YMCA Black Achievers awards scholarships to seniors
Awards/honors
▪ Eighteen seniors in Fayette County Public Schools received college scholarships during the YMCA of Central Kentucky’s Black Achievers banquet, held April 15 at the Embassy Suites. This year’s theme was “Preparing to Impact our Future Today.”
Thanks to educational and corporate sponsors, nearly $300,000 in scholarships was provided to 28 seniors. The awards were based on the students’ Black Achievers senior packet score, number of years and attendance in the program, GPA and ACT scores. The recipients were:
Bryan Station High School: Alexis Edwards, Wesley Glover and Nakayla Greene
Henry Clay High School: Amir Gatewood, Sydney Hardin, Lishaun Shelby, Bryce Thurman and Aania Trigg
Lafayette High School: Jason Allen Jackson
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School: Seneca Blackford and Raquel Johnson
Tates Creek High School: Joyia Burrus
Carter G. Woodson Academy: Justin Washington
STEAM Academy: Desmond Bernard, Evan Lindsay, Kyla Lockett, Harrison Neyland and Lajean Wilson
▪ Daniel Christopher Murphy, a 2016 graduate of Lexington Catholic High School and a freshman physics major and computer science minor at Georgia Tech, is one of 12 students selected (from more than 300) for a research experience for undergraduates position in the department of chemistry at Purdue University this summer. Daniel will work with Sabre Kais, a professor of physical/theoretical and computer science at Purdue. Daniel is the son of Debbie and Dave Murphy of Lexington.
▪ Madison Central High School placed first, and the archery team from Lafayette High School placed second April 20 in the 2017 Kentucky High School Athletic Association state championships, which pitted 22 teams. The Generals, whose 3,440 total was only two points behind Madison Central, notched the best finish of any Lexington school in the five years that the association has sponsored archery as a coed sports activity.
In the individual standings, Joshua Smith of Model Laboratory School placed first with 298 points. Lafayette freshman Cole Murphy tied for third place among the 311 boys in the tournament, shooting 296 out of a possible 300. The top girls’ score was 294.
For complete results, go here.
Teams now look ahead to the national competition May 11-13 in Louisville and the world tournament July 20-22 in Orlando, Fla. Both events are sponsored by the National Archery in the Schools Program.
▪ Nearly 75 students from Eastside and Southside technical centers attended the 2017 SkillsUSA state conference April 19-22 in Louisville, where they competed in various categories, conducted business for the Kentucky chapter, met with business and industry representatives, and heard from government officials.
Eastside checked in the most students (58) and was recognized for having the third-highest membership in the state. Instructor Jay O’Hair was also noted for 100 percent SkillsUSA membership in his diesel technology program at Eastside.
Following are the top results. The first-place winners qualify for nationals.
Eastside Tech
Gold medalists: Donovan Richardson, customer service; Jimmy Robinson, employment applications process; Paxton Barnett, job interview; Khalil Thomas and Justin Washington, audio radio production; Corey Resinger, automotive service technology; Zak Smiley, Kellin Toomey, Tyler Reyes and Doni Munoz, broadcast news production; Justin Watts, Shaelin Sechrest and Michael Sainato, crime scene investigation; Kevin Mahoney, power equipment technology; and Mark Chilver, Kaden Coleman, Trenton Karr Paepke and Michael Sainato, patriotic salute
Silver medalists: Scottie Ratliff, collision repair technology; Michael Buchignani, criminal justice; Triston Keith, diesel equipment; Adam Elias, firefighting; Delia Charles, Tayshawn Bynum and Tyler Reyes, career pathway showcase/arts and communications; Autumn Whittington, power equipment technology; and Tywanna Webb and William Sebree, patriotic salute
Bronze medalists: Andoni Munoz, photo art display; Bailey Ingram, talent; Scot Smith, automotive refinishing; Anthony Grant, collision repair technology; Ben Waller, diesel equipment; Mary Jo Campbell, firefighting; Tevia Gilliam, first aid/CPR; Lucas Brandenburg, power equipment technology; LaShay Beatty, TV/video production; John Luke Hisle, action skills; Israel Angeles, airbrush design; and Matthew Gabbard, patriotic salute
Southside Tech
Gold medalists: Breanna Thomas, commercial baking; Tara Keel, first aid/CPR; and Axel Rincon, residential systems installation
Silver medalists: Ty Hendricks, carpentry; Danil Slesarenko, electrical construction wiring; and Briana Clark, electronics technology
Bronze medalists: Celeste Caldwell, customer service; Stevie Boytek, 30-second elevator story; Jacob Burris, industrial motor controls; Arif Moula, job skills demo; and Cameron Brangers, welding
▪ Three anglers from Lafayette High School placed 16th in the Region 2 bass fishing competition April 22, making the qualifying cutoff for the state tournament. Aaron Bussell, Dale Orr and Landon Orr caught five fish with a total weight of 12.57 pounds.
