Page High Athletic Director Receives National Distinguished Service Award

Long considered as one of the outstanding athletic administrators in North Carolina , Rusty Lee from Page High is making a major impact on the local, state and national levels. Lee is one of 12 individuals across the nation to receive the 2006 Distinguished Service Award, given by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).

Lee will be honored December 11 in Anaheim , California , during the luncheon at the 37th annual National Conference of High School Directors of Athletics conducted jointly by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the NIAAA.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to individuals from within the NIAAA membership, as well as those outside the field of athletic administration, in recognition of their length of service, special accomplishments and contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels. Nominations are submitted by state athletic director associations, screened by the NIAAA Awards Committee and selected by the NIAAA Board of Directors.

Over the past 16 years, Lee has been host and coordinator of numerous sports tournaments. From 2002 to 2004, he was president of the Metro 4A Conference. In addition, he has served on the Greensboro City Recreation Department Athletic Advisory Board for five years.

Within the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association (NCADA), Lee was a Board of Directors member from 1995 to 1998 and served as the organization's secretary, vice president and president. Lee has been equally involved with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), where he served as chairman of its sectional basketball committee and as director of the Midwest 4A tennis and golf regional tournaments.

A member of the NIAAA Publications Committee since 2000, Lee is a committee vice chairman. Overall, Lee's commitment to high school athletics is clearly shown both locally and nationally, which is why he was chosen for this prestigious award.

Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina  serving more than 68,800 students at 112 schools. With approximately 8,000 employees, the district's mission is to graduate responsible citizens prepared to succeed in higher education or the career of their choice. 

Guilford County Schools is a national leader in providing specialized schools and instructional programs designed to meet the educational needs of a culturally diverse citizenship. For more information, visit the district's Web site at www.gcsnc.com.