Class notes: Students perform with Beaufort Orchestra

Forty-two members of the Beaufort Youth Orchestra received a standing ovation last month after performing an arrangement of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music" before a Beaufort Orchestra performance.

The student musicians -- in fourth through twelfth grades-- enjoyed playing in the same show as professionals, said Ron Maddox, a parent liaison for the Youth Orchestra. The majority of Youth Orchestra members are in middle school.

"(The performance) seems to have been received very well by the folks who attended," Maddox said. "It's so magical to have kids playing like this."

The performance was dedicated to the principals and music teachers that support the arts in schools.

Sixteen students were given scholarships for private music lessons at the show, and two college scholarships were presented to members who will study music in college.

Beaufort student named National Merit scholar

Christine D. Noonan of Beaufort, a student at the Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, received a National Merit University of South Carolina Scholarship to study veterinary science.

More than 2,800 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by colleges and universities across the country were announced last month by National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution.

The awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.

BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL

• Battery Creek High School's National Honor Society President Andrew Kardohely presented a check for $300 to the Born To Read representative, coordinator Chris Taggart, on May 16 at the Parris Island Community Center. The Born to Read program makes sure that every newborn in Beaufort County receives a book. The society raised money for the program by raffling gift baskets.

• The Athletic Booster Club will meet at 6 p.m. today in the school cafeteria.

• The School Improvement Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the school media center.

• The Baccalaureate Service will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the McVey Performing Arts Center. All seniors should attend and wear their graduation robes.

• Mandatory graduation practice is from 8-11 a.m. Friday. A cookout will follow.

BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Michael Leon Allen, the Beaufort County School District Teacher of the Year, has been named to the advisory board for the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement. The 35-member advisory board provides a teacher voice to the vision and direction of the organization. He will serve on the CERRA Advisory Board until June 2012.

BEAUFORT MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Most Valuable Players -- selected by coaches based on leadership, impact of their performance on the success of the team, consistency throughout the season and individual statistics -- are: football players Mike Rentz and Zach Brown; volleyball players Olivia Durbin and Amber Moloney; cheerleaders Taylor Lawson and Blaque Blackmon; basketball players Regina Bolden, Jordan Fields, Ty Allen and JaClay Mixon; track competitors Ashley Scott, Tiffany Robinson, Jonathan Hill and JaClay Mixon; softball players Jenny Mullins and Jordie Promislow; and baseball players Ben Vaigneur and Alex Silon.

• Scholar athletes are Jordie Promislow, Olivia Durbin, Kayla Pope, Kate Samuel, Molly Clark, Ashley Scott, Nathan McConnell, Tina Kwok, Jackson Koch, Hunter Adkins, Zach Brown, Alex Silon, Megan Cieplowski, Kayla Pope, Gabby Maynard, Mitchell Nestler, Parker Bates and Zoe Adkins.

• Students inducted to the National Junior Honor Society last month are Zoe Adkins, Pat Balmediano, Madison Berry, Camille Bibb, Katlyn Brink, Sara-Jo Christensen, Megan Cieplowski, Molly Clark, Courtney Coxwell, Shelby Duncan, Olivia Durbin, Nicole Ferrell, Hunter Furman, Jacob Harris, Natassha Holmes, Kelsey Kelnhofer, Reilly Kilpatrick, Gabrielle Maynard, Nathan McConnell, Emanie McGhee, Brady McKenzie, Jonah Miller, Shelby Morris, Justice Mullen, Jennifer Mullins, Jessa Norton, Kayla Pope, Megan Potter, James Rider, Kristen Rowell, Katherine Samuel, Ashley Scott, Hannah Stanton, Austen Stoddard, Lilianne Walker and Erin Witt.

COOSA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• Fifth-graders participated in the 2009 South Carolina Middle/Elementary School Academy of Science contest by answering questions about geography, force, motion and biology. Coosa student Michael Gompper is a state winner, and school winners were Christina Agyepong, Ethan Lundgaard, Austin Parker and Mattie Thomas.

