Post by Charity on Feb 19, 2005 16:15:13 GMT -5
Four Homeschoolers Named National Merit Finalists
Feb 18, 2005 -- Four home-schooled students from Loudoun County have been named as National Merit Finalists making them eligible to win one of around 8,000 National Merit Scholarships to awarded nationwide.
Those winners are Hamilton resident Lana Bode, Jacob Mason of Lovettsville, Round Hill’s Erin Thompson and Purcellville resident Christopher Woodruff who qualified as National Merit Semifinalists earlier this school year as the result of their performance on the Pre-Scholastic Aptitude Test/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
Having always been home-schooled along with her eight siblings, Bode has trained as a classical pianist and won numerous awards. Her abilities have allowed her to perform as an orchestral keyboardist for the Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra, the MasterWorks Festival Orchestra and the Friday Morning Music Club Orchestra as well as soloing with the Loudoun Symphony String Workshop. Not content to perform only for personal accolades, Bode has taught piano to elementary school students for the past six years, plays piano at local nursing home and is also a full-time pianist at her church. Although Bode has been accepted to Indiana University, Bode has also applied to The Julliard School, the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music and Rice University. Bode has also logged in more than 100 hours teaching character education classes to children throughout the Washington, DC area.
Strong performances in vocal competitions have been a part of Mason’s life the past few years, having sung with the Washington Opera’s Children’s Chorus in various performances with Placido Domingo and Samuel Ramey. Mason plans to attend the liberal arts-focused Thomas Acquinas College in Santa Paula, CA. When he’s not singing or studying, Mason spends his as an active amateur radio operator, swimming for the Lovettsville Dolphins Swim team and competing in 4H sport shooting events.
Thompson will double-major in English and Spanish at Grove City College in Grove City, PA, having been recently accepted to that school via early decision, but her adjustment to college life will be made easier because she is currently rounding out her home school curriculum with some courses at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, where she has also been cast in school’s production of An Ideal Husband, which will open in April. This latest production represents an addition to a theatrical resume that includes roles in Hamlet and Little Women. Thompson devotes additional time to tutoring other students, teaching an art class, baby-sitting, participating in a Bible club in Leesburg and volunteering at the Life Line Pregnancy Care Center in Leesburg as well as to recreational writing.
Psychology will be the focus of Woodruff’s studies when he finally sorts through the scholarship offers from several colleges. Woodruff combined his home curriculum, which included a “five-year study of great books of western civilization” as well as courses at Lord Fairfax Community College and PHC. Woodruff has made strong showing in basketball and debate and he currently holds down a part-time job at Quizno’s.
The four homeschoolers are among approximately 15,000 students nationwide who have been named as National Merit Finalists.
www.leesburg2day.com/current.cfm?catid=5&newsid=10253
Feb 18, 2005 -- Four home-schooled students from Loudoun County have been named as National Merit Finalists making them eligible to win one of around 8,000 National Merit Scholarships to awarded nationwide.
Those winners are Hamilton resident Lana Bode, Jacob Mason of Lovettsville, Round Hill’s Erin Thompson and Purcellville resident Christopher Woodruff who qualified as National Merit Semifinalists earlier this school year as the result of their performance on the Pre-Scholastic Aptitude Test/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
Having always been home-schooled along with her eight siblings, Bode has trained as a classical pianist and won numerous awards. Her abilities have allowed her to perform as an orchestral keyboardist for the Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra, the MasterWorks Festival Orchestra and the Friday Morning Music Club Orchestra as well as soloing with the Loudoun Symphony String Workshop. Not content to perform only for personal accolades, Bode has taught piano to elementary school students for the past six years, plays piano at local nursing home and is also a full-time pianist at her church. Although Bode has been accepted to Indiana University, Bode has also applied to The Julliard School, the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music and Rice University. Bode has also logged in more than 100 hours teaching character education classes to children throughout the Washington, DC area.
Strong performances in vocal competitions have been a part of Mason’s life the past few years, having sung with the Washington Opera’s Children’s Chorus in various performances with Placido Domingo and Samuel Ramey. Mason plans to attend the liberal arts-focused Thomas Acquinas College in Santa Paula, CA. When he’s not singing or studying, Mason spends his as an active amateur radio operator, swimming for the Lovettsville Dolphins Swim team and competing in 4H sport shooting events.
Thompson will double-major in English and Spanish at Grove City College in Grove City, PA, having been recently accepted to that school via early decision, but her adjustment to college life will be made easier because she is currently rounding out her home school curriculum with some courses at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, where she has also been cast in school’s production of An Ideal Husband, which will open in April. This latest production represents an addition to a theatrical resume that includes roles in Hamlet and Little Women. Thompson devotes additional time to tutoring other students, teaching an art class, baby-sitting, participating in a Bible club in Leesburg and volunteering at the Life Line Pregnancy Care Center in Leesburg as well as to recreational writing.
Psychology will be the focus of Woodruff’s studies when he finally sorts through the scholarship offers from several colleges. Woodruff combined his home curriculum, which included a “five-year study of great books of western civilization” as well as courses at Lord Fairfax Community College and PHC. Woodruff has made strong showing in basketball and debate and he currently holds down a part-time job at Quizno’s.
The four homeschoolers are among approximately 15,000 students nationwide who have been named as National Merit Finalists.
www.leesburg2day.com/current.cfm?catid=5&newsid=10253