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If you have wedding or engagement news to share, e-mail Lorin Buck at lbuck@fairfaxtimes.com by noon Friday.
Student writers honored
Ten Fairfax County Public Schools students received certificates for superior writing from the National Council of Teachers of English in the 2009 Achievement Awards in Writing. Each participant submitted a sample of his or her best writing in any form or genre, as well as an impromptu essay on a subject determined by the council. For the spring competition, 1,783 juniors submitted portfolios; 544 were selected, including 14 students from Virginia.
The winners are Gregory Doolittle, Chantilly High School; Elizabeth Denny, Lake Braddock Secondary School; Erica North, McLean High School; Alexandria Hiponia and Alison Malkowski, Robinson Secondary School; Luke Cheng, Mica Moore and Daniel Ranard, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology; Alice Pope, West Springfield High School; and Emily Manno, Woodson High School.
Students win
William & Mary awards
Twenty-two students from Fairfax County Public Schools received The College of William & Mary Leadership Award, which recognizes students who demonstrate leadership both in the classroom and in their communities.
Recipients are Desmond Lee, Annandale High School; Bennett Salmon, Centreville High School; Christina Dang, Chantilly High School; Kelly Flanigan, Edison High School; Jack Becket, Fairfax High School; Excy Guardado, Falls Church High School; Nikita Dodbele, Hayfield Secondary School; Kelsey DeFord, Herndon High School; Adrianne Engel, Langley High School; Brian Head, Madison High School; Delanyo Kpo, Marshall High School; Anna Glendening, McLean High School; Corinthia Evans, Mount Vernon High School; Jay Tucker, Oakton High School; Rachel Moody, Robinson Secondary School; Ari Hines, South County Secondary School; James Armstrong, South Lakes High School; Rachel Boots, Stuart High School; Lisa Nam, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology; Gwen Fishel, West Potomac High School; Molly Gift, Westfield High School; and Alexander Willard, Woodson High School.
Each spring, high schools in Virginia are invited to nominate one member of their junior class for the award. All nominated students receive the award and are invited to campus during their senior year to attend the William & Mary Leadership Conference.
Jack Kent Cooke
scholarship goes to Kashef
Sara Kashef of Chantilly, an eighth-grader at Flint Hill School in Oakton, is one of 50 students nationwide to receive a scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's Young Scholars Program. Each year more than 1,000 high-achieving seventh-graders apply for the program, which begins in the eighth grade and continues through high school.
Students are paired with an educational adviser, who provides guidance throughout high school. The foundation works with scholars and their families to construct a tailored educational program that includes support for summer programs, distance learning courses, and music and art instruction.
Young Scholars demonstrate excellence in academic endeavors and extracurricular activities, a strong will to succeed and financial need. After high school, they are eligible to apply for continued undergraduate and graduate support from the foundation.
Six win scholarships to VMI
Six area graduates have received four-year Army ROTC scholarships to attend Virginia Military Institute. They are Steven S. Hong, son of Joo Pyo Hong and Soyoung K. Hong of Fairfax; John R. Neatrour, son of Robert E. and Valerie M. Neatrour of Fairfax; Kenneth R. McFetridge, son of Robert C. McFetridge of Centreville and Carolyn J. Choat of Chantilly; Tyler M. Mills, son of Mark A. and Debbie A. Mills of Annandale; Edgardo C. Soto, son of Edgardo and Sherrie Soto of Centreville; and Michael R. Andriani, son of Michael R. Andriani Jr. of Alexandria.
The scholarships provide for the cadets' college tuition, on-campus educational fees, a $300 to $500 monthly subsistence allowance and $600 per semester for textbooks, supplies and equipment. After graduation, the cadets will be required to serve in the military for eight years. The obligation can be fulfilled by serving either on active duty or in the Army National Guard or Reserve.
