Freshman, junior recognized for academic success

Junior Lindsay Kraus and freshman Faith Ensor have both been recognized locally and nationally for academic achievements. Kraus received the Judith Resnik Award that recognizes girls who excel in math and science, and Ensor has been recognized as a Carson Scholar for the past five years straight.

Science Department Head Julie Baker first brought the Judith Resnik Award to Kraus’s attention. According to Kraus, the committee that determines the recipient of the award “wanted to see your love for science and math in and out of school.” For Kraus, this was reflected in her experience working at both the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the Maryland Zoo.

Because she received the Judith Resnick award, Kraus also “received certificates from the American Association of Women, the Maryland State Senate, the Harford County Council, the Harford County Executive, and the Maryland General Assembly.”

As for Ensor, the Carson Scholars Fund has recognized her as an exemplary student since she was in fifth grade. It was then that she first applied to the Carson Scholarship Award. “I decided to apply because, I mean, what did I have to lose?” she said.

After receiving the $1,000 scholarship, Ensor decided to re-apply to still be recognized as a Carson Scholar the next few years. “I am a five-time repeat scholar and even though I no longer receive additional money from the fund for college, I’m sure the consistency of me getting the award five years in a row will look good on my college transcript,” she said.

According to Ensor, “Ben Carson and his wife, Candy, founded the Carson Scholarship Fund to ‘recognize and reward the best and brightest students from across the country.’ To be categorized into these standards is so amazing.”

Brianna Glase is the Online Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Junior, senior earn highest level of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts awards

Senior Jonathan Yantz and junior Alex Kane earned the Eagle Award and the Gold Award, the highest awards a boy or girl scout can earn respectively.

For her Gold Award Project, Kane created a dog-themed calendar. With the money she raised from selling the calendars, she bought comfort bag items and useful items for breast cancer patients at Johns Hopkins.

“Last year my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a big shock to our entire family. I love dogs. They are a big part of my life, so I combined what I loved with family,” Kane said.

Although she earned her Gold Award this year, she will not be receiving the award until the spring of 2014 due to that fact that she missed the deadline for this year’s awards banquet.

For his Eagle Project, Yantz re-landscaped the rectory at St. Mary Magdalen Mission. He got the idea for his project from Father Doug Kenney. Some of the scouts from his troop helped with the re- landscaping. “The most difficult part about my project was getting all of the scouts to cooperate while executing the plan,” Yantz said.

Shannon Olsen is a Lifestyles editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Tree removal reshapes JC campus

Signs and bathrooms are not the only things on campus getting a new look. The landscape is also getting revamped, as 30 to 45 year old trees across campus are beginning to get removed and replaced.

The cutting down of the trees is a multi-year process called “selective cutting,” which gets rid of old and diseased trees, according to Director of Facilities Stewart Walker. The trees that are removed will be replaced over the course of the next few weeks and “most likely” in the fall of this year, according to Walker. Many of the white pines around campus were over 40 years old and could negatively impact the trees around them.

Some trees were cut down due to their close proximity to other trees. The selection of tree replacements will not be random. “For example, the trees that will go back on the top of the slope above the baseball stadium will likely be a slow-growing evergreen that can be pruned, but also serve as a wind and sun screen,” Walker said.

Cutting down the trees on campus serves to enhance the health and look of JC, according to Walker. “In addition, we will also plan the locations so that any new tress do not re-create some of the safety issues we have had to address related to some of the existing plantings from past decades.”

Chioma Iheoma is an Opinion editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.