| E-Notice |
THIS IS SURRATTS FOUNDATION E-NOTICE 2014-6 OF
JUNE 1, 2014
Hello Hornets:
Here are some items that might be of
interest:
1.
FOUNDATION AWARDS 2014 SCHOLARSHIPS.
We are proud to announce these outstanding recipients of the
Foundation’s 2014 scholarships:
General Fund Scholarship Recipients:
SEAN NFORKAH maintains a 3.5 GPA while
taking AP and Honors courses, has been selected to the National
Honor Society, received the Jessie J. Warr Memorial Achievement
Award, and the Rotary Club Student of the Month award. He is a
College Summit Peer Leader, Captain of the Soccer team and member of
the cross country, indoor track and tennis teams, Class Treasurer,
volunteer soccer coach for soccer summer camp. In the fall,
Sean will attend the West Virginia Institute of Technology where he
will major in Athletic Coaching Education.
NATALIE SWADLEY maintains a 3.875 GPA
and has been selected to the National Honor Society. She
participates in Honor Guard and the softball and soccer teams, is a
member of the Marching Hornets, and served as a Special Olympics
assistant for four years. She placed 1st, 2nd
and 3rd
in three Science Fairs at Surrattsville, and has received multiple
honors and recognitions in the JROTC program. In the fall,
Natalie will attend Johnson & Wales University or UMES.
CHUKWUDI EZEONYEBUCHI maintains a 3.75 GPA,
has been selected to the National Honor Society, is Senior Vice
President of the SGA, a College Summit Peer Leader, a JROTC Class
Leader and Executive Officer, a Rotary Club Student Leader, and the
Kitty Hawk Commander of the JROTC. He is Captain of the swim
team and a member of the soccer team. He was selected Student
of the Month and Cadet of the Quarter. Chukwudi will attend
the University of Maryland in the Fall.
Charlie Waddell Memorial Scholarship
Recipient:
JOFFREY POLLARD maintains a 4.0 GPA
while taking AP and Honors courses, and has been selected to the
Honor Roll during his entire Surrattsville career. He is a
member of the Marching Band, the Symphonic Band, the Pep Band and
the Concert Band. Joffrey also completed over 300 community
service hours volunteering with Camp Cornerstone and Up to Par
Educational Solutions. In the fall, Joffrey will enroll as a
music major at North Carolina A & T University.
Congratulations and very best wishes for the
future to these very accomplished young scholars!
[Ed note: Photos and bios of all of
the Foundation Scholarship recipients to date can be found at the
web site at
www.surrattsville.org,
and photos of the Scholarship recipients proudly hang in the
Foundation's Legacy Hall at the School.]
2.
FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2013 ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD RECIPIENTS.
The Foundation also is proud to
announce this year's group of truly extraordinary Achievement Award
recipients.
CHRISTINA BROOKING (03), graduated from the
University of Maryland at College Park and the Howard University
School of Law. After law school, Christina clerked for the Honorable
Herman C. Dawson of the Circuit Court of Prince George’s County,
Maryland. During her clerkship, she was the creator and
coordinator for the Rising S.T.A.R.S. Youth Scholarship
Organization’s tutoring program. The Rising S.T.A.R.S. Youth
Scholarship Foundation is a program that provides tutoring,
mentoring and scholarships to teenagers who have come into contact
with the criminal justice system. Christina also was the chair for
the first annual Prince George’s County Teen Dating Violence Summit
where over 150 teenagers came out to learn about the dangers of
dating violence. Christina also volunteered with the Girl
Scouts of America as a speaker and a mentor. Currently,
Christina is an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Juvenile Division
of the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.
In her capacity as an Assistant State's
Attorney, Christina is responsible for full criminal docket in
addition to being the liaison to the Prince George's County School
System. Christina specifically focuses on strategies and
programs that help reduce the criminal recidivism rate for teenagers
in Prince George's County. Christina is also the President of
the Prince George’s County chapter of the Women’s Bar Association
where she is most proud of the new Diamonds program. The Diamonds
consist of 20-25 young women between the ages of 13-17 who are
currently residents of Prince George’s County. The purpose of
the Diamonds is to give young women access to female mentors who are
attorneys in Prince George’s County. The mentors are all
members of the Women’s Bar Association who have a passion and energy
to help guide the lives of young women in Prince George’s County.
The Women’s Bar Association also has designed programming tailored
to help cultivate and polish leadership qualities in the young
women. These programs include an etiquette class with a Judge,
team building exercises, and sessions on how to effectively
communicate when in a leadership role and sessions about college.
