DESERT
HILLS – Twelve varsity letters. Most Valuable Player awards
in three different sports. The most decorated female athlete
in school history.
If
Jenny Cernek didn’t go to a charter school with a graduating
class of only 17, more people would probably have heard
of the softball, volleyball and basketball star.
But
it’s OK for those who haven’t, Cernek is used to being
a big fish in a small pond.
For
four years in the late 1990s, the Cernek family moved
to Russia as church missionaries where the Cernek children–Jenny,
older brother, Jacob, and younger sister, Jessica–were
among nine students who used an apartment as a makeshift
school.
It
was the kind of experience that Jenny Cernek never forgot.
Despite not even being double‑digits in age at the
time, she knows enough to appreciate the luxuries which
are often taken for granted in America.
“When
we moved back (to Arizona), we had to get used to the
new toilets that flushed on their own,” Cernek joked.
“That was really weird for us. In Russia, it was just
good if you found a toilet. It was definitely not posh
living.”
Maybe
not. But it was the kind of living that gave the recent
graduate of Foothills Academy Charter School in North
Phoenix a lifetime of lessons about the world–lessons
she hopes to carry with her now that she is beginning
her college career in Illinois.
The
three‑sport star graduated from the school as its
“most valuable female athlete ever,” school athletic director
Terry Mullane said.
Cernek,
who didn’t receive a lot of notoriety for her athletic
exploits because of the school’s level, earned 12 varsity
letters in her career–four each in softball, volleyball
and basketball.
She
was the captain of all three teams this year, was named
team MVP in each sport, and was selected to the All‑Region
team for the Charter Athletic Association, which is the
organization that oversees charter school sports like
the Arizona Interscholastic Association is in charge of
traditional high school sports teams.
Cernek
will now follow in the footsteps of her dad and brother
and attend Trinity International University in Illinois
in the fall. Her father, Dean Cernek, who is pastor of
the evangelical Cave Creek Church, is an alumnus of the
school, and Jacob currently plays basketball there and
will be a junior.
The
school is considered small by university standards, which
is exactly how the family likes it.
“I
liked the small atmosphere of (the charter school),” Jenny
said. “You know everybody and get along with everybody.”
After
returning from Russia, the family decided to enroll at
the charter school instead of going to Cactus Shadows
High School because they were used to the small class
in Russia.
“I
didn’t even know what a charter school was when we came
back, but they just blended better with a smaller environment,”
Kris Cernek said.
Foothills
charter states that no class will ever have more than
24 students and each age group is capped at 48. Foothills’
enrollment, which was at 250 this year, covers grades
6 through 12.
At
Trinity, Jenny Cernek will only play softball, which she
considers her best sport. The infielder earned a $13,000
a year scholarship, and said she will likely major in
history education or Christian ministries.
Either
way, Cernek has kept the church close to her heart. While
in Russia, she spent much of her time in missionary work,
and she visits her father’s church at least twice a week.
She
now spends her free time playing guitar and bass in her
youth group and favors contemporary Christian music artists
such as Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp and Natalie Grant.
“The
guitar is definitely one of my hobbies,” Cernek said.
Her
parents certainly are proud. Kris Cernek should know since
she’s massively involved in her kids’ lives. Kris Cernek
doubles as a receptionist at Foothills Academy and is
the school’s coach in the three sports that Jenny and
Jessica play.
“She’s
a great kid,” Kris said about Jenny. “We’ve been very
fortunate, let me tell you. All of the children are becoming
people of character.”
Jenny
said her character building began in Russia.
“I
wouldn’t trade the experience for anything,” Jenny said.
“I got to see new culture, and there were kids there who
thought Americans were really cool because there weren’t
too many of us.”
Kris
Cernek had some reservations about moving her young children
at the time, but is glad they did.
“That
was a challenge,” she recalled. “The children were 9,
7 and 5 and we were worrying what was going to happen.
I can say this though, they know what it’s like to be
a minority. There were not too many Americans there.”
Jenny
said the experience made her “grateful for the things
we have here.”
And
Foothills Academy was grateful to have Cernek come through
its doors. Trinity University will soon be as well.
