Wicomico County Public Schools and the Wicomico County Board of Education recognized outstanding students and staff members at an Awards & Recognitions Night held on March 19, 2024 in the James M. Bennett High Auditorium.
“We’re excited to come together to celebrate some of the many achievements of our students, staff and schools,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Micah Stauffer said. “Great things happen every day in Wicomico Schools. Our students are learning today so they can lead tomorrow.”
Dr. Stauffer, Board Chairman Gene Malone, and Board members Dr. Bonnie Ennis and David Plotts congratulated all of the honorees and joined them for pictures. Photos are now posted on the Wicomico County Public Schools Facebook page. They are also available to view and download full size here: https://wicomicoschools.smugmug.com/March-2024-Awards-Recognitions-Night
Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow Student Award
Four students received the Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow Student Award, with some receiving additional recognition for their achievements.
The new Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow Student Award goes with the school system’s new logo and tagline, announced at the start of this school year. These inspiring students truly embody the goal of “Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow.” Plaques will be delivered to schools in the next few days for these four students and for the five honorees from the January awards.
Peter Gibrilla (Wicomico Middle)
Peter Gibrilla is Wicomico Middle School’s 8th grade Executive Board Class President. He is a Student Ambassador and does an excellent job greeting and escorting guests within the building. Peter volunteers with two of Wi Middle’s 6th grade teachers. He tutors students in math and with reading informational text, and mentors students in the WISE after-school program.
Peter is a member of his school’s Marching Band and chorus and is an all-star soccer player. He is a role model for all students inside and outside of the classroom. He consistently does well academically and encourages his classmates to make good behavioral decisions. His peaceful but earnest demeanor sets the tone and influences others around him.
Peter has volunteered countless hours at Prince Street Elementary. During the summer he helped with food distributions, organizing, packaging and loading food for families in need. Peter has also assisted with family nights, paint nights and game events. He is called upon often because he is not only helpful but reliable and hard-working. Peter Gibrilla truly is a leader by example, and very deserving of this Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow Student Award.
Samuel Mondestin (North Salisbury Elementary)
Samuel Mondestin is a leader at North Salisbury Elementary School. This fourth-grader is a positive student who is always looking to help others, and he makes his teachers and administrators at North Salisbury Elementary very proud.
One morning while he was walking to school, he saw two very young children wandering the neighborhood. The younger child was a toddler and was outside on the sidewalk on a cold day wearing only a diaper and no shoes. Taking action as a concerned citizen, Samuel reported this to the teachers on duty outside the school as soon as he arrived. The teachers and administrators contacted the authorities and the two children were led safely back to their home. Samuel deserves extreme praise for seeing something and saying something. His quick thinking and actions made sure that the two small children were safe. Every step that Samuel demonstrated shows his caring personality and helpful skills.
We are proud to present Samuel Mondestin of North Salisbury School with the Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow Student Award as well as the Superintendent’s very special Golden Apple pin, which is given for life-changing or life-saving service to others. Congratulations, Samuel Mondestin!
Taejun Son (Wicomico High)
Taejun Son is a senior at Wicomico High, and he continues to challenge himself with a very rigorous academic course load. His schedule includes AP English 12, AP World History, AP Calculus II, AP Physics, AP Chemistry, and AP Spanish. He has an unweighted grade point average of 4.0 and weighted GPA of 4.6102.
Not only does Taejun excel academically, but he is also involved in numerous clubs and organizations at WiHi and volunteers his time and talents with community organizations. Among his many achievements and recognitions: National Honor Society, AP Scholar with Distinction, Y.E.A.S. Action Project Grant, Rotary Youth Leadership Award, Advanced Academic Achievement Award, and Tennis Athletic Award.
Taejun was announced a few months ago as a National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalist, an honor earned by just 16,000 seniors from among 1.3 million PSAT takers. This nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. He has now been named a National Merit Finalist, with a chance to win a National Merit Scholarship and earn the Merit Scholar title. Taejun has committed to the University of Pennsylvania.
We congratulate Taejun Son on all his accomplishments, and we are pleased to present him with the Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow Student Award as well as a certificate of achievement for being named a National Merit Scholarship Program Finalist.
Abhiram Gaddam (Parkside High)
Abhiram, or Abhi, Gaddam takes almost exclusively AP and Project Lead the Way Engineering classes at Parkside High School. He scored 1560 on the SAT and is an AP Scholar.