Christina is active in the organization’s
work with the Thomas J. Waxter Children’s Center which is the girls’
detention facility in Laurel, Maryland. The Women's Bar
Association holds interactive seminars with the teenage girls on
topics such as etiquette, public speaking and self-esteem. The
Women's Bar Association of Prince George's County received an award
for "Best Public Service Project" from the Maryland State Bar
Association for their work with the Waxter Children's Center.
Christina is also on the Executive Board of the Women’s Bar
Association of Maryland. Christina volunteers for the
Prince George’s County Public School System by having interactive
lectures with ninth grade students on criminal law. In 2013,
Christina was voted one of the "Top Twenties in their Twenties” by
the Daily Record Newspaper. Christina also was selected by the
Maryland State Bar Association to be one of its 15 Leadership
Academy Fellows for the 2013-2014 year.
STEVE VUTSINAS (84), or “Mr. V” as his
students affectionately call him, is a 1988 graduate of the East
Carolina University School of Music. Steve graduated cum laude with
a degree in violin performance and a minor in viola performance. He
received a second degree from ECU in music education. He began
his teaching career in 1989 in the Pitt County School System near
Greenville, North Carolina where he taught K-12 Orchestra for 10
years. He also coached boys’ varsity basketball there and his teams
won two state championships. Steve has taught and coached high
school sports for 24 years. His North Carolina orchestra students
won the prestigious North American Music Festival National
Championship, being named the top high school orchestra to have
performed in the festival around the nation. Steve also taught for
four and a half years in St. Petersburg, Florida and for nine years
in Chesapeake, Virginia where, he is the current orchestra director
and Fine and Performing Arts Department Chair at Grassfield High
School. While at Grassfield, Steve’s orchestras have received
numerous awards including a Music Festivals National Championship,
and his Chamber Orchestra was selected to perform at the prestigious
Virginia Music Educators Association State Conference in 2012.
2013-2014 was a special academic year for
Steve. In November 2013 he was selected as Grassfield High School
Teacher of the Year and was also named as a finalist for the City of
Chesapeake Teacher of the Year. In addition, former students
nominated him for the inaugural Grammy Foundation Music Educator of
the Year award. With over 34,500 other nominees, he began a process
involving applications, interviews and questions over a ten-month
period. After several cuts and months of waiting, Steve was
selected as a Top Ten Finalist for this Grammy. For this
selection, Grassfield High School received a check for $1,000 and
Steve was also awarded $1000. In addition, Microsoft Corporation
sent Steve five Surface 2 Tablets that he is using to build a
recording studio at his school for students to begin to explore
writing and recording music as a potential life path.
When Steve isn’t teaching, he spends time in
the mission field during the summers working in orphanages in Chiang
Mai, Thailand and Moshi, Tanzania.
RICK WREN (74) – Rick retired in 2011
as a two star Admiral in the US Navy. At the time of his retirement
Rick was the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Japan in 2009.
Rick
received his commission and B.S. degree from the United States Naval
Academy in 1978. In August 1979, he qualified as a naval flight
officer and reported to the Seahawks of VAW-126 in August 1980
completing Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea deployments on board
the USS John F. Kennedy. Rick was selected as the 1983 Hawkeye of
the Year while serving with the Seahawks.
Upon completing his sea tour in May 1983,
Rick reported to Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, where he
attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Serving as a test naval
flight officer for the Systems Engineering Test Directorate, he was
instrumental in the developmental testing of several aircraft
electronic combat systems and E-2C radar upgrades. In September
1986, he joined the Seabats of VAW-127, where he served in every
department head billet and deployed twice to the Mediterranean Sea
on board USS Coral Sea.
In November 1989, Rick assumed the duties
of operations officer, then executive officer for Carrier Airborne
Early Warning Weapons School, Naval Air Station Miramar, CA. His
next assignment, in October 1991, was to the Joint Staff with the
National Emergency Airborne Command Post, Offutt Air Force Base, NE,
as strategic operations officer. Rick then reported to the VAW-115
Liberty Bells, Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, in November 1993,
as executive officer and assumed command in January 1995. As part
of Carrier Air Wing 5, he participated in Rim of the Pacific
(RIMPAC) 1994 and 1996, and completed two extended deployments with
the USS Independence to the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific.
