Students Stand Out !

• Presidential Scholars Program Semi-Finalists
  A. of Ramstein High School, Germany, and S. of Antilles High School, Puerto Rico, are semi-finalists in the 2002 Presidential Scholar Program. The program, established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President, recognizes and honors some of the Nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Each year, up to 141 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the Nation’s highest honors for high school students.
  
  Students have the opportunity to become Presidential Scholars based on two paths of accomplishment, broad academic achievement (the majority of scholars), and academic and artistic scholarship in the visual arts, the performing arts, or creative writing. A. and S. were both selected to participate in the program on the basis of their academic achievement, which is determined by SAT and ACT scores. Approximately 2,600 qualified academic candidates are invited to apply to the program.
  
  Completed candidacy packets are evaluated based on the student’s academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership and service activities, and an analysis of his/her essay. Approximately 500 candidates are named semifinalists and forwarded to the Commission on Presidential Scholars for further review. The Commission selects up to 121 academic scholars and up to 20 arts scholars. All Presidential Scholars are honored for their accomplishments during National Recognition Week, held in June in Washington, D.C. To commemorate their achievement, the scholars are awarded the Presidential Scholars Medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House.
  
  
• VFW Scholarship
  C., a sophomore at Ramstein High School in Germany, won a $10,000 scholarship, a trip to Washington, D.C., and a meeting with President Bush after placing third out of nearly 86,000 high school students in the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its Ladies Auxiliary annual Voice of Democracy audio essay contest. The contest is designed to foster patriotism by giving high school students in grades 9 through 12 the opportunity to voice their opinion about their personal obligations as an American and address their responsibility to our country. Contestants write and record a three to five minute essay on an announced patriotic theme. “Reaching Out to America’s Future” was the 2001-2002 theme. C. wrote a fictitious story about a dying veteran and his son.
  
  
• USAFE Youth of the Year Award
  K., a 12th grader at Lakenheath High School in England, is the winner of the 2001-2002 USAFE Youth of the Year Award. She will receive a $3,000 scholarship, compliments of American Debt Management. In addition, she will have the opportunity to compete against other European Boys and Girls Club youth for the European region Youth of the Year title, the Northeast regional title, and, ultimately, the National Youth of the Year Award, whose winner is installed by the President at a White House ceremony and receives a $10,000 scholarship.
  
  In addition to the USAFE Youth of the Year Award, base level Youth of the Year winners were also chosen. These students will represent their respective installations at the Air Force Youth of the Year ceremony in June in Washington, D.C.
  
  S., 9th grade, Aviano H.S., Italy
  R., 8th grade, Sevilla M.S., Spain
  A., 12th grade, Bitburg H.S., Germany
  J., 11th grade, London Central H.S., England
  C., 12th grade, Ramstein H.S., Germany
  N., 9th grade, Incirlik American H.S., Turkey
  D., 9th grade, General H.H. Arnold H.S., Germany
  T., 12th grade, Bitburg H.S., Germany
  B., 11th grade, Izmir H.S., Turkey
  A., 9th grade, Kaiserslautern H.S., Germany
  A., 11th grade, Lakenheath H.S., England
  S., 12th grade, Alconbury H.S., England
  M., 11th grade, Kaiserslautern H.S., Germany
  
  The Youth of the Year program annually recognizes the outstanding achievements and accomplishments of youth program members ages 14-18 who have demonstrated service to their youth center and community, achieved academic excellence, and made contributions to their family.
  
  
• National Geographic Bee
  R., an 8th grade student at Naples High School, Naples, Italy, is the DoDDS finalist for the 2002 National Geographic Bee. R. was the 2001 DoDDS National Geographic Bee finalist as well; he ranked 4th in the national competition. To reach this year’s finals, R. won at the school level and then scored highest in a written exam taken by nine other DoDDS finalists. The 2002 National Geographic Bee will take place in Washington, D.C., from May 20-May 23.
  
  
• Engineering Design Contest
  The West Point Bicentennial Engineering Design Contest, a nationwide competition, is open to all members of the general public; however, only U.S. students in Grades K through 12 may compete for prizes. J., who attends Ramstein High School, Ramstein, Germany, competed in the semi-finals of the contest using the required West Point Bridge Designer software. He had three hours to log-on and download the design specs, design the bridge, and submit the design to the West Point site. J. placed first in his region and is one of six teams nationwide that will go to West Point for three days at the end of April 2002 to compete in the Finals. He is competing for a $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 scholarship. In addition, any team that successfully designs a bridge in the Final Round receives a laptop computer.
  
