We congratulate the students who have been named Presidential Scholar Candidates. This award recognizes their past accomplishments and challenges them to excel in the coming years.
Our teachers would like to add a few accolades to the list as well.
- Sanaya Bothra – Henrico
“Sanaya is an incredible, dedicated, and creative student. She has a great sense of humor that always helps lighten the mood. Sanaya impressed us all on our recent Phoenix field trip (Math Modeling) by completing a 7.5-km hike without complaint.” Dickson Benesh, Mathematics teacher
“Sanaya is a light that I hope never gets extinguished.” Joshua Lehman, Science teacher.
“Sanaya’s curiosity and creativity have made her an outstanding Computer Science student. Her personal projects have always gone above and beyond expectations. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her. Whatever it is, I’m sure she’ll be in charge of it!” Ryan Webb, Mathematics teacher
“Sanaya has been in our Maggie Walker orchestra program for all four years that she has been here. She is an excellent violist and even conducted a full symphonic piece during our Winter Concert.” Allison Barnes, Orchestra teacher
“Sanaya has been an energetic APGov participant all year, thoughtfully breaking down everything from federalist and anti-federalist arguments to the political incentives of members of Congress with her tablemates. Her engagement, organization, and assiduousness are particularly notable because she has no strong personal interest in political science, yet nonetheless brings enthusiasm and insight to our activities and discussions and treats the class with utmost seriousness.” Sam Ulmschneider, We the People and Social Studies teacher
“Sanaya wrote a practice college essay about the time she threw peas into a pan and caught her kitchen on fire. I’ve never seen anyone else use a kitchen fire as a topic for her college essay, let alone as an explanation for her ongoing fascination with science.” Peter Cashwell, English teacher
David Lins – Chesterfield
“David Lins is an exceptional, well-rounded student who is more than a collection of A’s on a report card. David is a youth swim coach in the summer, performs in the school band, produces movies, and serves as the tournament director for the MLWGS Quiz Bowl team. He is also just about the nicest person you could meet!” Nicholas Merillat, Performing Arts teacher
“David Lins is a talented language student. He is a remarkably attentive student with a keen sense of humor and a beautiful demeanor, aura, and overall genuinely ‘one of a kind’.” Susan Hefty, Italian teacher
“David Lins is the type of student every teacher hopes to have in their class. He is thoughtful and engaged, and his contributions help to elevate our discussions in AP Lit. David notices things others might miss and shares them in a way that gets our whole class thinking more deeply.” Kerry Sheppard, English teacher and department chair
“David has an incredible aptitude for language learning. He was awarded a travel scholarship to Germany for his outstanding performance on the National German Exam and subsequent interview, excelled in AP German, and developed a senior independent study to focus on East and West Germany as depicted in film. He loves sharing his enthusiasm for the German language and culture with others and has been a fabulous leader of our German Club over the past two years. He is also welcoming, kind, and generous with his time and talents!” Kristen Macklin, German Language teacher
Thienvan Vo – Chesterfield
“I have had the privilege of teaching Thienvan for three years, in some of the most challenging mathematics courses MLWGS offers. Thienvan works equally well within a group of his peers or independently to tackle problems – he listens carefully to the opinions of others, but he also explains his ideas clearly.” Lynn Foshee Reed, Mathematics teacher
“Thienvan is an excellent student. He has a strong work ethic, which truly shows in all of his work in the class. He is always respectful and helpful to his classmates. He is a great role model for our student body.” Allison Anthony, Social Studies teacher
“Thienvan is the kind of student who does not seek the spotlight, but whose intelligence and thoughtfulness are unmistakable in everything he does. He works seamlessly with his peers, and his writing reflects depth and clarity of thought. Our conferences are always a highlight for me, as his insight into his own work and intellectual curiosity make every conversation rewarding.” Lindsey LeCroy-Whitworth, English teacher and NEHS Co-Sponsor
More information about the Presidential Scholars program can be found at http://www.ed.gov/psp.
