News of the achievements of local students and members of the Armed Forces.
** The following Arlington students have been named to the dean’s list with distinction for the fall semester at Colgate University:
Duncan Wieland, a graduate of Washington-Lee High School; Gabrielle Sorresso, a graduate of Yorktown High School; John Schoen, a graduate of Yorktown High School; and Katherinne Bertrand Ortiz, a graduate of J.E.B. Stuart High School.
** The following local students have been named to the dean’s list for the fall term at the University of Maryland Global Campus:
– From Fort Myer: Alicia Tate, Donovan Yaqo.
– From Arlington: Paige Behringer, Adreanne Bell-Justice, Hannah Birdzell, Yahia Bousouleymane, Christy Cockrell, Alexander Coleman, Landon Coutros, Kenneth Datesman, Alehneh Dejene, Valerie Dinges, David Eckersell, Jordan Guerrero-Sargent, Garrett Jakubek, Carl King, Min Lee, Taylor MacDonald, Darrenn Mann, Jose Melendrez, Anthony Monaro, Isabelle Nguyen-Phouc, Jonathan Patrick, Fredy Ramirez, Seana Shanks-Plasman, Diana Sherbs, Eric Sircus, Asher Sloman, Roberto Soria, Evan White, Ford Williams, Adria Winlock and Merid Wondim.
** Isabelle Rogando of Arlington, a student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, has been named a 2022 finalist in Writing (poetry category) by YoungArts, the organization’s highest honor.
Rogando joins 720 of the most accomplished young visual, literary and preforming artists from throughout the county to have reached the finalist stage.
Selected through the organization’s prestigious competition, YoungArts award winners, all 15-18 years old or in grades 10-12, are chosen for their caliber of artistic achievement by esteemed discipline-specific panels of artists through a rigorous blind-adjudication process. (A complete list of the 2022 winners is available online at youngarts.org/winners.)
As a finalist, Rogando will participate in YoungArts Week+ in January, and is eligible to be nominated to become a U.S Presidential Scholar in the Arts, selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.
** The Arlington County Council of PTAs has announced award winners in the county-level Reflections competition.
Reflections is a nationwide contest and arts-promotion program that encourages students to create works in dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography and visual arts, based on a common theme. This year’s theme was “I Will Change the World By…” All students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade are eligible to enter.
The top winner from each category and age division is selected as “Outstanding Interpretation of the Theme” and goes on to compete in the Northern Virginia District PTA contest. The program continues at the state and national levels.
Earning Outstanding Intepretation Awards in various categories this year were:
Charlotte Murphy (Cardinal Elementary), Neena Robert (Tuckahoe Elementary) and Cate LaGarde (Thomas Jefferson Middle), dance choreography; Eloisa “Ella” Wright (Escuela Key), Eliana Villwock (Discovery Elementary), Mason Mirable (Williamsburg Middle) and Helena Connel (Yorktown High), film.
Valentina McCoy (Montessori Public School of Arlington), Alexander Murphy (Cardinal Elementary), Ani Veeraraghavan (Swanson Middle) and Evelyn Rives (Wakefield High), literature. Joshua Ichel (Escuela Key), Mariam Shebata (Taylor Elementary) and Myriam La (Williamsburg Middle), music composition.
Thomas O’Day (Barrett Elementary), Meirona Ricart (Arlington Traditional School), Samantha Wong (Swanson Middle) and Vivian Alvarado (Wakefield High), photography.
Hunter Campau (Taylor Elementary), Aliya-Kay (Montessori Public School of Arlington), Egshiglen Ganbat (Dorothy Hamm Middle) and Gabriela Romero Martinez (Wakefield High), visual arts.
** Arlington Public Schools is encouraging students, parents and community members to nominate local crossing guards as part of a statewide effort to honor Virginia’s best.
Every February as part of Crossing Guard Appreciation Week, the Virginia Department of Transportation/Safe Routes to School honors Virginia’s most outstanding crossing guards of the year.
Nominations are now open for the coming year’s awards program, with a deadline of Jan. 21. For nomination forms, see the Website at https://bit.ly/3sBeVpg; for additional information, e-mail Safe Routes to School coordinator Lauren Hassel at lauren.hassel@apsva.us.
Arlington Public Schools will join school districts across the nation in celebrating Crossing Guard Appreciation Week from February 7-11.
** Ryan Haggett of Arlington has been promoted to sergeant in the New York Army National Guard.
Sgt. Haggett is assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry.