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Awards and Accolades-5587

Published January 17, 2014

Below is a list of recent accomplishments by Williamson County students and staff in the areas of academics, athletics and the arts. They are listed in alphabetical order according to school.

Brentwood High Teacher Receives Keep America Beautiful Achievement Award

Brentwood High School Environmental Science Teacher Doug Anderson has been named a winner of the Keep America Beautiful Achievement Award. The awards are given each year to people whose commitment to community improvement delivers more beautiful, cleaner and improved neighborhoods and public spaces.

Doug began teaching science at BHS in 2000. In 2003, he started the honors ecology program in the district. In the same year, Doug volunteered to fill the environmental coordinator position at Brentwood High. This is a Keep Williamson Beautiful/Williamson Recycles initiative where schools implement and document a school recycling program. Due to Doug’s initiative, 1,492 students at Brentwood High School participate in their school recycling program.

Brentwood Middle Student Wins DAR District Essay Contest

Brentwood Middle School eighth grader Caitlin Nairon has been named the winner of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) eighth grade American history essay contest for the Cumberland District. Caitlin's essay will be sent to the state level for judging. Only five essays were sent to state in her category.

Fairview Middle Student Chosen Best Overall Writer at Power of the Pen Conference

Fairview Middle School seventh grader Katie Gilchrist was recently chosen as the "Best Overall Writer" at this year's Power of the Pen Writers' Conference. The conference gives students an opportunity to bring in a piece of writing that is connected to a specific theme and meet with professional writers who critique their pieces and give feedback on how to improve. Out of the 54 writers who attended, Gilchrist was selected Best Writer and as the best example of author's voice.

Franklin High Teacher Named 2014 TFLTA President

Franklin High School French Teacher Betsy Taylor has been named the 2014 President for the Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association (TFLTA). Taylor previously served as First Vice President.

The TFLTA is an organization for all foreign language educators in Tennessee. The group's aim is to promote and to advocate for foreign language education in the state, and to provide assistance and resources to those teaching foreign languages at all levels.

Independence Student Earns Scholarship at Art Show

Independence High School student Gabrielle Martinez won third place in her grade level at the Middle Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition. Martinez's painting titled A Drop of Water Can Set a Sea in Motion is pictured below. As part of her winnings, Martinez will receive a $2,500 per year scholarship to Cumberland University. The awards ceremony and reception was held December 7 at the Renaissance Center in Dickson.

Middle College Artists Win Awards at Middle TN Regional Student Art Exhibition

Congratulations to Middle College High School students Carsen Meerdink and Samantha Starr for their success at the 2013 Middle Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition at the Renaissance Center in Dickson.

Carsen won two awards at this year's event. Her painting received Best Painting of the Show, and her drawing won first place for twelfth grade artwork. She received several scholarship offers including $4,000 per year to Watkins College of Art, Design and Film.

Starr's painting won Best of Show out of 500 entries. She will receive $12,000 per year to attend Watkins. In addition, her artwork was purchased for $500 to be part of the permanent Jackson Foundation Collection.

The paintings by both students will go on to the Regional Tennessee Competition this summer.

Page High HOSA Students Compete at Regional HOSA Competition

Congratulations to the Page High School HOSA members that attended and competed at the Regional HOSA Conference. The following students placed and will compete at the HOSA State conference in March:

  • Carter Burton: 1st place in Medical Law and Ethics
  • Kenzie Mizell: 1st place in Home Health Aide
  • Savanna Kirk: 1st place in Prepared Speaking
  • Carol Holcomb: 1st place in Pharmacology
  • Sadie Ward: 1st place in Dental Terminology

The Page High Health Education Team also won first place. They are comprised of Lily Howard, Olivia Gaddis, Valerie Romanko and Ally Vaughn. The Creative Problem Solving Team won first place. Team members include Corey Bonn, Mason Foley, McKinsey Marlin and Morgan Rakes. The Public Health Team finished in second place. Team members include Peyton Clark, Gabby Dees, Katie Easterling, Brooke Hosfield and Jackson Wiggins.

Ravenwood HOSA Club Has Strong Showing at Regional Competition

The Ravenwood HOSA Club did well at the Regional Competition January 14 at MTSU. Out of the 44 students that competed, 31 will advance to compete at the state level in March.

