Alex Acacio and her family were tight with Tina MacRae. For more than a decade, they were friends in the community and at Inglemoor High.

Last Feb. 27, Tina — also known as T-Mac — passed away at the age of 41 from an infection related to Crohn’s disease. The Viking teacher and activity coordinator left behind her husband, Keith, her daughter, Darian, and son, Drake.

Nearly a year later, Alex’s mom, Kim, and Keith have helped found the T-Mac Award with the Northshore Scholarship Foundation. The memorial scholarship will be presented beginning with the class of 2012, and will be awarded annually to an Inglemoor senior who has shown great school and community involvement while maintaining high academic standards.

“It’s the right thing to do,” said Alex, class of 2010. “Since we were so close, it feels good… we were always around them. My mom helped with their kids, before and after.”

Added Keith, who had 12 applications to peruse at press time: “It’s both exciting and sad at the same time.”

He noted that one of Tina’s many Inglemoor friends will most likely hand out the scholarship in May because “it’s a heavy reminder for me to be at the school.

“She was such a big part of the community,” Keith continued, noting Tina’s many activities as a coach, team mom and leader at Inglemoor.

Scholarship information can be located at www.ns-scholarship.org/

To make a donation to the Northshore Scholarship Foundation  — a 501© nonprofit — send funds to P.O. Box 173, Bothell, WA 98041. Designate donations to the T-Mac Award.