits a large photo of her and Springs – at the 2001 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu.

She was in Hawaii because she had won the NFL Teacher of the Year award. And it started from the efforts of Springs, a former standout student-athlete at Springbrook, and Evans, another former Springbrook standout who wrote the essay.

Amatucci had been diagnosed with cancer at the time Springs nominated her for the award. She said he nominated her as a way to cheer her up.

"That whole experience came out of the good hearts of two young men who took their time to think about someone else," Amatucci said. "They were both long gone from Springbrook, but that did not matter to them."

Evans' path

Evans was a star basketball and football player at Springbrook. As a senior, he ran for 1,300 yards, averaged more than 13 yards per carry and was named an all-state defensive back. Despite his athletic accomplishments, his grades initially prevented him from attending a four-year school to play football. He has spoken to Springbrook students about the opportunities that can vanish when students don't take their studies seriously.

"He was extremely talented, but didn't take classes seriously," said Amatucci, who said Evans took "the hard way" on his journey.

His quest to play football brought him to Maine, where he attended Maine Central Institute. He then went to Howard University where he blossomed into an all-conference defensive back.

After college, he tried out for several NFL teams as an undrafted free agent before sticking in the CFL.

Evans currently works as an athletic consultant for Professional Enhancement Professionals in Scottsdale, Ariz. He said Amatucci, along with former Springbrook football coach Mike Smith, stuck with him when others lost hope in him.

"Ms. Amatucci was more than a tutor," Evans said. "I am forever indebted to her."

For Amatucci, Evans' ability on the football field at Springbrook is indicative of the determination he has shown throughout his life.

"He [would have] three guys on his legs and he would keep going," Amatucci said. "He just kept going and ultimately he got there."

Academics and athletics

Springs traveled a more direct path than his friend Evans.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, Springs followed in his father's footsteps by playing football at Ohio State University before embarking on a NFL career. He stood out at Springbrook in more ways than one.

Springs' ability on the football field and on the track was clear. But he was also an accomplished student, taking Latin, physics and upper-level math, Amatucci said. He had added encouragement to succeed from his father, former Dallas Cowboys running back Ron Springs, who Amatucci said stressed academics and athletics.

"Shawn knew he was good on the field, but he was very careful not to shove it in others' faces," said Amatucci. Springs remains involved with the school and attended this season's football game against Paint Branch, she added.

Amatucci, who has taught at Springbrook since 1988, said Springs "is definitely a role model."

"Shawn has character, and that supercedes everything," Amatucci said.

After Amatucci received the award, Springs said in a Gazette story that "she cared more, and she always made the extra effort to help me."

"The most important thing that the students can learn from Shawn is that success is not luck," Amatucci said. "Shawn worked hard, and that is why he is where he is. Grades aren't luck. They represent priorities and realizing that the term is "Student-athlete", in that order."

Inspiration from

the classroom

It's been six years and a few trips around the world since Michelle Mwalimu captained the Paint Branch High School girl's basketball team. But she still hears a familiar voice when she needs inspiration.

It's the sound of Mwalimu's basketball coach at Paint Branch, Heather Podosek.

"I still hear her voice in my head saying ‘go,'" said Mwalimu, who is in her third year of her doctoral degree in education at Michigan State University.

Mwalimu took her former coach's advice. After Paint Branch, she graduated with honors from Stanford University with a degree in international relations. She studied abroad in Chile and traveled to Zambia to understand the educational system of her family's background. She became a Fulbright Scholar and received a doctoral scholarship to Michigan State, where she is planning to graduate in 2010 and possibly work for a nonprofit.

For Mwalimu, the reading, homework and Spanish tests in high school were easier than stepping foot in the gym after school. It was there Podosek would challenge players to play at their best. But she also served another role by serving as a reference for Mwalimu when applied to colleges.

Mwalimu appreciated that Podosek did not pressure her to attend a particular school to play basketball. A team captain her junior and senior years, Mwalimu said she initially wanted to play college basketball and thought some Division II colleges would give her the chance. But academics were the primary focus for Mwalimu and her family.

Her mother, Munira Mwalimu, emigrated to the U.S. from Zambia and graduated from Georgetown University Law Center. She now works for the U.S. Department of Education. She said Podosek served as "a very strong role model" for her daughter.

"She was a disciplinarian," she said. "She instilled a very strong work ethic in her."