Board of education recognizes Charles students
The Charles County Board of Education honored four students at its Jan. 11 meeting.
Honored at the meeting was Kevin Mejia-Trochez of J.P. Ryon Elementary School, Jurniah Young of William A. Diggs Elementary School, Madelyn Sopher of General Smallwood Middle School and Synai Ferrell of Thomas Stone High School.
School principals annually select one student and staff member for accomplishments in the areas of academic achievement, career readiness and personal responsibility.
A fifth-grader, Mejia-Trochez was recognized for his academic achievement for earning straight A’s since the third grade. He is also a member of the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement team, the captain of the Mobile App challenge and is a school safety patrol. Outside of school, he spends hours working on coding and user interface design and codes games.
A news release described Principal Melinda Tyler as saying Mejia-Trochez “is outstanding, intelligent and one of the best students any teacher could ask for.” She added that during virtual learning he was “always willing to add to conversations and used problem solving skills to persevere through technology issues.”
Also a fifth-grader, Young was recognized in the area of career readiness.
She most recently received the Student of the Quarter Award, the Citizenship Award and Principal’s Honor Roll.
She also helps second-graders with letter identification and in the release her teachers de
scribed her as “a standout student, a leader in the classroom and a positive role model for her peers.”
Sopher, who is an eigth-grader, was recognized for personal responsibility. Sopher is an honor roll student, part of a girls mentoring group, participates in the Spelling Bee, is a member of the National Junior Society and serves as the club’s treasurer.
Her teachers said that along with being a hard worker, Sopher can always be counted on to help her classmates and Principal Brenda Tilllotspn said these traits will be a great asset to Sopher as she plans to become a school counselor.
A senior, Ferrell was recognized for academic achievement. She played an integral part in the junior monthly newsletters during virtual learning, provided ideas that assisted in supporting her peers with a focus on mental health and academic needs and her contribu
tions, commitment and dedication.
She is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Government Association and Distinguished Young Women of Maryland and also volunteered as a mentor in the Cougar Connect Program and was a member of the varsity tennis team.
Ferrell attended the Princeton University Summer Journalism Program and the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program and volunteers for the Special Olympics of Virginia and the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center’s nursing department.
In the release, Thomas Stone High School Principal Shanif Pearl said Ferrell has “phenomenal leadership qualities, and her caring personality is contagious. She is a student who achieved high standards throughout her high school career and has clear goals for her future. Synai is a true inspiration.”