Winners Named in APASAAG Poster Contest, and other Good News

In honor of Asian Pacific American Islander Heritage Month, 95 K–12 students in 49 schools participated in a poster contest hosted by the Asian Pacific American Student Achievement Action Group. The contest called on students to create original art work to commemorate the histories, challenges and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. All 21 student winners and honorable mentions were honored during a ceremony last month. See the winning artwork.
Winners are:
Elementary School (K-2)

1st place winner: Jessica Wang, Seven Locks Elementary School
1st place: Jessica Wang, Seven Locks Elementary School
2nd place: William Yan, Potomac Elementary School
3rd place: Elliott Cheung, Farmland Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Kevin Niu, Stone Mill Elementary School and Victoria Kiggundu, Lakewood Elementary School
Elementary School (Grades 3-5)

Artwork by Sarrah Fahmy, Bayard Rustin Elementary School
1st place: Sarrah Fahmy, Bayard Rustin Elementary School
2nd place: Ella Wu, Travilah Elementary School
3rd place: Emma Yi, Ashburton Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Yashaswini Kunati, Diamond Elementary School, Selena Zhang, Lucy V. Barnsley Elementary School and Jennifer Anish, Farmland Elementary School
Middle School

Artwork by Kenneth Shue, Herbert Hoover Middle School
1st place: Kenneth Shue, Herbert Hoover Middle School
2nd place: Katherine Xue, Herbert Hoover Middle School
3rd place: Jessica Hsieh, Takoma Park Middle School
Honorable Mention: Cedric Wu, Julius West Middle School and Clara Wang, Cabin John Middle School
High School

Artwork by Viktorija Makmak, Thomas S. Wootton High School
1st place: Viktorija Makmak, Thomas S. Wootton High School
2nd place: Tarina Amaralikit, Winston Churchill High School
3rd place: Kelsey Tran, Montgomery Virtual Academy
Honorable mention: Claire Chen, Richard Montgomery High School and Angela Wang, Thomas S. Wootton High School
More Than 1,500 Students Earn Maryland Seal of Biliteracy
This school year, more than 1,500 MCPS high school graduates will earn the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy in over 28 languages. the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy recognizes a student’s high level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing in English and one or more languages. Learn about the requirements.
Blair Student Named Youth Volunteer of the Year
Samantha Jayasundera will be honored during the 11th annual Montgomery Serves Awards, the county’s highest honor for service and volunteerism, tonight (June 15). This year’s honorees represent volunteers dedicated to programs including social justice and educational advocacy, safety-net healthcare services and outreach to vulnerable populations. Samantha, a senior at Montgomery Blair High School, will be named a Youth Volunteer of the Year. She is a co-founder of Sankofa Empowering Women in Ghana (SEWING), a women’s empowerment and human rights program combating child labor and female exploitation. Committed to her personal focus of “education for all,” she has spoken on the local, national and international stage, hosted conferences and led large-scale initiatives for education and equity.
In The Headlines
Wootton High grad Myles Frost wins Tony Award for Michael Jackson role