LCS Students Honored for Excellence in Academics, Athletics, Arts

On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, the school board honored students who represented Lynchburg City Schools (LCS) at regional, state, national, and/or international levels in academics, athletics, the arts, and more this school year. 

“This school year, our students have set the standard for excellence locally, nationally, and internationally. The talent and tenacity of our students and the teachers and coaches who have supported them is unmatched,” said LCS Superintendent Crystal Edwards.

Congratulations to the following students: 

Optimist Club Winners

• Jamel Green (Arts Award)
• James Candler (Science Award)

LCS School Board Art Award Winner

• Parker Duarte

SciFest Poetry Jam Participants

• Amelia Spendlove (2nd Place Overall)
• Ra’Melo Johnson (1st Place Overall)
• Margaret Sojka (Finalist)
• Traviona Clements (Finalist)
• Selah Bailey (Finalist)

Young Writers District Winners

• Aurora Trill (1st Place, Dictated Poetry)
• Ari Waugh (2nd Place, Dictated Poetry)
• Noelle Norris (3rd Place, Dictated Poetry)
• Eleanor Fontaine (2nd Place, Short Fiction)

SciFest Poetry Competition Winner

• Sariyah Haiston (2nd in the Region, Elementary Division)

Poetry Jam Finalists

• August Martin (1st Place, District Level)
• Anya Patel (4th Place)
• Riya Patel (4th Place)
• Aria Gugliotta (5th Place)

 Young Writers Winners

• Alethia Mortensen (2nd Place, District Level)
• Max Franco (2nd Place)
• Ruthie Yeoman (2nd Place)
• Haven Collier (4th Place)
• Ana Schewel (4th Place)
• Riya Patel (4th Place)
• Ambree Sayles (5th Place)
• Kemper Robbins (5th Place)
• Annie Richards (5th Place)
• Harrison Kershner (5th Place)
• Ella Grace Thompson (5th Place)
• Amelia Porter (5th Place)

SciFest Poetry Jam Winner

• Archie Edmunds

Math Olympiad for Elementary & Middle School (MOEMS): 6th in Regional Competition

• Hannah Kahn 
• Issac Spontarelli (7th in 5th Grade Division)
• Magnolia Chisolm 
• Archer Edmonds 
• Shreyan Mondal (5th in the 3rd/4th Grade Division)

Chess Club Tournament Champion 

• Issac Spontarelli

Regional History Day Finalists & State Competitors

• Henry Foster
• Levi Mancier
• Jaxon Stickle
• Eliza Millard-Raines
• Ian Frye
• Luca Khan
• Magnolia Chilsolm
• Eve Flavin

Stock Market Game Regional Winners

• Archie Edmonds (3rd Place)
• Claire Terry (3rd Place)

School Optimist Club Humanities Award Winner

• Saymon Zuniga

Group Awards

• Fall & Spring Girls On the Run Teams
• Young Writers Participants
• BeatBurg Poetry Participants

National History Day Regional Winners: 3rd in District - Group Exhibit

• James Proebsting
• Caroline Pollard
• Lylah Wilson
• Levi Runnels
• Earlene Ekoh

Junior Regional Honors Orchestra Students (Dunbar Middle, Linkhorne Middle, Sandusky Middle, E.C. Glass High, & Heritage High)

• Sophie Boyers (3rd overall on Viola)
• Abigail Knapp (5th overall on Viola)
• George Ownby (4th in Region on Cello)

History Day Award Winners

• Asher Foster (District level, Junior Group Exhibit)
• Ahmari Davis (Junior Group Exhibit)
• Brennan Porter (Junior Group Documentary)
• Benson Kee (Junior Group Documentary)
• Hannah Proebsting (Junior Group Documentary)
• Lucinda Pollard (Junior Group Documentary)

Cast of “The Drowsy Chaperone, Jr.” Junior Theatre Festival Award Winners

• Group Award: Excellence in Dance
• Quintin Toms (made callbacks for Choreography Video Auditions)
• Lily Yarbrough (made callbacks for Choreography Video Auditions)
• Cas Lee (All-Star)
• August (Cameron) Spencer (All-Star)

