Shelton Honey serves up Extra Effort at Rocky Mount Academy
"I haven't served in a long time," Shelton Honey laughed as she dribbled a tennis ball off her racket.
"Woah Thomas," Honey said as her brother returns her serve. Tennis runs in the Honey family.
"I started playing when I was really little because my dad is a really good tennis player," Honey said. "He would take my brother and I out to the tennis courts and ever since then I've just loved it."
Honey is a senior and the number one tennis player at Rocky Mount Academy.
"Shelton is one of the hardest workers between the girls and the guys at the school," Rocky Mount Academy tennis coach David Keesee said. "She puts a lot of effort in, great attitude. Just the effort and willingness to come out here and give it her all every time she's on the court is what makes her a standout tennis player."
Honey experienced success early at Rocky Mount Academy as part of their state championship team her freshman year.
"It was just super cool because I was so young," Honey said. "We got to the finals and we pulled it out. It's a super cool memory I have. The older girls that were seniors that year I was really close with them."
Honey was the five seed back then, she's the programs top player now which comes with leadership responsibilities.
"There's a lot of pressure sometimes," Honey said. "But also in tennis each court counts the same so each spot is just as important on the team."
Honey is just as accomplished in the classroom and the community. She has a 4.72 GPA thanks to a heavy AP course load. She's the president of Rocky Mount Academy's Beta Club and Key Club. She also serves as a youth deacon at her church. This Christmas she helped raise over one thousand dollars to buy gifts for a family in need.
"I love Rocky Mount Academy and I try to be involved with as much as I can here," Honey said. "They've given me a lot of opportunities and I want to use those opportunities to help others in the community."
Honey hopes to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she plans to study business with the dream of opening her own dental practice.
"Shelton is one of those young ladies who leads by example," Rocky Mount Academy athletic director Gayle High said. "Her character, her work ethic, her kindness to others is just incredible."
"I hope people remember how happy I am," Honey said about her legacy at Rocky Mount. "How I try to talk to everybody I see in the hall and make an effort to say hi to everyone, make them feel welcome at [Rocky Mount Academy]."