JOSEPH J. SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• An end-of-the-year and fourth-quarter achievement assembly will be at 9:15 a.m. Friday for first grade and at 1 p.m. for second grade.

LADY'S ISLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• Field Day will be Tuesday.

• Fourth- and fifth-grade graduation is at 6 p.m. Friday in the Beaufort High School auditorium.

• The last day of school for students is June 10.

LADY'S ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL

• The following students have artwork on display at Lowcountry Medical Group: eighth-graders Alaina Bapties, Kimani Carpenter, Rafael Guevara, Brianna Hohmann, Danner Kinard, Valencia Green, Morgan Larch and Kennithia Screen; and seventh-graders Maddy Aune, Zoe Brais, Kalli Kinard, Kortni Patrick, Hunter Pylant, Mikayla Santoro and Von Stroppel.

• The seventh-grade end-of-course exam for Algebra 1 will be given today.

• The eighth-grade end-of-course exam for Algebra 1 will be given Tuesday.

• The Dance Spring Crescendo will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the school gym. Cost is $2.

• Chick-fil-A Spirit Night will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

• A drama performance will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the school's lecture theater.

RIDGELAND HIGH SCHOOL

• Senior De'Ashia Elizabeth Lee has been named the top career and technology education student in the Lowcountry. She will join the 11 other regional Technology Champions from across the state June 21 in Greenville for a recognition ceremony during the opening session of the Education and Business Summit at the Carolina First Center. Lee's technology area is Administrative Support Technology. She plans to attend Howard University and major in biology.

ROBERT SMALLS MIDDLE SCHOOL

• The end-of-course exam for Algebra 1 students will be Thursday.

• Beginning band parents' "Drop-In" for questions and answers is from 4-6 p.m. Thursday in the band room.

• A yearbook signing will be from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Friday in the cafeteria. To attend, students must have reserved a yearbook by paying $25 in advance. Pay Ms. Presley in the front office to reserve a copy.

• The National Junior Honor Society collected $100 by asking students to contribute their spare change for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

• The Athletic Department's Most Valuable Players are: football player Trey Nelson; volleyball player Autumn Gravel; cheerleader Kayla Brown; basketball players Daisja Cannon, Travis Byson, Khadijah Badger and Trey Nelson; wrestler Jacob Bessinger; softball players Autumn Gravel and Robin Rielly; baseball player Thomas Smith; and track competitors Randy Deloach and Carolyn Rennix.

ST. HELENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• The final Kid's Club will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Each student will receive resources and a book, and dinner will be served.

• The annual Awards Tea will be at 6 p.m. Thursday in the school's gym to recognize students for their achievements during the year.

• Fifth-grade graduation will be at 10 a.m. Friday in the gym.

ST. PETER'S CATHOLIC SCHOOL

• The Star Lab mobile planetarium from the South Carolina State Museum visited the school last month and helped students study weather, constellations, the moon, planets and Greek and African mythology.

• A PTO meeting will be from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday in the Walsh-Palmetto Room.

• The school's end-of-the-year award's ceremony is from 9 a.m.-noon Thursday in the Walsh-Palmetto Room.

• The school's end-of-the-year Mass is at 9 a.m. Friday in the church. Father Tebalt will be the celebrant for the Mass and the eighth grade is hosting.

• Eighth-grade graduation is at 10 a.m. Sunday at the church. Father Tebalt will be the celebrant.

• The last day of school is June 8. Noon dismissal.

• The school is accepting enrollment applications for fall 2009. Details: 843-522-2163.

SHELL POINT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• A strings concert will be at 1 p.m. today in the gym.

•The pre-kindergarten moving up ceremony, play and lunch will be from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Friday in the gym.

To submit to Class Notes, send at least 10 days before the event date to features@beaufortgazette.com with Class Notes as subject line; Features, Class Notes, P.O. Box 399, Beaufort, SC 29901 or via fax to 843-524-8729.