Congratulations to Rivermont Collegiate junior Pavane Gorrepati, who has received the Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award!  This prestigious award is a project-based scholarship for Iowa high school juniors and is unique in the fact that grades, test scores, essays, and financial need are NOT evaluated.  Students are selected on the basis of submitted project proposals of their own choosing and design.  Pavane's outstanding proposal, Sending Seeds Overseas, has earned her a chance at a $5,000 scholarship.  Pavane will complete her project before October, when she will present it at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum in West Branch, IA along with 14 other student finalists.  At that time, each finalist will receive $1,000 for participating in the program and a committee of accomplished Iowans will choose three students to win $5,000 college scholarships.

The award honors Iowa native and 31^st president Herbert Hoover - the name is taken from his "On the Uncommon Man" speech.  As part of the program, Pavane will spend a weekend in West Branch in June learning about President and Mrs. Herbert Hoover, including special tours of the Hoover Presidential Library-Museum and the Hoover National Historic Site.  This weekend offers finalists a framework to understand the inspiration for the award and to meet other student finalists.

In addition to being an Uncommon Student, Pavane was a Senior Champion at the 2010 Eastern Iowa Science & Engineering Fair (EISEF) for her project Warning about Warming: A Global Problem with a Fuel Cell Solution and presented fuel cell projects at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) in both 2009 and 2010.  She is a recipient of a Borlaug-Ruan International Internship, which will take her to the China National Hybrid Rice Research & Development Center this summer to conduct research.  In addition, Pavane will travel to the National History Day Competition in Washington, D.C. in June as part of a group performance with fellow Rivermont juniors Joann Weeks, Meghana Pagadala, and Christine Mbakwe.

Though Pavane is the recipient of many honors, the Uncommon Student is unique in that it encourages young Iowans to invest their talents in their schools, communities, and beyond - to display the skills and talents that Herbert Hoover demonstrated to spot a problem, devise a solution, and make changes when needed.  In the words of a parent of an Uncommon Student, "The Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student project pushed my daughter out of her comfort zone and challenged her to pursue a project she could get excited about.  The Hoover project required her to test her passion and commitment, and to share it with strangers."  In the words of a past Uncommon Student, "This scholarship does not grade you on your grades, test scores, or essays - just the ability to put your mind to completing something.  Explore your interests or seek what needs change.  The project can be anything you are interested in.  Think big!"

Rivermont Collegiate, located in Bettendorf, is the Quad Cities' only private, independent college-prep school for students in preschool through twelfth grade.  For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate, contact Cindy Murray, Director of Admissions, at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.  Visit us online at www.rvmt.org!

For additional information on the Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award, visit www.hooverassociation.org

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Local student graduates from Beloit College:

William A. Hawkinson, Davenport, son/Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Hawkinson, Bachelor of Arts, Economics.

Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, graduated a record 875 students during commencement exercises on May 13 and 14 including:

Rachel K Karsten of Moline with a BA in Instrument Music K-12 Ed.

SPRINGFIELD - May 30, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today released a statement on Senate Bill 2185.

"I believe everyone has the right to a first-class education, and the Illinois DREAM Act strengthens Illinois' commitment to ensuring education for all. The legislation allows private funding to be used to help students pay for higher education and to train high school counselors to assist undocumented children forward their educational careers."

"I would like to thank the numerous sponsors of this bill for their dedication to Illinois' children and their education. This legislation will support our next generation of scholars, business leaders and innovators, and I look forward to signing it."

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The University of Wisconsin-Madison has recognized students named to the Dean's List for the spring semester of the 2010-2011 academic year.  Students who achieve at a high level academically are recognized by the dean at the close of each semester. To be eligible for the Dean's List, students must complete a minimum of 12 graded degree credits in that semester. Each university school or college sets its own GPA requirements for students to be eligible to receive the honor.
To view an online listing, visit http://registrar.wisc.edu/deans_list.htm . For questions or concerns about eligibility, please contact deanslist-registrar@em.wisc.edu
Here are the students from the Quad Cities area who have received this honor:

Maria Elena Ontiveros, Bettendorf, School of Human Ecology, Dean's Honor List;

Meghan Elizabeth Khoury, Davenport, School of Human Ecology, Dean's Honor List;

Mehmet Gultekin Badur, Moline, College of Engineering, Dean's Honor List;

Andrew James Hoogerwerf, Rock Island, College of Engineering, Dean's Honor List

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Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin has announced that William A. Hawkinson, Senior, and Devin T. Lundy, Freshman, both from Davenport, have achieved academic distinction during the Spring term of the academic year and has been named to the Dean's List, which recognizes students who have maintained at least a 3.4 cumulative grade point average for the semester.

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