  
• Spelling Bee
  After nine sudden-death rounds of competition, A., a seventh-grader at Bitburg Middle School, Bitburg, Germany, won the 2002 European Spelling Bee after correctly spelling the word “nuisance.” Runners-up were J. from Ansbach Elementary School, Ansbach, Germany, and D. from Schweinfurt Elementary School, Schweinfurt, Germany. An estimated 10,000 students in grades three through eight took part in local spelling bees during the weeks leading up to the European Finals, which were held in March 2002 in Mannheim, Germany. A.’s victory earns him a trip as the European Command representative to the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee to be held in Washington, D.C., in May 2002, where he will compete for $10,000 in scholarship money.
  
  
• Academic Games
  Teams from 15 high schools—from four countries in Europe and one team from Cuba—met in March 2002 to compete for the title of smartest school in Europe at the 20th annual Department of Defense Dependents Schools–Europe Academic Games. Each team was composed of four students—one from each grade 9–12—and one alternate. The students answered a variety of questions on a wide range of topics including mathematics, literature, art, dance, and a mixed category called potpourri. DoDDS ordered the questions from a commercial company to maintain fairness. SHAPE High School in Belgium won first place; Baumholder High School, Baumholder, Germany, took second place; and Kaiserslautern High School, Kaiserslautern, Germany, took third place.
  
  
• Model U.N.
  A group of 13 students who compose the Model United Nations Team, Kinnick High School, Yokosuka, Japan, attended a national Model U.N. Conference in New York City in March 2002. During the three-day conference, the students represented Denmark on a host of committees. More than 2,000 students from schools throughout the United States and some from abroad participated in the conference, holding committee meetings and debates, and adopting resolutions based on real-world situations. The Kinnick team started meeting as a Model U.N. class in the fall of 2001. Each student had to raise approximately $2,000 to pay for the trip.
  
  
• Yokosuka ESL Students Win Connect with the Future Contest
  The kindergarten and first grade English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) class at The Sullivans Elementary School in Yokosuka, Japan, were selected as winners in the national Connect with the Future Contest sponsored by the Scholastic Software Clubs. The students created a poster with pictures and predictions of life in the year 2025. The class will receive a Gateway Multimedia Computer and 40 CD cases.
  
  
• Guam Students Are Winners in 2001 Letters to the Front Worldwide Contest
  Three Guam South Elementary/Middle School students—R. and L. (under 12 category) and N. (12-18 category) were local first place winners in the 2001 Letters to the Front Worldwide Letter Writing Contest. Thousands of letters from students at both Department of Defense schools and civilian schools from 49 states and over 160 military installations worldwide were entered in the contest, which was developed in 1999 to generate letters of support for American service members stationed overseas. The best letters in each age group won prizes ranging from T-shirts to computers to scholarship funds.
  
  
• DoDDS Pacific Students Win School Bus Safety Poster Contest
  Three DoDDS-Pacific students won first, second, and third place in the International Division of the National School Bus Safety Week October 14-27, 2001, Poster Contest sponsored by the National School Transportation Association.
  
  First place winner was H. of Seoul Middle School, Seoul, Korea; second place was E. of Lester Middle School, Okinawa, Japan; and third place was C. of Sollars Elementary School, Misawa, Japan.
  
  Winners were announced at the National Association of Pupil Transportation conference in Nashville, Tennessee, and also were named in a recent issue of the School Bus Fleet national publication.



• DoDEA Students win Armed Services YMCA Art Contest
  Three DoDEA students were selected as first place winners, and three as second place winners in the Armed Services YMCA Art Contest 2002. Winners were selected from each branch of the armed services and the National Guard. A number of DoDEA students also received certificates of honorable mention.
  
  First place winners will have their artwork included on a poster promoting Military Family Week in November and will receive a $500 savings bond. Second place winners will each receive a $100 bond. The winning artwork, along with a list of students awarded honorable mention, appears on the Armed Services YMCA Web site: www.asymca.org/art_contest.htm
  
  First Place Winners:
  • M., a sixth grader at Patch Elementary School, Stuttgart, Germany
  • M., a fourth grader at Laurel Bay Intermediate School, Laurel Bay, South Carolina
  • A., a fifth grader at Wilson Elementary School, Fort Benning, Georgia
  
  
  
  Second Place Winners:
  • B., a fifth grader at Wilson Elementary School, Fort Benning, Georgia
  • A., a fifth grader at Hohenfels Elementary School, Hohenfels, Germany
  • J., a fourth grader at Bitburg Elementary School, Bitburg, Germany