Centreville — The following Centerville local residents have been named to the Dean’s List at Clemson University for the spring 2012 semester:
Haley Nicole, who is majoring in Psychology.
Shawn Patrick Mordhorst, who is majoring in Psychology.
Molly Kathleen Seltzer, who is majoring in Political Science.
Chelsea Nicole Wallis, who is majoring in Computer Science.
Hanna Elizabeth Skahn of Centreville was named to the Dean’s List at Baylor University for the 2012 spring semester.
Karen Molloy, who teaches Advanced Placement (AP) biology and chemistry and serves as science department chair at Chantilly High School, has been named the 2012 Virginia Teacher of the Year by the Air Force Association (AFA). Chantilly High School is a Fairfax County public school.
Molloy was nominated by the Gabriel Chapter of the Air Force Association, which named her its Teacher of the Year for four consecutive years based on her work to advance STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). The AFA specifically praised Molloy for her work with the local community to encourage and inspire students in STEM subjects, including working with the AFA, Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, and others in the defense industry to serve as mentors, financial sponsors, and technicians for students competing in the Cyber Patriot competition.
Known for her use of technology in the classroom, Molloy engages her students with interactive SMART Board activities, personal response clickers, digital photography, electronic learning stations, and probeware for data collection. By applying for several grants, she received funding to train her colleagues to use technology in the classroom; as a result, five teachers collaborated to create science lessons that incorporate more data collection using technology.
Molloy has a goal of increasing student involvement and enrollment in science classes at Chantilly; she is introducing a Genetics and Biotechnology elective course at the school for the first time during the 2012-13 school year, in which 60 students have enrolled. She has also worked to engage more citizens as judges for the school’s science fair along with increasing student participation. The number of judges has grown from 80 to 120 in four years, and nearly 600 students participated in this past year’s science fair. As sponsor of the Science National Honor Society, Molloy developed a speakers’ program to attract professionals such as medical doctors, university professors, engineers, and veterinarians to the school to speak to students. Her future plans include development of a STEM day for students in the Chantilly High School Pyramid to encourage more students to consider science as a career option.
During the summer, Molloy works for AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a nonprofit college readiness organization for students that also teaches teachers how to teach, where she authors science books and develops materials for summer institutes. Molloy will be leading three of the professional development institutes this summer which will help teachers rethink how they plan and instruct students to incorporate writing, inquiry, collaboration, reading, and organization into science education.
Molloy has worked for FCPS for 12 years; she taught at McLean High School for eight years and has been a teacher at Chantilly High School for the past four years.
Matthew Litton, a junior electrical engineering major has been named to the Dean's List for the spring 2012 semester at Grove City College. Matthew is a 2009 graduate of Chantilly High School and is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Litton (Stephanie) from Fairfax.
Brendan Soucie, a student in the 4th form (10th-grade) at Kent School in Kent, Connecticut, was named to the honor roll for the spring term of 2012. Soucie is the child of Christopher and Cynthia Soucie of Oak Hill.
Christine LaPlaca of Fairfax has been selected as a writing intern for Phi Beta Kappa’s two-semester internship program. LaPlaca is the daughter of Peter and Stacy LaPlaca and is a 2009 graduate of Chantilly High School. A senior majoring in Asian studies and English with a concentration in creative writing, LaPlaca is co-president of Rotaract and a tutor at the Writing Center. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Phi Beta Kappa, history honor society Phi Alpha Theta and literary honor society Lambda Iota Tau. She has been named to the Dean’s List and President’s List.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) graduates from the class of 2012 have been named winners of college-sponsored scholarships by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Recipients, with their probable career fields in parentheses, are:
Rebecca Holley of Westfield High School (Music/Education), National Merit University of Rochester Scholarship.
Ian Van Pelt of Westfield High School (biology), National Merit Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Scholarship.
David Rice, a resident of Chantilly, was awarded Dean's List honors for academic achievement during the spring 2012 semester at St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM).
The Bill of Rights Institute announces that seven Northern Virginia high school students, Conrado Castro, James Harkless, Moriah Dreisbach, Neha Telhan, Lauren Ierardi, Nicholas Santoni, and Emily Yaremchuk have returned from a week spent in the nation’s capital.
This July, Castro, Harkless, Dreisbach, Telhan, Ierardi, Santoni, and Yaremchuk attended the Constitutional Academy, the nation’s premier program for high school students to study the Constitution. The scholarships were provided by the Ohrstrom Foundation.
Dreisbach and Telhan will both be juniors at Falls Church High School. Ierardi will be a senior in the fall at Centreville High School; where Santoni graduated this spring. Yaremchuk will be senior at Oakton High School in the fall.
Castro, Harkless, Dreisbach, Telhan, Ierardi, Santoni, and Yaremchuk read the Founding documents and other primary source resources, and discussed the ideals of the American Founding along with contemporary issues with students from across the country and constitutional scholars in Washington, D.C.
The following students from Chantilly enrolled at Virginia Tech were named to the Dean’s List for the spring 2012 semester:
Bushra A. Alam is a sophomore majoring in university studies at Virginia Tech.
