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The Ocean City Board of Education recognized four students Wednesday for putting "will and skill together to do something extraordinary."
Superintendent Kathleen Taylor read heartfelt tributes and testimonies to not only their particular achievements but to their character and poise as part of the school community.
Honored were:
KAITLYN FOX
"Wow," City Council President Tony Wilson said in a one-word delivery.
"You stole my speech," Cape May County Surrogate Susan Sheppard said.
Fox, an Ocean City High School senior, scored a perfect 36 on the ACT test (along with only one-tenth of one percent of other students nationwide taking the test). She has a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SAT (taking time out in the middle of the test in a fruitless search for batteries for her calculator). And she boasts a 4.8687 grade-point average.
She's been named a 2014 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program candidate.
A cashier at a local marina, Fox is interested in martial arts and guitar. She's applied to MIT and a handful of Ivy League schools.
SAMANTHA RAVELLI
Ravelli, an Ocean City High School junior, overcame the challenges of dyslexia to become "a positive what-you-hope-for type of student" and to earn a full scholarship to St. Joseph's University.
Starting as a shy fourth-grader, Ravelli "now typifies confidence and grace," Taylor said.
Not only has Ravelli triumphed over her own challenge but she has successfully advocated for state legislation to help other students with dyslexia.
JACKSON NEILL
Neill is a popular sportswriter in Ocean City and a columnist for the Ocean City Sentinel — not bad for a 13-year-old Ocean City Intermediate School seventh-grader.
Sentinel Editor and Publisher David Nahan said he has worked with lots of student contributors over the years, but few have shown the diligence of Neill, who started his "Sideline Report" in the fall and is still going strong in January and February.
Neill also writes a sports blog (
www.jacksonsportstalk.com) and has a radio show online (
www.blogtalkradio.com/jackson-sports-talk).
An all-A student, Neill is "wise beyond his years" and hopes one day to attend Syracuse University, according to Taylor.
JULIA WILSON
Wilson, an Ocean City Intermediate School fifth-grader, has a voice "that extends to the very soul of her audiences," Taylor said.
Since making her public debut with a rendition of "God Bless America" during the swearing-in of Cape May County freeholders in January 2011, Wilson has performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at many Ocean City events.
Not only does Wilson have a unique talent in her singing but she is a top student and a "peacemaker" at Ocean City Intermediate School, a student with a ready smile and a bridge between other students, according to Taylor.
City Council President Tony Wilson (Julia's father, who was filling in for Mayor Jay Gillian), County Surrogate Sue Sheppard, state Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak and state Senator Jeff Van Drew were on hand to speak about each of the four students.
