St. Elizabeth students receive service honor
WILMINGTON – St. Elizabeth High School has been named the Delaware recipient for Outstanding Service for a High School by the Jefferson Awards-Deloitte Students in Action program. The school will represent the state at the Jefferson Awards national ceremony in Washington, D.C., June 17-18.
A local panel of judges chose St. Elizabeth for its students’ impact for their service in school and contribution to the community. The St. Elizabeth SIA team’s accomplishments include raising more than $5,000 for the St. Vincent de Paul Society through the annual Jingle Ball Run; collecting in excess of 7,000 pairs of shoes for those in need in Africa; and collecting more than 10,000 greeting cards with a value of $15,057 for St. Jude’s Ranch in Arizona.
Through its efforts, the team tracked 14,875 service hours with a financial impact to the community of more than $335,000, according to the Jefferson Awards Foundation.
St. Elizabeth junior named student leader
WILMINGTON – Marc Brown, a junior at St. Elizabeth High School, has been selected a 2015 Bank of America Student Leader for exemplary commitment to his community, the school announced recently. Brown will join more than 2,000 students who have participated in this experience.
As part of the Student Leader program, Brown will participate in an eight-week paid internship with a local nonprofit to be identified by Bank of America. He will also take part in a Student Leaders summit July 12-17 in Washington, D.C., with more than 200 other teens.
St. Mark’s Sorantino wins Common Wealth Award
Lauren Sorantino, a senior at St. Mark’s High School, is one of the winners of the 2015 Common Wealth Awards writing contest. She will attend the black-tie gala April 25 at the Hotel duPont for the 36th annual Common Wealth Awards, which recognize individuals for their lifetime achievements in a range of endeavors.
Sorantino’s essay focused on why she would like to meet actor and activist Edward Norton. Sorantino is involved with the cognitively disabled and is passionate about literacy. Other award recipients include musician and humanitarian Jon Bon Jovi and Jimmy Wales, co-founder of the nonprofit encyclopedia Wikipedia.
St. Mark’s alumna returns to speak at leadership breakfast
WILMINGTON – Kristin van Ogtrop, a 1982 graduate of St. Mark’s High School, will return to the school this weekend as the keynote speaker at the annual Senior Leadership Mass and Breakfast. Van Ogtrop is the managing editor of Real Simple magazine.
Under her leadership, Real Simple has achieved critical acclaim, including nine National Magazine Award nominations in the general excellence category, according to the school. She also oversees the magazine’s website, www.realsimple.com and all of its brand extensions.
Van Ogtrop also has written several books, including “Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom,” published in 2010. She has appreared on television and is a regular columnist for Time. Last year, she was named by Fortune as one of the 55 most influential women on Twitter.
Before joining Real Simple, van Ogtrop was executive editor of Glamour, and she has worked at Vogue, Travel & Leisure, and Premiere magazines.
The Senior Leadership Mass and Breakfast honors student leaders in the senior class at St. Mark’s. Seniors in every club, activity, service organization and sport, along with their families, are invited to attend.
St. Mark’s senior is presidential scholar semifinalist
WILMINGTON – Katherine Lee, a senior at St. Mark’s High School, has qualified as one of approximately 500 high school seniors nationwide to be a U.S. Presidential Scholar. Students are selected on the basis of academic and artistic achievement, leadership qualities, character and involvement in school and community activities.
Each year, two seniors from each state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and students living abroad are selected, as are 15 at-large students and up to 20 in the creative and performing arts. The scholars will travel to Washington in June for a recognition ceremony and other activities.
