Emphasizing the purpose and intentionality of the School’s mission, the Middle School recently recognized 48 outstanding students for the ways in which they embody the Mount Vernon Mindsets. Two students from each grade level were awarded the honor of either Solution Seeker, Ethical-Decision Maker, Collaborator, Innovator, Creative Thinker, or Communicator. Additionally, eight middle school students were recognized for living out the School’s mission by being “grounded in Christian values.”
These stellar students along with many others were honored at the Celebration of Academic Achievement held on May 16. Inducting 35 members into the Junior National Honor Society, recognizing students who qualified for the Duke Tip Talent Search along with Duke Tip students who scored well on the SAT or ACT, the Honors Assembly shined a light on academic achievement. (A listing of the award winners is below.)
Notably the most heartwarming moment of the assembly included a tribute to retiring teacher Linda Colbaugh who has taught at Mount Vernon for 30 years. Emphasizing her tremendous impact on the lives of so many students, the Middle School created a video message filled with well wishes and memories.
We will miss Linda Colbaugh–yet we are thrilled to know she will be back next year filling in from time to time as a substitute teacher!
Celebration of Academic Achievement Student Winners May 2014
Mindset Awards
Grade 5
Solution Seeker: Cole Forrest, Dylan Gantt
Ethical Decision Maker: Thomas Andersen, Sammi Carman
Collaborator: Holly Mitchell, Ray Wolf
Innovator: Charlie Hale, Christine Turnbull
Creative Thinker: Ethan Ray, Eleanor Madderra
Communicator: Will Blair, Rachel Utz
Grade 6
Solution Seeker: Clayton Patnode and Catherine Shanks
Ethical Decision Maker: Anna Weber and Parker Carman
Collaborator: Jack Palmer and Myka Deans
Innovator: Alex Thomas and Katieanne Peterson
Creative Thinker: Kylie Smith Wolfe and Steven Soteres
Communicator: Olivia Barnes and Nate Anderson
Grade 7
Solution Seeker: Katie Thompson, Carter Thompson
Ethical Decision Maker: Madeleine Hudgins, Christopher Walker
Communicator: Elizabeth McGinness, Porter Slayden
Creative Thinker: Morgan Picciocca, Brady Vincent
Innovator: Kaylee Buchtenic, Spencer Lucas
Collaborator: βJill Parker, Jack Armstrong
Grade 8
Solution Seeker: Courtney Gantt, Thomas Summe
Ethical Decision Maker: Cameron Dames, Ben Blair
Communicator: Arial Strode, Michael Wolfman
Creative Thinker: Megan Lienau, Maksim Hull
Innovator: Shailan Stefaniak-Earley, Stroud Payne
Collaborator: βAbigail Emerson, David Smith
Grounded in Christian Values
Grade 5: Susanna Soelberg, Bryce Cumming
Grade 6: Sophia Gavalas and Alex VanLandingham
Grade 7: Amberly Wilkes, Mark Grove
Grade 8: Erin Todd, Seth Morrill
Prefect Award
Gabby Wilson
Student Council
Alex Mette
Carson Watson
Charlotte Nickell
Grace Keller
Lexi Van Metre
Nelson Cummiskey
Sophia Gavalas
Katieanne Peterson
Sarah Traurig
Kathleen Pahl
Nina Toller
Meg Guyton
Zoe Stupek
Junior National Honor Society
Armstrong, Jack
Bargeron, Carson
Boykin, Ansley
Corley, Parker
Cuthbertson, Caroline
Dickson, Kelly
Duncan, Laura Lawson
Farrah, Maverick
Forth, Will
Grove, Mark
Hagenau, Hannah
Koch, Ashley
Long, Maddy
Mecke, Jackie
Mitcham, William
Moore, Hayden
Morrill, Aria
McGinness, Elizabeth
Mullen, Jack
Parker, Jill
Scarborough, Will
Schaeffer, Maddie
Talia Skollar
Slayden, Porter
Springer, Mary Catherine
Shailan Stefaniak-Earley
Stupek, Zoe
Thomas Summe
Temin, Rachel
Thompson, Carter
Thompson, Katie
Toller, Nina
Turnbull, Matthew
Watson, John
Wilkes, Amberly
Julia Willingham
Duke TIP (Katie Cain)
Duke TIP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving academically gifted and talented students. Now in its 34th year, the 7th Grade Talent Search identifies bright seventh graders based on standardized test scores achieved while attending middle school. Candidates are invited to take the ACT or the SAT college entrance exams as seventh graders, which allows them greater insight into their academic abilities.
The following seventh grade students qualified for the Talent Search this year.
Beau Adams
Jack Armstrong
Carson Bargeron
Jake Bloodworth
Ansley Boykin
Parker Corley
Laura Lawson Duncan
Carson Engle
Maverick Farrah
Mark Grove
Hannah Hagenau
Elizabeth McGinness
Jackie Mecke
Aria Morrill
Morgan Picciocca
Anna Kate Pickering
Benjamin Pomeroy
AJ Romaniello
Will Scarborough
Maddie Schaeffer
Porter Slayden
Robert Stinnett
Rachel Temin
Abbey Spitz
Carter Thompson
Katie Thompson
Nina Toller
Matthew Turnbull
Christopher Walker
Amberly Wilkes
These students qualified for state recognition. These are honorees who have earned an award by scoring at or above the national average of recent high school graduates on at least one part of the ACT or the SAT.
