enews Graduation Issue | June 14, 2013 - Ferndale Public Schools
enews Graduation Issue | June 14, 2013 - Ferndale Public Schools
enews Graduation Issue | June 14, 2013 - Ferndale Public Schools
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<strong>2013</strong> John F. Kennedy Scholarship Recipients<br />
Alexis Thompson<br />
Alexis Thompson has demonstrated<br />
a special combination of<br />
scholarship, hard work, and tremendous<br />
maturity. As the UHS Student<br />
Representative for the <strong>Ferndale</strong><br />
<strong>Schools</strong> Board of Education, she<br />
was thorough and professional and<br />
always provided interesting and<br />
impressive information about UHS<br />
accomplishments.<br />
Alexis has been very active in<br />
all aspects of the UHS experience.<br />
She was involved in nearly every<br />
club, including the GET IT Girl’s engineering club and the<br />
Robotics team. She was a standout on her Robotics teams<br />
which won two district championships, twice qualifying for<br />
the state competition with a third place finish, and qualifying<br />
for the national competition. Alexis’s Robotics advisor Julie<br />
Patterson praises her exceptional problem-solving ability and<br />
her dedication to completing even the most challenging task.<br />
With the DECA marketing club, she has been an officer<br />
for the local chapter, and her projects have qualified her for<br />
the International Career Development Conference for her<br />
Merit Award Project. She also received a Merit Award at the<br />
International Conference.<br />
Alexis has competed on the girls’ basketball team, serving<br />
as a team captain, and last year sharing in the team’s<br />
Academic All-State recognition. She was also a captain of the<br />
cross country team, and a starter on the volleyball team.<br />
In addition to her leadership and extracurricular involvement,<br />
Alexis is known as an outstanding scholar. She is dedicated<br />
to high-quality work and an active participant in the<br />
classroom. Next year, she plans to continue her education<br />
at the University of Michigan-Dearborn to study Mechanical<br />
Engineering.<br />
Marquis Ray<br />
Marquis Ray has truly<br />
taken advantage of every<br />
University High School opportunity.<br />
He is known as a<br />
quiet, respectful role model<br />
for his classmates. He has a<br />
steadfast drive and work ethic.<br />
His academic performance<br />
was outstanding throughout<br />
high school, including Honors,<br />
Advanced Placement, and<br />
dual enrollment college courses<br />
at Lawrence Technological<br />
University.<br />
His teachers appreciated his friendly, humorous<br />
personality combined with his dedication and<br />
perseverance.<br />
Jason Beatty, one of his school leaders and<br />
teachers, says: “Marquis has the traits that will guarantee<br />
his success throughout his academic career.”<br />
Marquis leads by example, and he is described<br />
as kind and very well liked by everyone who meets<br />
him. Marquis has been involved in Picture Perfect,<br />
leading the photography of all UHS events to make<br />
sure the yearbook documented your high school<br />
years. He has also been a standout leader of the National<br />
Honor Society where he was dependable and<br />
mentored <strong>Ferndale</strong> <strong>Schools</strong>’ elementary students<br />
through the NHS mentoring program.<br />
Next year, Marquis enters Oakland University to<br />
study Computer Engineering.<br />
University<br />
High School<br />
Since 1964, the <strong>Ferndale</strong> <strong>Schools</strong> have<br />
awarded two graduating seniors – one<br />
male student and one female student – with<br />
the distinguished John Fitzgerald Kennedy<br />
Award. With its first graduating class in<br />
2008, the Board expanded the scholarship to<br />
students at UHS.<br />
This year, two outstanding students were<br />
awarded by members of their school<br />
community, teachers, and administrators.<br />
These two outstanding students are nominated<br />
for this special award by members of<br />
the community, teachers, and administrators.<br />
Alexis Thompson and Marquis Ray are<br />
selected because they best represent their<br />
graduating class by having demonstrated<br />
an outstanding combination of scholarship,<br />
school involvement, community service,<br />
leadership, and individual responsibility<br />
during their years at University High<br />
School. The two students received a keepsake<br />
plaque, their names will be engraved<br />
on a permanent sign in the school office,<br />
and they each received a $1,000 college<br />
scholarship from the <strong>Ferndale</strong> <strong>Schools</strong><br />
Board of Education.<br />
www.ferndaleschools.org Follow us on Twitter! @<strong>Ferndale</strong><strong>Schools</strong>