National Tournament Spotlights BRVGS Forensics Students

Four BRVGS students participated in the National Catholic Forensics League Grand National Tournament in Chicago recently. Jordan Taylor, Camryn Powers, Summer Davis, and Shannon Blow, all from Madison County High School, traveled to Illinois for the May 23-25 competition. Shannon placed fifth in the nation in Oral Interpretation.

“She beat the 232 students who qualified for nationals in that category, and surpassed thousands who participated in this category across the nation,” said Jordan Taylor. “She worked very hard this season not only in forensics, but in school as well”.

Shannon noted that qualifying for the tournament is “an accomplishment we are very proud of...The forensics team at Madison has made amazing progress this year, and many BRVGS students are a part of it.”

In interpretation and speech events, the top 24 contestants or duo teams (quarter and semi-finalists) receive trophies at the culminating awards ceremony. The top six are recognized individually.

Founded in 1951, the NCFL is an organization of private and public high schools dedicated to promoting and supporting speech and debate activities in the US and Canada.The NCFL Grand Tournament is one of the largest high school debate competitions in the nation, attended by speech and debate students from nearly 600 schools across the United States and three countries.

Congratulations to Shannon, Jordan, Camryn, and Summer for your efforts, dedication, achievements, and selection to this national event!

Students Join Summer Montpelier Archeology Team

James Madison's Montpelier website photo

Five BRVGS students will dig in the dirt this summer when they participate in the Archeology Field program at Montpelier, the home of  U.S. President James Madison and Dolly Madison. Devon Burger, Sasha Morgan, and Lauren Staton from Fluvanna, and Kat Topf and Abby Whitlock from Louisa will be part of the Montpelier research team during their week-long experience in Orange. The students, all 2014-15 seniors, are taking the program for a variety of reasons: college credit, BRVGS Senior Internship placement, and/or personal discovery.

The current historic archeology of the 18th and 19th centuries mansion grounds is focusing on how the enslaved and owners’ lives intersected on the formal grounds and larger plantation, and also on uncovering the picturesque landscape design that Madison implemented in the 1810s.

In addition to their excavation work, the students will engage in lab work (processing of artifacts and samples), lectures, and tours of the mansion and various archaeological sites on the property, including the Slave Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, plantation farm complex, Civil War encampments, and the Gilmore Farm.

Participants in the Montpelier Archaeology Expedition program stay at Arlington House, an antebellum home located on the estate's historic grounds.

BRVGS Seniors Shine at EXPO!

No one expects a weather delay in May, but heavy rains and flooding nearly swamped the BRVGS 2014 Senior Exposition this past Friday, causing a 2 hour delay for several BRVGS member school districts.  After a great deal of communication via text, email and phone calls, however, students, teachers, and evaluators rallied and started the Expo only 1 hour late.  Despite such an inauspicious start, the Expo went amazingly well, and BRVGS seniors did an excellent job representing BRVGS and their home schools. 

Approximately 90 high school seniors from seven member schools shared information about their impressive internship, research and community service projects at the BRVGS Senior Exposition.  One student, recently moved out of state, even participated in the Expo "virtually" through a Google Hangout, talking with evaluators and fellow classmates via computer throughout the event. 

Students from Fluvanna, Greene, Madison, Nelson, Louisa, Orange, and Goochland counties displayed and presented information on a wide variety of project topics such as criminal justice, music, medicine, ecology, radio astronomy, and student stress, just to name a few.

To see a slideshow of the Expo, click on BRVGS Expo 2014 Slideshow.

Many thanks to Orange County School Board staff for their gracious hosting of the event, and to all of the evaluators who contributed their valuable time and energy to making the BRVGS Senior Expo a success for all participants!  

AFCEA Announces Three BRVGS Senior Scholarship Awards

The Central Virginia Chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) recently announced three BRVGS Seniors as scholarship recipients, and recognized the corporate sponsors SRC Incorporated (formerly Syracuse Research Corporation) and Battelle. The grant winners are: Ayana Braxton, recipient of the Minority Scholarship sponsored by Battelle; Adriana Sprouse, recipient of the Minority Scholarship sponsored by SRC; and Courtney Sigloh, recipient of the Women’s Scholarship sponsored by Battelle.

The chapter awarded the $1,000 merit-based scholarship grants in April to qualified minority or female students enrolled in four-year accredited science or engineering programs at a Virginia college or university. AFCEA is a member-based non-profit professional association whose mission is to facilitate training and communication among government, industry and academia.

Adriana Sprouse, a senior at Louisa County High School, will attend Christopher Newport University. Ayana Braxton, an Orange County High School senior, will attend Virginia Commonwealth University. Courtney Sigloh attends Greene County High School and will attend the University of Virginia.

The scholarship winners will be recognized at an AFCEA luncheon on May 8th at the Best Western in Ruckersville at 11:30 a.m.  

Becki Broyles to Receive U.S. Congressional Award

Becki Broyles, BRVGS student and a junior at Madison County High School, is a recipient of the Gold Congressional Award, the United States Congress award for young Americans.  Congress established the Congressional Award in 1979 to recognize initiative, achievement, and service in young people. She is one of only about 250 youth from across the country to receive this recognition each year. Becki earned the award for logging hundreds of hours achieving personal goals in the areas of volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration. She will be honored at a Gold Congressional Award ceremony in Washington, DC this summer. To find out more about this program, go to www.congressionalaward.org. 

In addition to the Congressional Award honor, Becki has also earned the 4-H All Star Award, which is the highest honor a 4-H member can receive, and is based on her 4-H work over the past eight years.  She will receive her All Star Award at a ceremony during the June 4-H Congress in Blacksburg.

Becki is part of a team from the Madison County 4-H Adventure Club that will be representing Virginia at the National Wildlife Habitat Education Program( WHEP) Contest in Missouri in July. Becki's team has been state Junior Champions for several years, and won the Senior title in the fall 2013 to gain entrance to the national contest.

Accolades go to this talented, hard-working BRVGS student for her many achievements!