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May 19, 2006
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May 19, 2006
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| Online Phonebook | Sandhills Guide | Business News | National News |
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BY DAVID SINCLAIR: Managing Editor Kelsey Bartiss, a senior at The O'Neal School in Southern Pines, received the Junior Builder's Cup from the Kiwanis Club of the Sandhills during a luncheon Wednesday at the National Golf Club. Each of the county's four high schools nominates a senior for the annual honor. Dr. David Bruton, in his introduction, called Bartiss "a remarkable young woman." The school described her as "a serene and composed young woman, a kind soul with quiet strength, an AP scholar with excellent academic standing and superior dedication to task. She leads her live with honor and integrity and strength of character, which has been both tested and proven. "Kelsey holds what is arguably the most substantial student position in our school, that of Honor Council president. ... Faculty and peers have been able to see the quiet yet essential strength of character of this young woman. We have faith in her, in her good judgment, in her basic integrity and in her ability to make decisions based on fairness. Quiet Kelsey may be, but weak she is not." Bartiss will receive a $2,000 scholarship along with an engraved silver cup. "I was very honored and very surprised," she said. "A student from O'Neal hadn't won it in years. I met the other three girls. All three are fine people. I am very flattered." The other nominees for the honor were Ann Fields from Pinecrest, Megan Racey from Union Pines and Heather Dunlap from North Moore. Each received a plaque and a $500 scholarship. Bartiss said she plans to attend William and Mary College in Virginia. She said she hasn't decided on a career just yet. She wrote in her application that she plans to major in English and history. "I particularly enjoy subjects that combine the two, such as Beowulf and other legends," she wrote. "I would like to study anthropology and archaeology (perhaps as a minor) and continue my creative writing. I will continue my study of French and also take up another language, possibly German or Polish. I would also like to study abroad again. "After I finish my undergraduate school, I plan to continue on to graduate school to earn a Ph.D in my desired field." Some of her special achievements include first place for fiction in the Moore County Writers' Competition, Wellesley College Book Award and Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award. She attended Oxford University in the summer of 2004 for script and fiction writing and the New York Film Festival Academy Camp at Princeton University. She is a member of the National Honor Society, attended Governor's School, was Morehead Scholarship nominee and is an AP Scholar. She has been a member and officer for numerous clubs and organizations at her school, including the Key Club, Student Environmental Action Club, O'Neal Volunteers and International Club. Fields plans to attend either Wofford College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or Duke. She wrote in her nomination form that she hasn't settled on a major. She is interested in environmental engineering, medicine (pediatrics) and the social sciences. Racy plans to attend UNC-Chapel Hill with plans to enter the School of Journalism and possibly major in broadcast journalism or study literature or creative writing, according to her nomination form. Dunlap plans to attend UNC-Greensboro and major in secondary education in English. Mike Thomas, who is co-chairman of the Junior Builder's Cup Committee along with Dr. David Klumpar, said the committee always has a difficult time selecting a recipient. "These students are so exceptional," Thomas said. "There is such a fine, thin line between them. The whole point of this is to recognize and honor all of these students. "They are the best of the best in our four high schools. They are all at or near the top of their class. They are incredible, when you look at what they have achieved. We just can't do enough to honor them."
David Sinclair can be reached at 693-2462 or by e-mail at dinsclair@thepilot.com. |
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