St. Hilary School eighth-grader Gia Abucejo was one of seven students to win at the District Spelling Bee Feb. 11 at the Akron-Summit County Public Library. Gia and the other students will advance to the Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday, also at the library. For the second year in a row, Gia was the winner of the St. Hilary School Spelling Bee, held in January.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, recently presented the Bronze Star Medal to Lt. Col. Curtis Brown and Capt. Robert Ahlers, both members of the Ohio National Guard who were deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004 to 2005. Brown’s office worked with the Ohio National Guard to secure Brown’s Bronze Star Medal and continues to work with the Guard to secure medals that other soldiers in the unit have earned. Brown commanded Akron’s 1484th Transportation Company from December 2001 to May 2005, including a 15-month deployment to Iraq. Ahlers joined the Ohio National Guard in 2001 and served for 15 months in Iraq’s Anbar province starting in 2004. He now serves as an Army reservist.
The National Academic Quiz Tournaments recently selected the Copley-Fairlawn A team as its “Middle School Quiz Bowl Team of the Week.” The team was recognized for its performance at the Feb. 18 Solon Tournament.
St. Sebastian Parish School recently recognized students who represent the school in a positive light. One student was chosen from each class who shows school pride and has a positive outlook in the classroom. Those recognized include: Joseph Deagan, kindergarten; Gabriella Vesco, kindergarten; Frances Knauer, first grade; Noelle Keso, first grade; Elena Salisbury, second grade; Peter Zografakis, second grade; Madelyn Kastelic, third grade; Rowan Kelly, third grade; Reese Kelly, fourth grade; Luke Kindbom, fourth grade; Michael Walter, fifth grade; Jack Stahl, fifth grade; Ella Thomas, sixth grade; Andy Thomas, sixth grade; Veronica Savitski, seventh grade; Andrew Powell, seventh grade; Madalyne Sinley, eighth grade; and Alex Raita, eighth grade.
Xzayviaire Gibson was the school winner in St. Mary School’s recent Geography Bee. Bransin McGinnis was runner-up. Xzayviaire has taken a written test to qualify for the state Geography Bee.
St Mary’s School Student Council recently won the top prize of $500 in the citywide Recycle Bowl competition among area schools.
Sophia Marcum and Marisa Fuller, 10th-graders at Springfield Junior/Senior High School, won the Ohio Civil Rights Commission Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. multimedia contest. The contest solicited entries from students in grades six through 12 in the areas of writing, art or multimedia. The purpose of the contest is to encourage students to reflect upon King’s message of loving your enemy, even when they do not love you back. Sophia and Marisa accepted their awards last week during a ceremony and reception at the Ohio Civil Rights Commission’s office in Columbus.
Cuyahoga Valley Career Center received the 2016 High Schools That Work Top Performing School in the Northeast Ohio Region. This recognition is based on the performance of the center’s 2016 graduates who took a national student survey.
Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, located in Brecksville, serves the public school districts of Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Garfield Heights, Independence, Nordonia Hills, North Royalton, Revere and Twinsburg.
Mature Services is accepting nominations until March 24 for the inaugural SOAR Awards to recognize businesses, individuals and communities that support successful aging in Summit County. Nine awards will be presented at the SOAR Awards on May 23 at the Tangier in Akron. Nominations are being accepted online at www.matureservices.org or forms may be completed and returned to the Mature Services headquarters.
The Good News column features awards and recognitions, military and scholastic achievements, civic accomplishments and other good works. Please fax information to 330-996-3033, email it to goodnews@thebeaconjournal.com or send it to Good News, Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309. Include a photo if one is available.