Hunt in VA High School Hall of Fame

Mr. N. Douglas Hunt, Director of the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, was selected for the Virginia High School Hall of Fame.

Sponsored jointly by the Virginia High School League and the Virginia High School Coaches Association, the hall "is dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of outstanding achievements by students and adults in sports and activities within Virginia’s public high schools."

Here's what the Virginia High School League had to say about Mr. Hunt:

No individual school principal has contributed more to the growth and progress enjoyed by the Virginia High School League than Doug Hunt.

As a principal of three high schools – Highland Springs, Hermitage and Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School – he has made a positive difference that has benefitted thousands of participants in VHSL sports and activities.

During his 10 years on the VHSL Executive Committee, he served as Group AAA secretary, vice-chairman, and chairman and League chairman. He was instrumental in the development of new programs and services provided by the League. Through his leadership, he introduced the first catastrophic insurance coverage for students; oversaw the planning and construction of the VHSL headquarters and the formation of the Virginia High School Hall of Fame; served as steering committee chairman responsible for setting the overall direction of the VHSL; strengthened the VHSL Sportsmanship Rule; established the annual basketball officials camp and first coaches education initiative and created the first VHSL scholarship program – Col. Charles E. Savedge Scholarship recognizing the VHSL Journalist of the Year.

His distinguished legacy is unsurpassed by any other school administrator.

He is retiring this year as the principal at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School.

BoB Squad 4th in Nation

Congratulations to the BoB Squad for finishing fourth place at the PACE National Scholastic Championship Tournament held at George Mason University this past weekend.

The team members are Greg Tito '10 (captain), Sarah Angelo '10, Tommy Casalaspi '11, and Matt Kluge '09. Tommy was selected to the all-star team.



(Pictured: Greg Tito '10.)

Alumna '05 to Receive Georgetown Law Fellowship

Alice C. Hsieh '05 has been selected as a Georgetown Public Interest Law Scholar. Only eight students are selected to receive this fellowship from each entering class.

The list of recipients has not yet been published, but here's a link to more information on the award: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/clinics/pils/.

Italian-American Cultural Association Recognizes MLWGS Student

from Smoke & Scales:

The Italian-American Cultural Association of Virginia has awarded Norris Guncheon '10 a $1,000 scholarship toward his upcoming travel to Italy.

“The board members were very impressed by your (Norris’s) presentation, your scholastic and musical endeavors and especially your enthusiasm to learn more about the Italian language and culture.”

The international language department and especially Ms. Hefty are very proud of Norris’s scholarship.

Technology Student Association Recognizes MLWGS Students

from Smoke & Scales:

At the recent Virginia conference of the Technology Student Association (TSA) held in Tyson's Corner, Virginia, Andrew Le '09 and Josh Wilson '09 placed third in the State for their entry in Electronic Research and Experimentation.

In a field of thirteen teams, Andrew and Josh’s audio amplifier stood out for its design, attention to detail and craftsmanship. Andrew and Josh are now eligible to represent the State of Virginia at the TSA National Conference to be held this summer in Denver, Colorado.

Aileen Dollete '09 earned finalist recognition at the same conference for her entry in Fashion Design.

Han '98 Publishes New Novel

Jenny Han '98 just published her second novel The Summer I Turned Pretty--"A story of love, friendship, and growing up." Jenny's first novel Shug was released in 2006.

Here's a short plot description:

Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad have vacationed at the beach with their families for as long as they can remember. For Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad have been her brother figures, crushes, and everything in between – until that one summer when everything changed. Through other relationships, through fights, and all those winters apart, and through the boy’s struggle with their mother's illness, she's always known that one of them will be hers forever. The question is, which one?

Maggie Walker in Anti-Smoking Ad

A number of alumni have noted that the staircase facing Lombardy Street is featured in one of the recent Ydouthink anti-smoking ads. To see the commercial, go to the following website and click on "Off to School": http://ydouthink.com/tvandradio.php.

No Maggie Walker students were involved in the production.

(Please be forewarned that the commercial is aimed towards a young audience and employs somewhat crude humor.)

Morton Named VA Superintendent of the Year

from the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Henrico schools' outgoing superintendent Fred Morton IV has been named Virginia's Superintendent of the Year by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright and the officers of four Virginia education organizations selected Morton from among eight regional Superintendents of the Year, who were selected earlier this year from a field of 133 school superintendents in the state. Morton holds the honor in Region 1.

Morton has served as superintendent of the 48,000-student Henrico County Public Schools since 2004. Prior to that, he was superintendent of Montgomery County Schools in Blacksburg. He also has served as principal of Western Albemarle High School in Albemarle County and of Covington High School in Covington.

"We're very proud. It's a validation of the great programs begun and ongoing under his leadership," School Board Chairman John Montgomery said.

In Henrico, Morton has begun a student congress made up of high school students who take part in proposing guidelines and changes to district policies. "We created a meaningful voice for students in School Board policy and decisions," Morton said.

He also created a program requiring administrators to "adopt" students identified as potential dropouts; the program reduced the dropout rate by nearly a third in one year.

Henrico schools also have increased minority hiring, developed a nontraditional-students division and created academic achievement teams.

"So many people have been part of the work," Morton said. "It's our award, not my award."

Morton will leave the Henrico school system in July. This fall, he will begin as director of the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School in Richmond.

Morton will be in the running for National Superintendent of the Year, which will be presented in February by the American Association of School Administrators.

By Lisa Crutchfield

Thespian Society Inducts Four Students

from Smoke & Scales:

The purpose of the International Thespian Society is the advancement of excellence in educational theater and the continuing enrichment of theater arts. To be eligible for membership, a student of drama must devote 300 hours of qualified service to the Drama Department.

On April 24, 2009, following the Picasso at the Lapin Agile performance at MLWGS, the following students were inducted into the group by society officers Matthew Gizzi (’09) and Eric Sawchak (’10):

• Auri Caudill (’09)
• Alicia Moore (’10)
• Rose Werner ('10)
• Ted Westrick ('10)

Auri, Alicia, Rose and Ted join 28 other current students and alumni who were previously honored with membership.