Beau Adams
Ansley Boykin
Maverick Farrah
Mark Grove
Aria Morrill
Anna Kate Pickering
Benjamin Pomeroy
Will Scarborough
Nina Toller
Duke TIP 4th-6th Grade Talent Search
To participate, students must meet the following criteria: They must be in fifth or sixth grade, and they must have scored at the 95th percentile or above on a standardized achievement, aptitude, or mental ability test.
Grade 5
Gillian Adams
Thomas Andersen
Babalola Awe
Caroline Betz
Will Blair
Ori Chambliss
Gill Christian
Alyssa Dautrich
Kurt Dames
Erik Dodder
Aidan English
Ian Erickson
Cole Forrest
Sam Flynn
Dylan Gantt
Nicole Hedrick
Kanna House
Sydney Levitan
Eleanor Madderra
Alma Merchant
Anusha Merchant
Aqil Merchant
Tabitha Nagy
Emme Payne
Katie Peddle
Ethan Ray
Sarah Schab
Ryan Seeber
Jack Sims
Susanna Soelberg
Grace Strickland
Christine Turnbull
Zack Van Putten
Carson Will
Grade 6
Charlie Baynton
Olivia Barnes
Eliza Bruno
Trey Byers
Tripp Calhoun
Melina Lee Carden
Patrick Casey
Nelson Cummiskey
Ryan Daniels
Emery Dikeman
Sophia Gavalas
Marissa Geurts
Livie Guyton
Courtney Hanft
Alex Holliday
Maddy Jakes
Katie Jones
Grace Keller
Colby Kernan
Jenny Long
Jack McGuire
Josie Meade
Alex Mette
Alex Morge
Bijan Nikain
Katieanne Peterson
Nick Pierce
Harper Propst
Ricardo Ruiz
Nick Schab
Casey Scheele
Weston Schwartz
Spencer Schwock
Catherine Shanks
Sarah Sims
Malena Singh
Kylie Smith Wolfe
Skylar Stefaniak-Earley
Ben Tharp
Alex Thomas
Alex VanLandingham
Lexi Van Metre
Roshan Vemuri
Lauren Waters
Carson Watson
Anna Weber
Anna White
National Language Exams (Katie Cain)
This year, our 7th and 8th grade students taking a world language participated in the National Spanish Exam, National French Exam, and National Latin Exam. These exams, given across the country, help promote proficiency of communication in another language, and we are excited to recognize studentsβ outstanding achievement in learning a world language.
National Latin Exam
7th grade, intro exam:
Anna Kate Pickering, Certificate of Merit
Elizabeth McGinness, Certificate of Merit
Anne Reavely, Certificate of Merit
8th grade, Latin I
Kelly Caldwell, Cum Laude
Paul Stanley, Cum Laude
Abigail Emerson, Magna Cum Laude
Moritz Dohmeier, Maxima Cum Laude (Silver medal)
Stroud Payne, Maxima Cum Laude (Silver medal)
Michael Wolfman, Maxima Cum Laude (Silver medal)
Will Sharkey, Summa Cum Laude (Gold medal)
Arial Strode, Summa Cum Laude (Gold medal)
National Mythology Exam
Five students elected to take the mythology exam:
1) Spencer Lucas
2) Ben Pomeroy
3) Robert Stinnett
4) Abigail Emerson
5) Arial Strode
Arial Strode won a bronze medal for her outstanding achievement.
National Spanish Exam
Honor
Zoe Bach
Ben Blair
Ansley Boykin
Hannah Hagenau
Daniela Jiminez
Talia Skollar
Juliana Tyrrell
Bronze
Cameron Dames
Rachel Staley
Thomas Summe
ExploraVision Award (Linda Colbaugh)
This year the 5th grade science classes participated in an ExploraVision project. Since its inception in 1992, more than 330,000 students from across the United States and Canada have participated in Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision. It’s a fun and engaging program that can inspire a lifelong love of science, technology and innovation for students and teachers alike. This competition goes beyond the typical student science competition, and into what it takes to bring ideas to reality. Students pick a current technology, research it, envision what it might look like in 20 years, and describe the development steps, pros and cons, and obstacles.
We had three groups receive an honorable mention this year. An Honorable Mention Award places the teamβs project among the top 10% of all ExploraVision projects submitted this year. Would the following students please come forward to receive their award.
- A.L.M.O.N.D. Active Light Meets our Daily Needs- Madison Mirro and Eleanor Madderra
- The Voice Activated Umbrella- Tabitha Nagy, Holly Mitchell, Alyssa Dautrich and Ori Chambliss
- Safe Fly- Ella Uhde and Sammi Carman
Mount Vernon Service Award
Harriet Middleton
Head of Middle School Award–earning the highest grades
Aqil Merchant
Casey Scheele
Hannah Hagenau
Stroud Payne
[justified_image_grid preset=11 ids=3063,3064,3065,3066,3067,3068,3069,3070,3071,3072,3073,3074,3075,3076,3077,3078,3079,3080,3081,3082,3083,3084,3085,3086]
