Sanford News

Sanford performing artists recently competed in the Festivals of Music competition where both the Concert Band and the Concert Choir won best sweepstakes awards, beating many other types of bands (including jazz bands and symphonic bands) and many other types of choirs (including show choirs, women’s choirs, and mixed choirs). The Concert Band received an “excellent” rating and the Concert Choir received a “superior” rating in their individual categories, winning first place during the competition. Congratulations to these outstanding performers.

Aubrey Heberton was recently recognized during the eleventh annual American Association of University Women (AAUW) Award for Excellence in Science & Mathematics luncheon at the University of Delaware. The event, which honors one eleventh grade girl from every Delaware high school with a junior class of 35 and more students, is designed to recognize academic excellence, encourage higher education and careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics’ fields, and promote equity for girls and women.

Ian Lenhoff has been named a finalist in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship competition. Ian’s selection qualifies the Sanford senior to compete for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards, worth $34 million, that will be offered in the spring. Ian was selected from more than 16,000 semifinalists. The National Merit Scholarship Program, administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

During Spring Break, nine Middle School students participated in the Science Olympiad competition at Delaware State University. The students were: Chris Chambers, Mackenzie Frederick, Paul Gay, Peyton Marcozzi, Chase Rapine, Nate Reynolds, Rachel Rosa, Steven Torres, and Brian Zhang. Noteworthy results include Chase Rapine and Nate Reynold’s Battery Buggy, which placed 11th overall. And, Brian Zhang and Steven Torres earned 12th place awards in two lab events (Physical Science Lab and Experimental Design). Congratulations to these seventh and eighth grade students.

Eighth grader Delaney Leonard has earned an Honorable Mention award in the 2010 Letters about Literature writing contest. Delaney’s letter to Edward Bloor about his novel Tangerine was one of more than 600 evaluated by the Delaware judges and was only one of three semifinalists in the state. The literary contest was sponsored by the Delaware Center for the Book and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Congratulations to Delaney for crafting such a heartfelt essay.

It saddens us to report that Sara Yearsley died on March 28 at the age of 89. A much-loved Sanford Director of Kindergarten for twenty-five years (1965-1990), Sara touched the lives of hundreds of students, faculty, parents and alumni during her long tenure. If you would like to post a tribute, please visit http://www.tributes.com/show/Sara-Yearsley-88196200. Or, click here visit the Sanford School Alumni Office Facebook Fan page.

Two Sanford Upper School students are winners of regional Gold Key awards in the national Scholastic Writing Awards of 2010, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. The winners are Mary Mecca for her personal essay/memoir “An Unpredictable Friend” and Caryn Lenhoff for her humor entry “A Smokin Proposal.” Both works have been submitted to national-level judging for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, with winners to be announced this month.

Three Sanford students recently qualified to perform at the prestigious “Winners’ Circle Recital” in the Delaware State Solo & Ensemble Contest, sponsored by the Delaware Music Educators Association. Junior Kathryn Marshall sang “O del mio dolce ardor” and Middle School students Jason Conti and Trevor Long performed a trumpet duet entitled “Pastoral & Allegro” by Bach. Only eight students qualified for the recital, and these three students received the highest scores in the state. Congratulations to these outstanding performing artists.

Emma Heberton, a Sanford eighth grader, is the winner of a regional Gold Key award from the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. Of the more than 165,000 entries submitted in the nationwide contest, only 1,100 advanced to the regional level of competition. Emma’s winning entry, a poem titled “Wonderful,” has now been submitted to the national level of judging for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, with winners to be announced in April. As a regional winner, Emma will receive a Gold Key pin and certificate.