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Personal Achievement
Isabel Yates ’23 earns poetry accolades, awards
Congratulations, to Isabel Yates ’23, on being selected a 2021 Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series mentee for the central North Carolina region by the North Carolina Poetry Society. This mentoring program links established poets in three regions of North Carolina with emerging poets, enabling them to develop and perfect their lyric craft. Students in middle school, high school, and college, and adults not in school may apply to work with a Distinguished Poet during the winter months. Isabel will work with distinguished poet Dasan Ahanu. She will also collaborate with other selected students on a book and participate in poetry readings this spring. Isabel was encouraged to enter the contest in the fall by her teacher, Alison Chernin, instructor of English.
Isabel also won regional Golden Key Awards in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition for her work originally created for the Life in a History Book project in Melissa Ramel's class. Of the five poetry portfolios she submitted, three won Golden Key Awards and two earned honorable mention. Her three Golden Key Award entries will move on to the national level competition. The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens.
Saylah Rogers ’21 earns DAR Good Citizen and Scholarship Awards
Congratulations, to Saint Mary’s graduating senior Saylah Rogers ’21, who has received the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award and Scholarship. The DAR Good Citizens Award and Scholarship Contest, created in 1934, is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship. This award recognizes and rewards individuals who possess the qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their homes, schools, and communities. These students are selected by their teachers and peers because they demonstrate these qualities to an outstanding degree. The student must have the qualities of truthfulness, loyalty, punctuality trustworthiness, cooperation, courtesy, personality, self-control, ability to assume responsibility, ability to inspire others, devotion to country, and an advocate for causes that make one’s community stronger, among other traits. That’s our Saylah!
Elizabeth Zhang ’23 excels in Brain Bee
Congratulations, to Saint Mary's 10th grader Elizabeth Zhang '23 of Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, on placing second in the 2021 China Brain Bee, among more than 2200 participants in the Jiangsu regional competition. With her second-place finish, she advanced to the national competition. The Brain Bee is a neuroscience competition for teenagers with competitions held internationally. Well done!
Congratulations, to Pipi Pi '22, who received honorable mention in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, sponsored by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, for her mixed media art, Beneath the Skin. The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens.
Serena Zhou '21 named National Merit Finalist
Congratulations, to Saint Mary's senior Serena Zhou '21, on being named a National Merit Scholarship Program Finalist. She is among 15,000 students earning this distinction, among more than 1.5 million students nationwide who entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Congratulations, on this outstanding achievement!
Morgan Phillips named 2021 College Counselor that Changes Lives
Saint Mary’s Director of College Counseling Morgan Phillips was chosen by the membership and board of directors of Colleges That Change Lives as one of their 2021 Counselors That Change Lives. This honor is given in recognition of her dedication to the college counseling profession as it reflects the mission of the Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) organization: to promote and support a student-centered college search process.
“Given the incredibly challenging past few months, we appreciate Morgan and her work even more,” says Christine D. Bowman, dean of admission and enrollment services at Southwestern University and chair of Colleges That Change Lives board of directors. “We know that she is a partner in our work to help students frame their search beyond the ratings and rankings and to help them find a college that will cultivate a lifelong love of learning. Her tireless efforts are seen and applauded. This program is our way of acknowledging all Morgan does to help students and families in her daily work.”
