NDA Grads Receive Multiple Scholarships

Special to the Herald

MIDDLEBURG — Notre Dame Academy in Middleburg will hold its 30th annual commencement exercises on June 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the school gymnasium. Brother Patrick Ellis, president of Catholic University of America, will address the graduates.

Notre Dame Academy will continue its traditional graduation with the female graduates wearing white gowns and carrying a dozen roses and the young men wearing black tuxedos for the ceremony. The senior class will sing "Gentle Woman," a traditional hymn, as a tribute to Mary, the patroness of the school.

The 34 graduates have more than 90 college acceptances and scholarships exceeding $712,000.

Megan McMullen is the valedictorian for the class of 1998. She will attend the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., in the fall.

McMullen’s academic and leadership awards include: Presidential Scholar at Xavier University, Fairfield Scholar, Winchester-Frederick County Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership Award, Who's Who in American High School Students, Gardner-Webb University Scholars Achievement Award. She is also an honor roll student and has achieved First Honors, a 4.0 or better, for the past three years of her high school career. She has been a nominee for the All-American Scholars Program for the past four years, was inducted into the National Honor Society her junior year and was elected to Student Government as the senior class president.

A varsity letterman in volleyball, basketball, soccer and softball, McMullen was named to the Delaney Athletic All-Conference teams in volleyball, basketball and softball. She was named NDA's Most Valuable Player in volleyball for three years and the Most Valuable Player in basketball, volleyball, and softball her junior year. She was honored as NDA's Female Athlete of the Year her freshman and junior year. McMullen has also served as the team captain in volleyball, basketball and softball both her junior and senior years. She has recently been awarded the National Student-Athlete Day Award by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

During McMullen's high school career, she has been a member of the yearbook and newspaper staffs, a student ambassador, and was active in Campus Ministry and S.O.D.A. (Student Organization for Developing Attitudes). As a member of S.O.D.A., she was selected to work with ESL (English as a Second Language) children to help develop their English skills.

McMullen will join her brother, Brian Jr., at the University of Notre Dame. She is the daughter of Brian, Sr. and Margaret McMullen of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Warrenton.

Jennifer Bradley is the salutatorian for the commencement ceremony. Bradley is an honor roll student, inducted into the National Honor Society her junior year and is currently the National Honor Society president. She was a semi-finalist for the University of Virginia Jefferson Scholarship, a nominee for the Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine and recipient of a Youth Leadership Award from the Frederick County-Winchester Chamber of Commerce.

Bradley was awarded NDA's Scholar-athlete Award for the 1996-97 school year. She has been a varsity letterman in tennis and basketball for four years and also a letterman in softball. She was named to the Delaney Athletic All-Conference teams in tennis and basketball. Jennifer was awarded the Comus Award for Leadership in tennis in 1997 and the Coach's Award for leadership in basketball for the 1997-98 season. She also received the National Student-Athlete Day Award. Bradley has served as a captain in tennis, basketball and softball her junior and senior years.

Bradley has served on the Student Council for the past two years and is also a member of the yearbook and newspaper staffs. She will attend the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in the fall. She is the daughter of Patrick and Jeane Kidwell of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Warrenton, VA.

In addition to McMullen and Bradley, other seniors have received honors at various colleges and universities. Jennifer Ellestad and Meaghan Riley were both accepted at Virginia Commonwealth University. Ellestad was selected for the Arts Foundation Program and Riley was accepted into a special radiology program.

Virginia Division II Basketball Player of the Year, Fred Primus, received a full scholarship to University of Pittsburgh. Stephan Bekale has also signed onto a Division I school to play basketball, receiving a full scholarship to Penn State University. Fifteen of the 34 graduates have been offered scholarships, with Sean Higgins taking the top honor with six scholarships. Higgins will attend James Madison University in Harrisonburg.

Graduates of NDA's class of 1998 are: Stephan W. Bekale, David L. Blevins, Jennifer A. Bradley, Antonio M. Burke, Wendi M. Burns, Brian D. Clark, Miatta N. Cleveland, Elizabeth McKelvy Costin, William W. Devers, Chelsea C. Dickens, Erin M. Drinkwater, William B. Duffy, Jennifer A. Ellestad, Catherine E. Fennerty, Lisa M. Han, Sean P. Higgins, Marion J. Johnson II;

Sat Darshan Kaur Khalsa, Rachel B. Lane, Sean L. McManus, Megan N. McMullen, Christopher R. Opfer, Fred E. Guy Primus, Paul M. Provissiero, Melissa A. Rader, Meaghan E. Riley, Joseph M. Romano, Jeanne-Marie Schalestock, Manisha H. Singh, Scott S. Sherman, Curtis C. Washington III, Gerard A. White, Elaine Woode and Elizabeth B. Wright.

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