  • Claire Botros – 2nd place in Medical Math
  • Matt Song - 2nd place in Human Growth and Development
  • Sherif Helmey - 5th place in Pathophysiology
  • Will Breaux - 4th place in Pharmacology
  • Matt MacNeil - 3rd place in Nutrition
  • Lauren Birge - 1st place in Transcultural Health Care
  • Matthew Zakhari - 1st place in Biotechnology
  • Emma Goode - 2nd place in Home Health Aide
  • Alexis Martin - 3rd place in Nursing Assisting
  • Sarah Layden & Kayla Olivier - 2nd place in Emergency Medical Technicians
  • Angela Li - 2nd place in Epidemiology
  • Taylor Ayala - 3rd place in Job Seeking Skills
  • Rhea Manohar - 3rd place in Prepared Speaking
  • Tejas Manohar - 3rd place in Researched Persuasive Speaking
  • Sinyoung Choi, Benya Paueksakon, Megan Kim, Minji Choi & Sarah Pak - 3rd place in Parliamentary Procedure
  • Sarah Johnson, Danielle Keegan and Jared Rose - 3rd place in Biomedical Debate
  • MaryGlenn Goostree, Isabella Gamble and Josie Gauthier - 5th place in Health Education
  • Morgan Ainsworth, Morgan Walker, Kristin Callahan, Allie Clarke & Brianna Erwin - Advanced in Health Care Issues Exam Competition

Spring Station Students Earn Recognition at Model UN Conference

Each fall, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee sponsors a Model United Nations conference. At the conference, middle school students learn about the United Nations by representing member states in a mock United Nations.

Students form delegations and represent member countries interests in the General Assembly by drafting and debating resolutions. These resolutions cover a wide variety of topics of international concern.

This year, several Spring Station Middle School eighth grade students were recognized as Outstanding Delegates including Connor Coughran (Greece), Samuel Harrison (Greece) and Jared Schmidt (Guatemala). The Spring Station team is pictured below.

Summit High Shines at Regional HOSA Competition

Summit High School HOSA students recently had an outstanding day of regional competition at MTSU. HOSA is a national student organization that aims to promote career opportunities in the health care industry and enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people. The following Summit High School students will advance to the State Leadership Conference which will be held March 31-April 2 at Opryland.

  • Savannah Spicer - 1st place in Dental Terminology
  • Kenzie Ehrsam - 3rd place in Medical Law & Ethics
  • Faith Holmes - 2nd place in Medical Terminology
  • Jillian Ward, Neely Robinson & McKailah Taylor - 2nd place in Biomedical Debate
  • Jayden Cartelli - 5th place in Home Health Aide
  • Kinsley Johnson - 2nd place in Interview Skills
  • Ben Leach - 1st place in Job Seeking Skills
  • Seivynn Phagan - 2nd place in Physical Therapy
  • Josh Mason - 2nd place in Life Support Skills
  • Faith Montgomery & Halie Zelaya - 1st place in CPR/First Aid
  • Maria Vera - 1st place in Personal Care
  • Gil Horner, Kristen Demorest, Kaylene Fodra & Theone Rizane - 1st place in Community Awareness
  • Ayden Salmons - 3rd place in Biotechnology
  • Hayden Hughes - 2nd place in Dental Science
  • Justin Marsee, Riley Monigan & Ryann Gardner - placed in the top 10 percent for Healthcare Issues Exam

Summit High Educator Named American Paper & Twine Teacher of the Week

Summit High School science teacher Dee Dee Montgomery was recently selected as the American Paper & Twine Teacher of the Week. Montgomery was nominated by Summit High School parent Gina Fancher.

“Ms. Montgomery teaches everything from general science to Human Anatomy and does it with passion,” wrote Fancher. “As a teacher you are always looking for ways to encourage and captivate your students. Ms. Montgomery does that daily."

Montgomery received a $400 gift basket full of supplies for her classroom, and her name was announced during a Tennessee Titans football game.

Summit High Teacher Named News 2 Educator of the Week

Summit High School math teacher Jenny Parkhurst has been selected as a WKRN News 2 Educator of the Week. Jenny will be profiled during an upcoming episode of News 2 at 6 p.m. She will also be placed in the running for the Tennessee Lottery Educator of the Month, which is an online competition based on votes.

Summit High Students Recognized at TSA Conference

The Technology Student Association (TSA) of Summit High School recently traveled to MTSU to compete in the Regional Competition. The TSA is open to students who are enrolled in or have completed technology education courses. Members include both middle and high school students. The Summit High School students who won awards at the regional competition are listed below:

  • Allison Baldwin - 1st in Technical Sketching, 1st in Prepared Essay
  • Josh Sadler - 2nd in Extraneous Presentation
  • Anthony Kupecz - 2nd in Prepared Presentation
  • Quinlan Morgheim, Caitlyn Mulcahey, Anthony Kupecz - 2nd in Tech Bowl
  • Sam Perry, Caitlyn Mulcahey - 3rd in Technical Problem Solving
  • Jeremiah Eicher, Nick Kaparos, Dustin Dryer & Brandon Simmons - 3rd in Engineering Design Team

Woodland Middle Students Compete at Model UN Conference

Congratulations to the following Woodland Middle School students who participated in the recent Model United Nations Conference:

  • Davis Bove, Matthew Rigsby and Spencer Townes: Won an award for Outstanding Resolution
  • Emily Gwydir, Matthew Rigsby, Hyungtaek Shin & Hannah Park: Named Outstanding Delegates