Sophomore Sam Bignault is a standout academic athlete for Savannah Christian Preparatory School. He has been a varsity basketball player for the Raiders since his freshman year. Academically, he is ranked number one in his class. One of his main goals is to finish high school with the highest average in his class and with an average of 99.2, he is well on his way.
“I think learning has come naturally for me my whole life, but I do have to put work into all my studies. I feel I am more competitive with myself rather than other people around me, but when they do well it does push me to do even better. My competitiveness and drive to be the best I can possibly be in everything is my biggest motivator. I try to improve myself in whatever way possible in everything I do.” says Bignault.
“Sam’s naturally smart. I always told him that you couldn’t just be smart and not do the work,” says his mother, Cindy.
“He works at it really hard. I let him know that’s it’s all going pay out. You’ve only got one chance to make a first impression so make it a good one,” says Bignault’s father, Michael.
Bignault is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. He has won awards in Advanced English, government, Life of Jesus, Old Testament, Advanced Ancient World History, and geometry. One of his favorite awards is the Headmaster’s Award, which is given to the basketball player with the highest GPA on the team. He received the Headmaster’s Award throughout his entire middle school career. Bignault was also a candidate for the Governor’s Honors Program in math.
“I feel very proud of my accomplishments and I believe they are an accurate reflection of my hard work and dedication to my classes. I feel very privileged to have such supporting parents and great teachers,” says Bignault.
When Bignault isn’t playing basketball or working on his academics, he volunteers. One of his favorite organizations to work with is Animal Control. Every weekend he tries to pay them a visit and walk the dogs that are up for adoption. He also belongs to his school’s Key Club and the Environmental Club, where members clean up school grounds. In addition to his clubs and charity work, Bignault is Sub-Deacon for his church, St. Paul’s Episcopal, where he assists the priest with his duties.
Bignault loves playing basketball for his team. His coach, Steven Edenfield, saw Bignault’s potential for basketball when he watched the young man play for the middle school team. Edenfield is looking forward to even bigger things from Bignault in his high school basketball career.
Says Edenfield, “Sam’s a sophomore and he’s played on the varsity team the past two years. He’s one of the big guys I keep around the basket. From the first time I saw him play I knew we had a good player on our hands. He’s played in almost every game. That is unusual for a freshman or a sophomore to get so much time on the court. I think a lot of the things that make Sam a good student make him a good basketball player too. He’s very analytical. You can really see the wheels turning when he’s thinking about how to improve his game. He’s eager to learn the nuances of the game and asks really good questions.”
One memorable sports moment for Bignault was forcing a steal against rival Country Day School. “The guy brought the ball up across half court and I saw his eyes look to the side to his teammate. I jumped the pass, tipped it, and my teammate grabbed the ball then dribbled it towards our goal. He got stuck, passed the ball back to me, I shot it and someone from the other team hit my arm, fouling me. The crowd was going wild and I ended up making my free throws. The entire student section was chanting my name,” says Bignault.
The most inspiring person in Bignault’s life was his grandfather, Milton Hoyt Rahn. “He lived in Savannah during a time when there was great deal of civil rights movements. I think that he was way ahead of the curve in his conduct toward African Americans. He always treated everyone in the same way and was very respectful. I learned a lot about respect from him,” says Bignault.
“My father was young when his family left the farm in Effingham County and came to Savannah to work for Union Camp,” says Bignault’s mother. “When he was seventeen, his father signed for him to join the military and he spent thirteen years in the Navy. After returning to Savannah he opened up a convenience-type store, followed by coin-operated laundromats and real estate investments. He was a real entrepreneur and very wise with his money even though he lacked formal education. His greatest quality was how he treated people. Every person he met, he would look them straight their eyes while speaking with them, give them all of his attention and respect and make them feel like they were the only person there. He made everyone, no matter what color they were, feel special. He didn’t believe that there was any difference in skin color and everyone was his friend. He imparted not only his knowledge of money but his high respect of others to Sam. Sam reminds me a lot of my father.”
Some of Bignault’s most important memories are his travels with his father. So far their journeys include: Melbourne, Australia; Paris, France; Prague, Poland; and Bangkok, Thailand. Bignault loves experiencing different lifestyles, cultures and food. He especially loves the food.
“He’s like a robot when it comes to food. When we were in Paris walking around, Sam says to me ‘Dad, where are we going for dinner?’ and I said ‘Son, we just ate an hour ago!’ He was already planning the next meal,” says Bignault’s father.
Their next trip is scheduled for spring break. They plan to go to Tokyo, Japan, where they will take a tour to Mt. Fuji, go on a boat ride, then take the bullet train from Kyoto back to Tokyo. Also, not surprisingly, they will be go on a food tour.
Most inspirational person: My grandfather, Milton Hoyt Rahn
Favorite subject in school: Math and chemistry
Favorite college Team: Syracuse for basketball
Favorite college player: Marcus Smart
Favorite pro team: Boston Celtics
Favorite pro player: Kevin Garnett
Favorite thing to do in life: Travel the world and eat the local food
Academic Athlete/Coastal Edition/March 2014
Sam Bignault
Coach Steven Edenfield
Savannah Christian Preparatory School
Savannah, GA
Ruby Hilliard
