On Thursday, June 16th, the day after graduation, five Abington Senior High School graduates and a rising senior received Congressional Award Gold Medals at the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, DC.
The graduates are Brian Agnew, Cameron Hayes, Ye Eun Kim, Madeline Reich and Brianna Yarnoff. Jared Stevenson will be a senior in the next school year and has accomplished what few others have done: to earn his Gold Medal during his junior year in high school.
Working for more than two years to earn the Gold Medals, these students each far exceeded the required 400 hours of voluntary service, 200 hours of personal development classes, 200 hours of physical fitness and a combined 10 days of adventure expedition travel.
There were 325 students from around the United States who received their Gold Medals from Congressmen and Senators. Many states had only four or five recipients. After the Award Ceremony in the Cannon Caucus Room, students and their families were celebrated at a formal dinner at the Ronald Regan International Trade Building. Speakers included Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman star), Cal Ripkin, Jr., and America Ferrera (Ugly Betty TV program star). All speakers were encouraging and inspiring.
The Congressional Award is the U.S. Congress’ Award for Youth that encourages young people to set challenging goals, find balance in their lives, learn time management and networking, and enjoy the thrill of adventure travel for a lifetime of productive citizenship.
Shown in photo: (L to R): Madeline Reich; Cameron Hayes; Brian Agnew; Jared Stevenson; Brianna Yarnoff; Ye Eun Kim and Faculty Advisor, Mary Rodgers.