Rick entered the Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Program in October 1996 and reported to USS Carl Vinson as executive
officer in April 1998. During this tour the ship participated in
RIMPAC 1998, as well as deployed to the Persian Gulf and Western
Pacific. In March 2000, he assumed duties as commanding officer of
the USS Bridge. While in command, he completed an extended
deployment to the Persian Gulf. Rick then assumed command
of USS Carl Vinson in October 2001 and immediately began combat
operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, followed with a
deployment to the Western Pacific. Following his two year
assignment as commanding officer of the Carl Vinson, Rick reported
to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations as director, Aviation
and Aircraft Carrier Plans and Requirements Branch. In January 2007
he reported to Carrier Strike Group 5, the Navy’s forward-deployed
group aboard the USS Kitty Hawk to assume duties as commander, Task
Force 70 and retained duties as CTF 70 as the USS George Washington
relieved the Kitty Hawk and became the first permanently
forward-deployed, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Rick
was assigned to his last post, command of U.S. Naval Forces, Japan
in April 2009. His military awards include the Legion of Merit,
Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Meritorious
Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, and
various unit awards and citations.
[Photos and bios
of these extraordinary Hornets can be found at
www.surrattsville.org, and
their photos will hang in the Foundation's Legacy Hall at the
School.]
3.
INAUGURAL 5K RUN/WALK IS MAY 31.
On Saturday May 31, at 9
a.m. at the School, the Tekau’s Heart Memorial Foundation will hold
its
inaugural 5K Run/Walk. The Foundation reports that the event
“is held in memory of Tekau Turiya Rasayon (12), who passed away
suddenly on March 28, 2012, at 17 years of age, from an anomalous
coronary artery (ACA). This first 5K Run/Walk is a Fun Run, in honor
of her spirit and temperament. In addition to raising awareness
about heart conditions, especially ACAs in teens and young adults,
this 5K will help raise money for a memorial scholarship in Tekau's
name.” Sign-up forms and
information about the event, and information about the Foundation,
can be found at
http://www.tekausheart5k.com.
4.
FOUNDATION FUNDS 2014 GRADUATES' TREASURE
CHESTS.
Last month, the PTSA awarded the third annual "Memorial Treasure
Chests" to a group of graduating seniors. The chests are
stocked with items useful to graduating seniors regardless of their
plans for after graduation, are awarded at random, and in provided
honor of Surrattsville's Fallen Heroes. The Foundation is
proud to provide funding for this very nice PTSA recognition
program.
The Foundation is thrilled to partner
with the PTSA in this very nice send-off for these lucky graduating
seniors. Photos of the Treasure Chests ceremony are on the
Foundation's web site at
www.surrattville.org, and a
video program about the 2013 presentations is on the Foundation's
youtube channel.]
5.
ANNUAL BLUE CRABS EVENT JUST THREE WEEKS
AWAY!
As noted in previous e-Notices, this year’s annual 2014 Blue Crabs
All Classes Game and Picnic event – to be held on Saturday June 21
-- will be a Foundation fund raiser! Specifically, $5 of each
ticket will be donated to the Foundation's annual Charlie Waddell
Memorial Scholarship. In addition to the features of the very
successful Blue Crabs nights of the past few years, this year's 5th
annual event will feature a dedicated-to-Surrattsville picnic area
(if 200 or more tickets are sold) and a fund raising raffle
featuring items like three pairs of tickets to future Blue Crabs
games.
Tickets are $30, and include parking,
game tickets, 15% off at the team store and access to the two-hour
all you can eat buffet picnic offering BBQ ribs, lemon pepper
chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, mac and cheese, chips, ice cream
sandwiches and soft drinks. Buying tickets is simple:
just go to
www.somdbluecrabs.com
and click on the “Fun-Raisers” tab, then click on the Surrattsville
icon, then enter fundraising code SHS14, then click buy.
Select your seats and complete your order. (Questions: Call
Del Baxter at the Blue Crabs at 301-374-1127.)
If you have any items that you or your
business would like to donate to the raffle, or have any questions
about the Surrattsville aspects of the event, please contact Evan
Vutsinas (76) at
evtiger@comcast.net.
Many thanks to Evan for organizing these great annual events for the
Surrattsville community!
6.
HISTORICAL FIND.
Dave Deal passed along an article he found in the Oshkosh Daily
Northwestern, from September 29, 1906, that mentions Surrattsville.