Among his many activities and achievements:
· Team captain and CAD designer for Wicomico Robotics Club, and a mentor for middle school robotics teams
· Co-founder and team leader of Parkside Stock Market Club
· Member of the honor societies Mu Alpha Theta, Science National Honor Sci, National Honor Society
· Member of LEO Club, Math Team, and Mock Trial
· Volunteer at Ward Museum, HALO, Gulls Robotics, and Tidal Health
Acting on his own initiative, Abhi applied for the Student Member of the Board position on his own through the Maryland Association of Student Councils, interviewed for the position, and was chosen as one of two finalists. Final speeches and campaigning took place at the Maryland Association of Student Councils Convention in Ocean City this winter, with Abhi receiving outstanding support from his multi-school campaign team. Earlier this month it was announced that Maryland Governor Wes Moore had appointed him to serve as Student Member of the Maryland State Board of Education for one year, starting July 1st. He will represent all students in Maryland Public Schools. He is carrying on a tradition of excellence for Wicomico students: Merin Thomas of James M. Bennett High served in the post from 2022-2023, and JMB’s Derek Wu was the Student Member of the Board in 2008-2009.
We congratulate Abhiram Gaddam on his accomplishments, and present him with a Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow Student Award as well as a certificate of achievement for being named the 2024-2025 Student Member of the Maryland State Board of Education.
2024 2A State Champion in Pole Vault, Indoor Track & Field
Certificate of achievement for Reese Howard of Parkside High for being the 2024 Indoor Track & Field 2A Pole Vault state champion.
At this time last year Reese Howard finished 2nd in the state championship to his teammate, senior Kareem Kamandego, in the pole vault. They both cleared 13' but Kareem won for fewer misses. Reese, who was only in 10th grade last year, kept working, practicing and persevering so that he could get even better at the pole vault. On February 21st at the MPSSAA 2A Indoor State Championships in College Park, Reese vaulted 14'6" and won the state indoor title. It was the 2nd highest vault in the state for Indoor Track & Field and was his highest vault ever.
Winners in Prince Street Elementary’s 2024 Amazing Shake-style Competition
Congratulations and certificates for the winners of the 2024 Prince Street Elementary Amazing Shake-style Competition:
1st place, Jocelyn LeVan
2nd place, Jerrian Disharoon
3rd place, Kamauri Hutt
When a school brings students and community members together for real-life learning experiences it’s very special for all involved. Prince Street modeled its Amazing Shake-style competition on The Amazing Shake created by The Ron Clark Academy, a world-famous school in Atlanta. The event tests and develops interpersonal skills through interacting with adults in various social and business situations. Scholars are scored on skills such as making eye contact, conversing effectively, greeting others appropriately, solving problems, and projecting confidence and friendliness. It’s an excellent event for engaging the community, and for giving the community a chance to see dozens and dozens of great students in action.
Prince Street held its 2024 Amazing Shake-style event in January. In Round 1 at the school, all 122 fifth-graders rotated through a couple of dozen challenge stations manned by volunteer judges and scorers from the community and school system. A special thank you to the many community volunteers who took part in the Prince Street Elementary 2024 Amazing Shake-style competition.
Scholars with the 10 highest scores advanced to Round 2, which took place later that week at the new Perdue Henson Junior Achievement Center. Adult scorers were stationed at the storefronts of the JA Center, and scholars rotated around the center to interact with each of them for several minutes at a time. It was quite a challenge for the students.
The top three scorers from that round advanced to Round 3, which was lunch and conversation with Superintendent Dr. Stauffer at the Olive Garden on a Saturday. At the end of the meal, Dr. Stauffer ranked the three finalists to determine the overall winner.
2024 MATHCOUNTS State Competition
Certificate of achievement for this Salisbury Middle School student who competed in MATHCOUNTS at the state level on March 16th:
Angela Quan
The MATHCOUNTS Competition Series is a national program that provides students the opportunity to compete in live, in-person contests as individuals and team members. This year at the Annapolis Chapter Regional Competition on February 24th, one Wicomico student qualified individually to compete in the state MATHCOUNTS competition by finishing in the top 12. Angela was the only girl among the top 12 in the chapter competition, finishing 8th.
At the state level on March 16th, she participated in Sprint, Target and Team competitions and ranked 171st out of 208 competitors. Thanks to her father, Jing Quan, for serving as her coach.
2024 FIRST LEGO League Awards in Regional Qualifier, Team in State Competition
As part of Wicomico County’s STEM Initiative – STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics -- Wicomico County hosted a regional qualifier for FIRST LEGO League in January. Three Wicomico teams won awards in that competition, and one of those teams advanced to compete in the state tournament.