Additional boats from Lafayette as well as Bryan Station, Henry Clay and Tates Creek also fished Lake Cumberland out of Halcomb’s Landing east of Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown.
Teams from Madison Central (Blake Harold and Cameron Cochran) and East Jessamine (Braxton Lamb and Tyler Fuller) placed second and third, respectively.
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association bass fishing state championship, hosted by Calvert City, will be May 12-13 on Kentucky Lake out of Kentucky Dam Marina.
▪ Several young artists from Fayette County Public Schools earned recognition in the Kentucky Art Education Association’s 2017 all-state competition. Mary Margot Ventura of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School took first place with her sculpture, “Mother Daughter.”
Lafayette High School produced three runners-up: Alexa Ocampo in painting for “Haleyon,” Michael Lozovoy in mixed media with “Lumberjack,” and Quinn Maynard in design for “Transy Pep Band Tee.” Zoe Felice received honorable mention in mixed media for “Introverted Bear.”
Two students from Henry Clay High School also received honorable mentions: Katelyn Collins in photography for “Saudade,” and Abi Pack in drawing with “Serious Moonlight.”
▪ Students from several Fayette County schools earned top honors in the National History Day in Kentucky state contest, hosted April 22 by the Kentucky Historical Society and the University of Kentucky’s College of Education. Students from 21 counties presented exhibits, documentaries, websites, performances and papers on topics related to this year’s theme, “Taking a Stand in History.” The first- and second-place entries qualify for the national contest June 11-15 at the University of Maryland.
Junior Group Exhibit
First place: Ellen Bohannon and Bella-Claire Carter of Winburn Middle School, “The Race to Equality: Jesse Owens’ Stand against Racism in the 1930s”
Junior Individual Website
First place: Sadie Bograd of Winburn, “A Punch to the Gut: One Magazine’s Stand on Privacy Rights”
Runner-up: Henry Noll of Leestown Middle, “Harvey Milk”
Junior Group Website
First place: Ava Chen and Matthew David Klee of Winburn, “Gideon v. Wainwright: A Citizen’s Stand for Counsel”
Runner-up: Kate Messerli and Corinne King of Winburn, “Around the Campfire: John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt Taking a Stand in Yosemite”
Senior Group Website
First place: Zsombor Gal, Reka Gal, Rohith Kesaraju and Akhil Kesaraju of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, “The Swedish Liberator: Raoul Wallenberg”
Junior Paper
Runner-up: Evan Winkler of Morton Middle, “Taking a Stand for Equality: The Role of Radical Republicans in Reconstruction”
Senior Paper
Runner-up: David Ma of Dunbar, “Rebel with A Cause: The Rise of Yellow Peril and the Fight against Japanese Internment”
Junior Individual Performance
First place: J.T. Baniak of Winburn, “Extre, Extre: Newsies Take a Stand”
Junior Individual Documentary
First place: Katherine Henson of Winburn, “Brave in the Attempt: The Story of the Special Olympics”
Runner-up: Sitara True of Winburn, “The Little Rock Nine: A Stand against School Segregation”
Frazier History Museum Award for Kentucky History
Aiden Christian West of Leestown Middle, “Holloway Fields Jr. and his lasting impact not only on the University of Kentucky but the nation”
▪ U.S. News & World Report last week released its list of 2017 Best High Schools. These rankings evaluated data on more than 22,000 public high schools to identify which ones were best at preparing students for college and careers, and awarded gold, silver and bronze medals to more than 6,000.
In Kentucky, four schools received gold medals, 35 silver and 47 bronze. Fayette County had two in the state’s top 10: Henry Clay at No. 8 and Lafayette at No. 9, both earning silver medals. Tates Creek High School and the STEAM Academy got bronze.
Rounding out the top 20: Woodford County High School received a silver medal and a ranking of No. 16 in the state. George Rogers Clark High School was ranked No. 19 in Kentucky and was awarded a silver medal.
Miscellaneous
▪ Members of the 16th District PTA elected a new executive board for 2017-19 at April’s roundtable meeting. The following leaders will be installed May 10 during the PTA’s awards and recognition luncheon: Chris Medley, president; Penny Christian, first vice president; Rolanda Woolfolk, second vice president/membership; Jenna Jennings, treasurer; Brandon Sharp, corresponding secretary; Mary Takhtjian, recording secretary. For more information, visit Fcps.net/pta.
This story was originally published May 1, 2017 at 11:36 AM with the headline "YMCA Black Achievers awards scholarships to seniors."