Here are some excerpts: “[The name Surrattsville has been
changed to Clinton], but the country folks thereabouts in Prince
George [sic] county have never consented to the change, nor adopted
it. The place is still Surrattsville to them, and doubtless
always will be. Within the past fifteen years Surrattsville
has grown to be quite a respectable hamlet in size, with churches,
schools, comfortable homes and a public house. It has
telephone connection with the outside world, and is soon to have a
trolley line into Washington. The old Surratt tavern still
stands, and, having been remodeled, is now a very commodious and
comfortable dwelling.” The article then notes: “From
this country place, the Surratts, about the time the war began,
moved to Washington, established themselves in the house on H
Street, near Sixth, where they kept boarders. Here the
plotters for the abduction and assassination of President Lincoln
were wont to hold their meetings, and here, too, Mrs. Surratt was
taken into custody. … Near the western boundary of [Mt. Olivet
Cemetery in Washington], and not far from the [B&O] tracks, there is
a small marble head stone [for Mrs. Surratt].”
7.
HORNET AUTHOR FEATURED ON FACEBOOK.
And, speaking of
history, Stacey Fowler passed along this link about Hornet author
Lori Johnson Benton (86):
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoriBenton.
Lori’s work might be of interest to members of the Surrattsville
community interested in historical fiction.
8.
CLASS OF 95 PLANS REUNION.
The Class of 95 will be celebrating its 20 reunion in June 2015 at
the Colony South and is looking for our classmates. Please send an
email to Kenya Samuels Gray at
Kenya.Gray@gmail.com if you
have any information on 95 grads or members of their family.
The Class also has a Surrattsville Class of 1995 group on Facebook.
To kick-off the "countdown to 20," on June
11, 2014 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. the Class’s planning committee is
hosting a celebrity scoops night at Rita's in Clinton (the old Pizza
Hut near the intersection of Woodyard Road and Brandywine Road).
9.
CLASS OF 75 PLANS REUNION.
The Class of 75 is considering plans for a reunion. (Note that
the Class of 75 reunion is not part of the upcoming Class of 74
reunion as was previously mentioned.) Please contact Lorraine
Frank Kerr at
lorraineefrank1@gmail.com,
or Cindy Shaffer Kluth on Facebook, if you are interested in the
Class of 75 event.
10.
CLASS OF 79 REUNION UPDATE.
We received this
update from the Class of 79 Reunion planners: "Mark your
calendar for Saturday, August 23, 2014 for the Class of 79
Reunion, and surrounding classes are more than welcome to join in
the fun. The event is planned to be at the Hilton Garden
Inn in Waldorf, MD. To sign up and buy tickets go to:
http://www.surrattsville79.reunionmanager.com/ Or
email Marilynda Orange Macquade at
mmacquade@verizon.net
to sign up.
11.
CLASS OF 74 PLANS REUNION.
And here’s an update from the Class of 74 about plans for its
upcoming reunion: “The votes are in and the Class of 1974’s 40
year reunion is confirmed
for September 6, 2014 beginning at 7 p.m. at The South River Golf
Club at 3451 Solomons Island Road in Edgewater, MD. Tickets are $70
and include heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Please RSVP
to Paul Myers at 1264 Hilltop Dr., Annapolis, MD 21409 by August 1.
(No refunds after August 22.) There also will be a cookout
Sunday at Barbara Beinert’s. Hotel reservations at Annapolis
Springhill Suites, 888-287-9400 by August 6 (group rate code
SHRSHRB). Please go to the “Surrattsville Class of 74”
Facebook page to get more details on the reunion and to review
comments from your fellow alumni on the reunion. The Facebook
link to the Class of 74 site is
https://www.facebook.com/groups/117993451552383/.
If you do not receive an invitation during the next 2-3 weeks and
would like to attend the reunion please contact Paul Myers at
prmyers@aacc.edu. Hope
to see you all in September. In the meantime, have a great
summer – the Reunion Committee.”
12.
CLASS OF 64 FINALIZES REUNION PLANS.
And we received this reunion update from the Class of 64: “The
Class of 1964 has finalized plans for the 50th reunion. A
fun-filled weekend is being planned for September 26-28, 2014.
The reunion will be held at the Commander Hotel located at the
Boardwalk and 1401 Atlantic Street, Ocean City, MD, 410-289-6166.
The hotel's web site is
www.commanderhotel.com.
If you are interested in staying at the hotel, a block of rooms have
been held with a 20% discount. However, you must mention the
SHS reunion. It is recommended that reservations be made as
early as possible.
We have a deadline of June 1, 2014 for
reservations to attend the reunion. The cost for the
dinner/dance on Saturday, 9/27/14 is $64 and also includes a
"goodie" bag. Dress for the entire weekend, including the
dinner/dance, is Beach Casual, but no speedos or thongs please!