Certificates of achievement for winning an award in the regional qualifier and advancing to compete in the FIRST LEGO League state tournament held February 24th at the University of Maryland Baltimore County:
SMS Electric Eagles team, Salisbury Middle School: Project Award in the regional qualifier and participant in the 2024 state tournament:
Youming Chen, Jaxon M., Abram Petersen, Rowan White, Asyah Williams
Coach: Josh Dunn
Certificates of recognition for winning an award in the regional qualifier:
Project ROB (Robots of Brainstorming) team, Salisbury Middle School: 1st Place Robot Design Award:
Ethan Abresch, Joshua Bailey, Kyle Bolon, Minh Dang, Avery Green, Syed Naqvi, Ian Park, Nathan Swift
Coach: James McCrobie
Certificates of recognition for winning an award in the regional qualifier:
Project R.O.E. (Robots of Exploration) team, Salisbury Middle School: Judges Award:
Adithya Abhilash, Mohamed Ahmed, Arely Arellano, Nathan Arvi, Michaela Bush, Logan Kim, Minsuk Kim, Benjamin Smith, Alex Swift, Logan Swift
Coach: James McCrobie
Milestones in Athletics for Students and Coaches
It was another outstanding winter sports season, with individual athletes, teams and their coaches achieving many personal bests, wins and other achievements. We congratulate the student-athletes and coaches who passed career milestones during the recently completed season.
Congratulations to these basketball players for passing the milestone of 1,000 career points, all of them with time remaining in their high school careers to score even more:
Jace Hudson
Zakai’ Smullen
Both of these young men are juniors at James M. Bennett High. Jace scored his 1,000th point on February 2nd, and Zakai’ did the same on February 5th.
Se’Lah Foreman
Se’Lah is just a sophomore at Wicomico High, and scored her 1,000th career point during her team’s outstanding season. The WiHi girls team won the Bayside Championship and went all the way to the state semifinals, with Se’Lah scoring her 1,000th point at home on March 6th during the playoff run.
Congratulations to Mardela High wrestling Head Coach Dion Johnson, who earned the 200th win of his career at the Nandua tournament on January 27th. Coach Johnson is a Hall of Fame wrestler, a role model and a positive influence for his students and players.
Congratulations to Parkside High girls basketball Head Coach Warren White, who notched career win number 450 on January 18th. Coach White took over the Lady Rams team in 1996, and he shared his appreciation for his many players, family members, supporters and coaches throughout those years.
Maryland Public Purchasing Association’s Stanley D. Zemansky Award
Congratulations and a certificate of recognition for Mark Miller, CPPO, CPPB, C.P.M, the Procurement Manager for Wicomico Schools, for receiving the Stanley D. Zemansky Award at the Maryland Public Purchasing Association’s annual meeting in January.
The Maryland Public Purchasing Association Zemansky Award was established to recognize outstanding individuals for their significant contributions and services to public procurement. This prestigious award honors professionals who have given exemplary service, make outstanding contributions and promote professional development to the public procurement profession.
To even be considered for this award, one has to be nominated by a peer. The nomination from a procurement colleague from another county speaks well to the outstanding contributions this procurement expert has made to the procurement profession and the impact on peers from around the state. This award was given because of respected and outstanding deeds and dedication to the procurement profession during the 2023 calendar year, and he has also been a leader for many years within the Maryland Public Purchasing Association and the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing.
Unified Strength and Conditioning State Invitational 1st Place/Gold Medal Winners
Certificates of achievement for the gold medal-winning team members, student coaches and co-head coaches from James M. Bennett High Unified Strength and Conditioning.
Team members: Alex Arellano Mondragon, Averi Beauchamp, Beruk Debebe, Madison Edwards, Kelsi Harris, Lea Herling, Myles Jarmon, Adyn Joyner, Riley Matthews, Morgan Neall, Justin Oppel, Donovan Payton, Tony Sebach, Sadie Wilkins
Student Coaches: Hannah Ashcraft, Molly Boyd, Gabby Cook, Abby Haberlin, Lacey Hoageson, Addie McCutcheon, Camille McLaughlin, Abigail Meier, Jaylyn Newcomb, Aly Noonan, Mason Reynolds, Brendan Strasburger, Tristan Wieland, Sam Wilhite, Elijah Wright Walker, Grant Wright
Co-Head Coaches: Kathy Elliott and Rebecca Gregory
James M. Bennett High’s Strength and Conditioning team advanced from the district level to compete in the state invitational on February 20th. The team brought home the gold medal and 1st Place in its division. JMB earned 1st Place honors in the Cycling, Bench Press, Shuttle Run, Jump Rope, Flexed Arm Hang, and Dead Lift events, 1st and 2nd place in the PT Series event, and 3rd place in the Race Walk and Standing Long Jump events. Many students scored their personal best scores as well. Several student coaches attended and were invaluable in helping push the athletes to do their best. The team worked all season to improve its scores and was able to peak at just the right time.
Wicomico Schools is proud to partner with Special Olympics Maryland to offer Unified Sports seasons in its high schools. Students with and without disabilities join to have fun, master the skills of a sport, and compete in strength and conditioning in the winter, bocce in the spring, and tennis in the fall.