Rand i. Andoni is a sophomore majoring in management in the Pamplin College of Business.
Sujata Bhattarai is a senior majoring in biochemistry in the College of Science.
Katherine E. Boyd is a freshman majoring in psychology in the College of Science.
Brett O. Boyle is a freshman majoring in general engineering in the College of Engineering.
Hunter V. Brigman is a senior majoring in biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
David E. Cooper is a sophomore majoring in university studies at Virginia Tech.
Kaitlyn M. Cotter is a junior majoring in communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
Brian Dan is a sophomore majoring in finance in the Pamplin College of Business.
Kaylin L. Daniels is a junior majoring in human development in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
Alexis C. Eccleston is a senior majoring in biological sciences in the College of Science.
Amy L. Fuentes is a senior majoring in accounting and information systems in the Pamplin College of Business.
Namrata Garg is a senior majoring in environmental policy and planning in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies.
Caroline S. Gray is a sophomore majoring in hospitality and tourism management in the Pamplin College of Business.
Kevin S. Haynes is a junior majoring in finance in the Pamplin College of Business.
Gregory M. Jenks is a senior majoring in computer science in the College of Engineering.
Caroline I. Kew is a sophomore majoring in finance in the Pamplin College of Business.
Jaeha Lee is a senior majoring in political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
Daniel R. Lyell is a senior majoring in sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
Alexandra S. Manikas is a freshman majoring in psychology in the College of Science.
Thomas J. O'Connor is a senior majoring in electrical engineering in the College of Engineering.
Tyler G. Ott is a senior majoring in accounting and information systems in the Pamplin College of Business.
Venkata Manoj Paleti is a senior majoring in business information technology in the Pamplin College of Business.
Sharan H. Patel is a senior majoring in aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering.
Beau R. Rauch is a sophomore majoring in business information technology in the Pamplin College of Business.
Aaron A. Reed is a senior majoring in accounting and information systems in the Pamplin College of Business.
Erin P. Robertson is a senior majoring in marketing management in the Pamplin College of Business.
Megan W. Silsby is a senior majoring in wildlife science in the College of Natural Resources and Environment.
Julie H. Ta is a junior majoring in biochemistry in the College of Science.
Sahal A. Thahir is a sophomore majoring in biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Dhananjay Tripathi is a sophomore majoring in computer science in the College of Engineering.
Cammy C. Truong is a junior majoring in geography in the College of Natural Resources and Environment.
Amy N. Wang is a junior majoring in chemical engineering in the College of Engineering.
John H. Yu is a sophomore majoring in university studies at Virginia Tech.
Daniel F. Morgado is a junior majoring in computer science in the College of Engineering.
Kyle A. Thornburgh is a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering.
Vanessa M. Vanderdys is a freshman majoring in biological sciences in the College of Science.
Ryan D. Zanski is a senior majoring in electrical engineering in the College of Engineering.
The following Virginia Tech students from Chantilly were among those honored at the university's spring commencement ceremony held May 11 in Lane Stadium:
Sruthi Krishnan received a master of science degree in aerospace engineering from the College of Engineering.
Daniel Rickenbach received a master of accountancy and information systems degree in accounting and information systems from the Pamplin College of Business.
Michelle Crowson, Chantilly, received a bachelor of arts degree summa cum laude in communication from the College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences.
Alexis Eccleston, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science degree cum laude in biological sciences from the College of Science.
Joseph Fratter, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science in business degree in finance from the Pamplin College of Business.
Namrata Garg, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science degree cum laude in environmental policy and planning from the College of Architecture and Urban Studies.
Raissa Hidalgo, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science degree in biological sciences from the College of Science.
Yulim Hong, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science degree in human nutrition, foods and exercise from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Hyunsoo Hwang, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science degree in animal and poultry sciences from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Mario Ichaso, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science in business degree in finance from the Pamplin College of Business.
Rein Kiewel, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science in business degree in marketing management from the Pamplin College of Business.
Jaeha Lee, Chantilly, received a bachelor of arts degree cum laude in political science from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
Traci Luzi, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science degree summa cum laude in psychology from the College of Science.
Daniel Lyell, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science degree cum laude in sociology from the College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences.
Mark Nufable, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science in business degree in business information technology from the Pamplin College of Business.
Venkata Manoj Paleti, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science in business degree summa cum laude in business information technology from the Pamplin College of Business.
Sharan Patel, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering degree in aerospace engineering from the College of Engineering.
John Roller, Reston, received a bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude in economics, science from the College of Science and a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering degree magna cum laude in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering.
Stephanie Taing, Chantilly, received a bachelor of science in business degree in accounting and information systems from the Pamplin College of Business.
Nicholas Michael Muzyka of Oak Hill, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management (General Management Emphasis) at Clemson University at the summer ceremony Aug. 10.
Two Fairfax County students been placed on the President’s and Dean’s Lists in recognition of their academic excellence during the summer 2012 semester at New River Community College. Maxson Jeffrey of Chantilly has been placed on the President’s List and Taehee Han of Fairfax has been named to the Dean’s List.