Academic achievement
Gary R. Cuadros and Kurt C. VandenHeuvel, both of Annandale; Gabrielle F. Fundaro, John Kim, Michele A. Benevento and Alexa M. Dominguez, all of Fairfax; and Daniel S. Mannino of Fairfax Station graduated from Radford University at the end of the summer 2009 session.
Military honors
Army Reserve Pvt. Lonnie B. Bimford-Thompson, son of Laura and stepson of James Edmonds of Lorton, graduated from basic military training at Fort Sill in Lawton, Okla., under the Split-option Enlistment Program to serve as a member of the Army National Guard or Reserve. Bimford-Thompson is attending Hayfield Secondary School.
The program allows high school students to attend basic training during the summer after their junior year. After completing basic training, they attend National Guard or Reserve weekend drills while still in school. The summer after graduation, the guardsmen or reservists attend advanced individual training in the career specialty they selected at the time they enlisted.
Eight college students from Fairfax County have graduated from the Army ROTC Leader Development and Assessment Course, also known as "Operation Warrior Forge," at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Wash. They are Joseph H. Grable Jr., son of Joseph H. and Karen F. Grable of Burke; John T. Conway, son of Randall G. and Brenda C. Conway of Alexandria; Leonard M. Weschler, son of Maureen McDonnell-Weschler and Leonard Weschler of Vienna; John B. Thibault, son of Michael J. Thibault of Reston and Mary B. Thibault of Herndon; Andrew T. Ton, son of Tuan T. and Thu-Ha Ton of Springfield; Annamarie F. Casimes, granddaughter of Robert W. and Mary M. Oliver of Annandale; Corbin J. Harr, son of John A. Harr of Fairfax Station and Hilary L. Harter of Washington, D.C.; and Warren L. Henderson, son of Warren L. and Tina M. Henderson of Lorton.
Grable, a 2006 graduate of Robinson Secondary School, attends the University of California, Los Angeles. Conway, a 2006 graduate of West Potomac High School, attends North Georgia College and State University, Dahlonega. Weschler, a 2006 graduate of James Madison High School, attends the Virginia Military Institute. Thibault, a 2006 graduate of Oakton High School, attends The Ohio State University, Columbus. Ton is a student at Virginia Tech. Casimes, a 2006 graduate of W.T. Woodson High School, attends Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. Harr, a 2006 graduate of Robinson High School, attends Virginia Tech. Henderson is a student at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
Upon successful completion of the course and the ROTC program, and graduation from college, cadets are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, National Guard or Reserve.
Jonghyun Lee, brother of Jong Kwan Lee and Jongsulk Lee of Reston, Kaitlin E. Rayburn, daughter of Jerome T. and Brenda J. Rayburn of Fairfax, Lance O. Orr, son of Lyzette Orr of Falls Church, Garrett M. Patrick, son of Mike G. and Leslie A. Patrick of Burke, and Michael J. DePrenger, son of Vince A. DePrenger of Chantilly, have graduated from the Army ROTC Leader's Training Course at Fort Knox, Ky. The four-week course can eventually lead to becoming an Army officer.
Lee, a 2007 graduate of Herndon High School, attends James Madison University. Rayburn, a 2007 graduate of Robinson Secondary School, attends the University of West Florida, Pensacola. Orr is a student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Patrick is a student at Virginia Tech. DePrenger a student at George Mason University.
Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Nicholas G. Crispino, son of Mary Crispino of Fairfax Station, and Air Force Reserve Airman 1st Class Angel M. Vasquez graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Airmen who complete eight-week basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Crispino is a 2009 graduate of Mountainview Alternative School. Vasquez is a 2006 graduate of Centreville High School.
Army Pvt. Nicholas Turse has graduated from nine weeks of Infantryman One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. The training consists of Basic Infantry Training and Advanced Individual Training. Turse, son of Gary Turse of Berwick, Pa., and Patricia Samper of Herndon, is a 2008 graduate of Berwick High School.