<lst>To have school information listed in The Arlington Connection, mail to 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102 or write an e-mail to arlington@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is 2 p.m. the Thursday before publication. Call Matthew Razak at 703-917-6457.
Eight Arlington Public Schools students are among the 49 Virginia students and 833 students nationwide who have been selected for recognition in the 82nd annual National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition. Held in New York in March, the awards are considered the largest, longest-running, and most prestigious recognition programs for creative young people in the US. Over 15,000 regional award-winning entries were submitted for national judging. For more information on the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, contact the Arlington Public Schools Department of Art Education at 703-228-6170.
On Saturday, May 20, Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert G. Smith, received the 2006 Distinguished Service to Education Service Award from George Mason University’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). The award is presented annually to educational leaders who have had a significant impact on Northern Virginia’s public education. Smith will also serve as the keynote speaker at the College of Education and Human Development’s convocation exercises. Smith has served as superintendent of Arlington’s public schools since 1997. During this time he has spearheaded a number of initiatives designed to ensure rising student achievement. He also introduced the school system’s first annual Facilities and Student Accommodation Plan that includes a comprehensive arrangement for solving school crowding and renewal issues.
This summer, six Arlington Public Schools (APS) high school students will embark in an apprenticeship program designed to help teach them to film, edit, and publish a documentary. The five-week program (July 10 – Aug. 10) will culminate with a public screening of the finished documentaries profiling Arlington County on Channel 69 in the fall. Students will meet on Mondays through Thursdays, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Arlington Independent Media in Clarendon. Contact Mary Eckstein at (703) 228- 6299.
Rachel Shoenhard of Arlington was among the Harding University students included on the school's Dean's List for grades achieved during the spring semester.
Claire Lauterbach, of Arlington, was named to the dean's list with distinction at Duke University for the Spring 2006 semester.
Becca Herman, daughter of Michael and Phyllis Herman, Arlington, earned a bachelor of arts degree in English and a bachelor of music degree in opera/vocal studies, student-designed, cum laude from Lawrence University. She is a 2001 graduate of Washington Waldorf School, Bethesda, Md.
Timothy Walters, of Arlington a senior majoring in landscape architecture in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, recently received the Benjamin C. Johnson and Janice K. McBee Prize for Excellence in Design. This award is given to a fourth-year undergraduate student and one graduate student based on academic achievement, design performance, leadership in studio, contribution to collective learning in studio, confidence in graphic, written, and verbal communication, and demonstrated vision for landscape architecture.
The following Arlington residents and Virginia Tech students were among those honored at the university's Spring Commencement Ceremony held Friday, May 12 in Lane Stadium: Sharon Brown, Alexandre Monnard, Thomas Sawner, James Fedoroff, Wade Kallio, Faiz Munshi, Ekta Shah, John Shulsky, Joseph Hickman, George Lang, Veronica Rivera, Esin Ozdag, Tri Phan, Michael Seppala, Hon Mu Shin, Nathan Zimmerman, Patrick Cox, Julie Noble, Anhvu Buchanan, Gayle Ruddick, Sarah Druy, John Kurcis, Gene Pierson, Jeffrey Rusincovitch, Stacey Rusnak, Alexandra Sehler, Byron Diaz-Citan, Maria Kapasouris, Christopher Chase, Donal Goff, Claire Mulloy, Larkin Read, Gabriel Dunn, Lindsey Gowin, Gina Lodato, Cullen McDonald.