Alumna Awarded Monroe Scholar at William & Mary

Gillian Byles (’09) has been accepted as a Monroe Scholar at The College of William and Mary. Gillian plans on using her summer scholarship to travel to Jamaica to conduct a cross cultural study of body image in young woman both at The College of William and Mary and at the University of the West Indies.

Each year, rising sophomores who have outstanding academic records in the freshman year are invited to apply for seats in the Monroe Scholar Program. This year 124 rising sophomores were invited to apply for 54 spaces in the class of 2013.

Monroe Scholars are the most academically distinguished undergraduates at William and Mary. They demonstrate a concern for community, intellectual depth, curiosity, and devotion to learning for learning's sake.

The most significant component of the Program is the $3,000 summer scholarship that is awarded to every Monroe Scholar. Students may use the scholarship to conduct a serious research project of their own design following the sophomore or junior year.

(The program description above comes from www.wm.edu.)

Art Teacher Wins R.E.B.

Fine Arts Department Chair Jeff "Coach" Hall just received a $10,500 R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence. Coach Hall will use his award to travel to Europe this summer to compare and contrast contemporary art and architecture across the continent.

"Winning this award is a very humbling experience," said Coach Hall. "The quality of the teachers with whom I was competing was exceptional, and this opportunity will be a highlight of my career."

R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence were established in 1988 to recognize public school teachers in the metropolitan Richmond area who “have distinguished themselves by their inspiring classroom performance.” Each year, grants of up to $12,000 are given to approximately fifteen teachers to support their professional development activities.

Current Governor’s School teachers who have received this award in the past include Denise Yagel, Lisa Williams, and Kerry Sheppard from the English department; John Barnes from the Mathematics department; and John Wilkes from the Social Studies department.

Math Teacher Featured in Richmond Magazine

MLWGS Math teacher John Barnes is recognized as one of the "Standout teachers from around the region" in the November 2010 issue of Richmond Magazine.

The article, which highlights "6 Teachers Who Inspire," gives kudos to Dr. Barnes not only for his teaching but also for his coaching of the academic and math modeling teams.

Bailey Thomson '06 Wins W&M Carr Cup

from William & Mary Press Office

Richmond’s Thomson Wins Carr Memorial Cup At W&M Commencement Ceremony
(Williamsburg, Va.) – Kathryn Bailey Thomson (goes by Bailey), daughter of Audrey and Gordon Thomson of Richmond, Va., received the College of William & Mary's James Frederic Carr Memorial Cup during Commencement ceremonies on May 16, 2010.

The Carr Cup is presented annually to the graduating senior "who best combines the qualities of character, scholarship and leadership." It is named for James Carr, who came to W&M in 1914, served with distinction in World War I, and lost his life before he could return to the College.

Thomson, a Monroe Scholar and member of Phi Beta Kappa among several honors societies, graduated with a double major and departmental honors in Middle Eastern Studies and Government. She was honored for her roles as Chair of the Undergraduate Honor Council, Resident Assistantship, NAACP membership, and leadership in international service.

“Bailey has been a faithful steward of the College’s highest values,” W&M President Taylor Reveley said. “She represents the best of William & Mary, not only for exemplary character, scholarship and leadership, but also for her deep commitment to bringing our diverse community together and seeking understanding across our lines of difference.”

Robotics Team Completes Successful Season

The Maggie L. Walker Robotics Team, the Mech Tech Dragons, ended their season at the FIRST Virginia Regional Competition at VCU on March 18-20. The team made it as far as the semi-finals in the soccer-inspired challenge entitled “Breakaway.”

Congratulations to the team for their outstanding performance this year!

Former UN Ambassador to Present at MLWGS

Ambassador Jacques Paul Klein, Under Secretary General of the United Nations (ret.), is coming to MLWGS on Monday, March 29, to speak on "Brutal Wars, Negotiated Peace and the Pursuit of Justice: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Liberia and Sierra Leone And the Role of the United Nations."

Presentations will be made to Maggie Walker students during the school day. A previously-schedule evening presentation is now canceled.

The program is co-sponsored by the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and Interantional Studies and Bridging Boundaries International (BBI).

Alumnus Speaks on Experiences in Haiti

William and Mary freshman Danny Yates '09 spoke to MLWGS parents and students about his experiences during Haiti's January earthquake. Danny presented in the Forum twice on Wednesday, March 10--once during the day to students and then at an evening presentation to parents and visitors.

Danny was a translator for a mission trip at the time of the quake, and he saw first-hand the devastation in Port-au-Prince.

Since returning to the US, Danny has worked tirelessly to educate Americans about the continuing problems in Haiti, as well as how we can help. For more about Danny's experiences, please visit his website at www.hincherelief.wordpress.com.