On Friday evening, March 26 there will be a reception at the hotel,
which is a BYOB event. Appetizers will be provided.
Remember, the deadline to register is June 1, 2014.
This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime
event! If you are interested in attending, please contact one
of the following people and we will let you know where you can send
the money for the reunion. Please do not hesitate to call - we
are looking forward to seeing everyone and having a great time.
Call or e-mail:
Philip Foster, 301-254-1946,
fosterphilip6@gmail.com
Bob
Fowler, 443-550-3142,
robertfowler401@comcast.net
Ginger Trapanotto, 301-318-6544,
gingersnap699@gmail.com
Barbara Schlosser, 301-373-9648,
mandbmc@md.metrocast.net
[Ed. note: Love the pricing and the
dress code!]
13.
CLASSES OF 83/84/85 REUNION.
And we received this
notice from the Classes of 83, 84 and 85: "Mark your calendar
for Saturday, October 11, 2014 for our Classes of 83/84/85 Reunion.
Please email Debbie O’Clair MacKenzie at
Debbiemackenzie45@yahoo.com
to be placed on the mailing list (if you have not already received
the “save the date” email). If you have questions about the
event, contact your Class representative:
1983—Becky delVillar Levin:
bdellevin@gmail.com
1984—Gary Stallings:
gstallings@yahoo.com
1985—MaryBeth Klick:
mbklick@aol.com"
14.
SEEKING WEB SITE VOLUNTEER.
The Foundation is still seeking an individual who might be willing
to volunteer time to post items to the Foundation’s web site from
time-to-time, and perhaps to update the website with more modern
technology. Please send me an email at
hsmith@smithdowney.com if you
would consider volunteering your talents to this noble undertaking.
15.
NEW PHOTOS CONTINUE TO BE ADDED TO
FOUNDATION'S FACEBOOK GROUP.
Thanks to the on-going work of Foundation Historian and Archivist
Shelby Lee Oppermann (79) and a number of members of the
Surrattsville community, the large collection of wonderful
historical photos with Surrattsville themes on the Foundation's
Facebook Group, "Surrattsville Alumni," continues to grow.
(Naturally, the Foundation would love to have any Surrattsville- or
Clinton-themed historical photos or videos you might wish to share.)
16.
FOUNDATION'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL CONTINUES TO
CREATE INTEREST.
The Foundation's youtube channel is always looking for additional
content to add. (There's a rumor that there might be some
digital copies of drama productions at Surrattsville that might be
suitable to include. Naturally, we'd love to have those
treasures!)
Please become a subscriber to the channel,
take a moment to view the programs on the channel at
17.
FOUNDATION FACEBOOK PRESENCE CONTINUES TO
GROW.
The Foundation's Facebook Group –
called "Surrattsville Alumni" – continues to grow, and now exceeds
1800 members. This is a great, and free, way for folks to stay
in touch. Similarly, the Class-specific Facebook Groups – that
have names like "Surrattsville 1969," "Surrattsville 1973,"
"Surrattsville 1971," and the like -- continue to grow. These
Facebook Groups are becoming an increasingly active way for folks to
share memories and news updates of interest to the Surrattsville
community. Please consider joining the Surrattsville Alumni
Group, and your own Class-specific Group.
Here's hoping
your summer gets off to a relaxing and enjoyable start!
All the best, Henry Smith (71)
MANY THANKS TO THESE EARLY DONORS TO
THE 2014 CAMPAIGN!
- Steve Profilet (71)
- Nancy Miller (67)
- Pat Becker Oles (71)
- Debbie Cox Marr (72)
- Bob Marr (71)
- Joe Capone (79)
- Vicky Simontacchi Young (57), In Honor of the Classes of 57 and 84
- Kurt Aktug (88)
- Linda Dorsey Blum (66)
- Coach Lew Jenkins (former faculty)
- Melissa Gilcrest (69)
- Vera Twigg
- Nancy Oursler Maynard (65), In Memory of Bill Millios, husband of Diana McCormick Millios (65)
- Rick Torrecarion (74), In Loving Memory of Patsy Torrecarion (76)
- Lee Hessberg (68)
- Lois Barrett Hessberg (70)
- Tom and Sally Travis (72)
- Larry Romjue (57), In Memory of Lois Marie Osgood (57) – “If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight),” Fontane Sisters
- Donna Rae Sturtevant Smith (70)
- Henry Smith (71)