St. Albert student wins archdiocesan spelling bee
Twenty-eight students participated in the Archdiocese of Louisville District Spelling Bee held Feb. 21 at the Flaget Center. The winner, Ally Morcus, a seventh-grader from St. Albert the Great School, will represent the archdiocese in the Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee March 10 at the PNC Club at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
Lauryn Grady, a sixth-grader from St. Francis of Assisi School, placed second, and Hannah Choi from John Paul II Academy came in third. Maggie Cahill, from St. Agnes School, came in fourth place.
The district bee will be televised March 12 at 7 p.m., March 14 at 6 p.m. and March 16 at 5:30 p.m. on The Faith Channel. Beginning on March 12, individuals will be able to view it online at www.archlou.org.
Archdiocesan schools outside Jefferson County had the option of competing in their county bee. Ethan Sparks, a sixth-grader at St. Augustine School in Lebanon, Ky., won the Marion County Bee. Chris Rice, a fifth-grader at St. Joseph School in Bardstown, Ky., won the Nelson County Bee. This was his second consecutive year to win the school and the county bees.
Player of year
St. Xavier High School senior Neil Henley has been named the 2011-12 Gatorade Kentucky Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year. He helped lead the Tigers to a state championship this past season, scoring 29 goals and passing for 18 assists. Henley has signed a letter of intent to play for Xavier University.
German exam
Five St. Xavier High School students scored in the 90th percentile or higher on the National German exam administered by the American Association of German Teachers. They are: Joey Bousamra (level two), Brian Ford (level two), Will Marx (level two), Darren Bruner (level three) and Gabe Sutkamp (level four).
Rotary award
Trinity High School senior Nicholas A. Landenwich has been selected to receive the A.B. Sawyer Youth Recognition Award, presented by the Rotary Club of Louisville.
Landenwich was nominated for the Rotary “Unsung Hero” Award by his high school counselor for unrecognized service to others, willingness to go above and beyond what is asked of him and an optimistic attitude in the face of challenges, a release from the school said. Landenwich will be invited, along with a faculty representative, to attend a special recognition luncheon at the Galt House Hotel & Suites on March 15, where he will receive his award and a $500 savings bond.
Video awards
Trinity High School’s broadcast journalism students received two awards at the 2012 Reel Action Video Contest Premiere & Awards Ceremony held Feb. 26 at the Baxter Avenue Theatres.
The Reel Action Prevention of Underage Drinking project and contest challenged teens to use their talents to create 28-second videos to take “Reel Action” to reduce underage drinking.
Trinity students Luis Corrons, Chase Nalley, Mark Shutts and Ross Troop’s video “From Something to Nothing” received the runner-up award for best sound.
Ori Youngblood, Jonathon Dunn, Marcus Dorsey and Dodge Fielden’s video “Don’t Throw Your Life Away” received the runner-up award for best script.
Playwright award
Trinity High School students Cameron Murphy and Anthony DeVore garnered honors in the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s 2012 New Voices Young Playwright Contest.
Murphy’s “Naked” was selected as an honorable mention winner, and DeVore’s “Wal-Mart” was selected as a finalist.