Study up, prepare to battle Ursuline second-graders
WILMINGTON – Ursuline Academy and the Wilmington Blue Rocks will join forces for 35 games this season for a new segment at Frawley Stadium, “Are You as Smart as an Ursuline Second-Grader?” The feature will debut on April 27 when the Blue Rocks take on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
“Our students jumped at the opportunity to show off their smarts and were thrilled to participate in the segment,” said Lisa Clody, the lower school principal. “Our second-graders can’t wait to see themselves on the big screen at this season’s Blue Rocks games.”
The students were taped in March asking questions and disclosing the answer. During those 35 games, Blue Rocks staffers will ask one member from the audience to play. An Ursuline student will be shown on the screen asking the question, then delivering the answer once the fan has offered his or her guess.
Ursuline students named Hispanic Students of the Year
WILMINGTON – Ursuline Academy seniors Rocio Posada and Valerie Quiñones were recently named the 2014 Hispanic Students of the Year by the Latin American Community Center at its annual Hispanic Student Recognition Award ceremony. This was the first time the LACC honored two students of the same gender instead of one boy and one girl.
The award recognizes Hispanic youth in middle and high school who have excelled in a variety of areas, including academics, the arts, service and athleticsl Posada and Quiñones were selected from more than 80 nominees.
At the ceremony, Posada sang the National Anthem, while Quiñones performed her original song, “Show Me the Way,” composed last year for one of her classes.
Padua raises $4,000 for Ronald McDonald House with Wiffle Ball tourney
WILMINGTON – Padua Academy’s second annual “Ronald’s Rescue Wiffle Ball Tournament,” which was held April 6 at Rockford Park, raised $4,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Wilmington. More than 250 members of the Padua community participated, as did Ronald McDonald, who delivered the ceremonial first pitch.
The senior team “Get Wiff It” won the championship trophy, while the fundraising crown went to a sophomore team, “No Plate Like Home.” The money raised will allow Padua to donate more than 500 nights’ stay toward families in need.
St. Elizabeth freshman Math League team wins region
WILMINGTON – The St. Elizabeth Freshman Math League team, coached by math department chair Bea Woodard, took first place in region two of the 2014 Delaware Secondary School Mathematics League for the second consecutive year. The team traveled to Dover on March 31 for the high school invitational meet and awards banquet.
Members of the team include Declan Kennard, Johnathan Hendricks, John Obuchowski, Joseph Pritchard, Kevin Marchioni and Jake Barks. Hendricks placed second in the individual competition.
St. Mark’s junior elected to statewide Key Club post
WILMINGTON – Dylan Colby, a junior at St. Mark’s High School, was recently elected lieutenant governor of Division 6B of the Capital District of Key Club International. He is currently the president of the St. Mark’s Key Club.
In his new role, Colby will manage Key Clubs in all of the high schools in New Castle County and Cecil County, Md.
The current vice president of the Key Club at St. Mark’s, Artrell Flonnery, was appointed the webmaster of the Capital District. Flonnery, a junior, was selected from approximately 20 candidates to manage the website and the district’s social media.
Freshmen represent St. Mark’s at leadership workshop
WILMINGTON – McKenzie Schurman and Chelsea Vincelette, both freshmen at St. Mark’s, represented the school at the annual Community Leadership Workshp (CLeW), a program sponsored by the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership organization. The workshop took place last month.
CLeW is a one-day program for high school freshmen. It lasts six to 10 hours and includes team-building activities, a high school leadership panel, career speakers and a service activity. This year, approximately 50 students from New Castle County attended.
Mount Aviat packs 250 lunches for the homeless
CHILDS, Md. – Students at Mount Aviat Academy participated in a service project on April 4 to help feed the homeless in nearby Newark, Del. Every student from preschool through eighth grade helped assemble at “Go Bag” on April 4. They were distributed through the Newark Empowerment Center.
Each student added a message of kindness and encouragement along with the ingredients for a good meal, according to the school. The school’s Service Club organized the event, and families provided the food.
Superior Court judge honored at Ursuline reunion weekend
WILMINGTON – Vivian L. Medinilla, a 1984 graduate of Ursuline Academy and a Superior Court judge in Delaware, was honored by the school with the Angela Boyle ’53 Award for Service at its annual Reunion Celebration the weekend of April 11-13. The award recognizes an alumna “who demonstrates service to the community and fully represents the Ursuline spirit,” according to the school.
Gov. Jack Markell appointed Medinilla to Superior Court, where she began serving Feb. 5, 2013. Before that, she was cabinet secretary for the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. From 2004-09, Medinilla was president and owner of Rapposelli and Gonzales, the state’s first law firm comprised entirely of bilingual and multi-lingual lawyers. Her practice there included immigration and civil-rights legislation.
The judge also has served on the Widener School of Law board of overseers and the boards of directors for Junior Achievement of Delaware and the Delaware Community Foundation. She was inducted into the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame in 2012.