Group Award

• MathCounts: 4th in District

National History Day Participants

• Gunar Ferguson (3rd Place in Individual Website, Regional)
• Worth Sigler (2nd Place in Group Documentary, Regional)
• Zachary Bauer (2nd Place in Group Documentary, Regional)
• Matthew Divina (2nd Place in Group Documentary, Regional)
• Weston Yeoman (2nd Place in Group Documentary, Regional)
• Ryzon Vasquez (3rd Place in Group Exhibit, Regional)
• Ruth Reed (3rd Place in Group Exhibit, Regional)
• Elise Grant (3rd Place in Group Exhibit, Regional)
• Amina Burford (3rd Place in Group Exhibit, State)
• Paisley Scott (3rd Place in Group Exhibit, State)
• Allure Robinson (3rd Place in Group Exhibit, State)

Ted Offterdinger Memorial Award Recipients 

• Damarius Harris
• AJ Coles
• Elleri Turille

All-District Band

• Fiona Lockin (Concert Band Clarinet Representative)

Group Awards

• Cross Country Team: Regional Champions, undefeated season
• FCCLA Students

Band

• Adrianna Fanning (Placed in the VBODA District VI All-District)

Winner of the Optimist Club Award for Excellence in Middle School Music

• Adrianna Fanning

Boys Basketball Team

• Ahmari Saunders (Seminole District Middle School Player of the Year, Regional)

Group Awards

• Academy of the Arts: Art Exhibitors
• FCCLA Students: State-Level Membership Award
• Chorus Students

Central VA Regional Science Fair Winners

• Lindley Crosby: Grand Award Finalist in Biological Sciences and International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Competitor
• See a list of other winners here.

Girls Varsity Volleyball Team

• Virginia (Grace) Joyner (Honorable Mention)
• Jayden Smith (All-District)
• Aubri Willis (1st Team All-District, 2nd Team All-Region)
• Ava Mayberry (1st Team All-District, 2nd Team All-Region)
• Mary Kennedy (Player of the year, 1st Team all District/Region)

Boys Varsity Football Team: Region 4D Runners-up

• Jamarion Kittrell (Honorable Mention)
• Michael Thomas (Defensive Player of the Year, 1st Team All-District)
• Avante Brown (2nd Team All-District)
• Jaren Paige (Honorable Mention)
• Jamar Smith (1st & 2nd Team All-District)
• Brayden Morgan (Honorable Mention)
• Maxwell Calloway (Honorable Mention)
• Samuel Treacy (Honorable Mention)
• Jertavius Osborne (2nd Team All-District)
• Kaleb Brehm (2nd Team All-District)
• Nicholas Watson (Honorable Mention)
• DJ Ransom (2nd Team All-District)
• Jackson Moore (2nd Team All-District)
• Kenneth Smith (2nd Team All-District)

Boys Varsity Basketball Team: Co-Seminole District Champions

• James Ferguson (Honorable Mention, 2nd Team, All-District, All-Region)
• Dexter Harris (1st Team, All-District, All-Region)
• Jertavius Osborne (Honorable Mention, 1st Team, All-District, All-Region)
• Gavin Arthur (Honorable Mention, All-Region)

Boys Indoor Track Team

• Jamar Smith (Region 4D Champion for Long Jump, High Hurdles, & Dash, 2nd place Triple Jump, State Champion High Hurdles,2nd Place Long Jump & Triple Jump, 3rd Place 55-meter Dash)

Boys Varsity Wrestling Team

• Stanley Hunt (6th Place in weight class - Region)
• Divine Lawson (4th Place in weight class - Region, 8th Place in weight class - State)
• Noah Williams (5th Place in weight class - Region)

Crime Investigation II Students

• Lezlye Mason (1st Place) Evidence Collector & Packager
• Elizabeth Miles (1st Place) Note Taker & Sketcher
• Zeke Taylor (1st Place) Searcher & Photographer

Criminal Justice I Students

• Saria Alexander (4th Place, will advance to state competition)

Drafting Students: Qualified for State Competition

• Technical Drafting
  • Henry Pratt (1st Place)
  • JP Mancier (2nd Place)
• Architectural Drafting
  • Matthew Kauppi (1st Place)
  • Collin Reina (2nd Place)

Automotive Technology II Students

• Cooper Payne (2nd Place - District)

Forensics Team: VHSL Winners

• Brea Cyphert (1st Place - Dramatic Interpretation)
• Leighton Nelson (2nd Place - Prose)
• Amori Dop (2nd Place - Original Oratory)
• Chester Lobb (3rd Place - Storytelling)
• Linus Putnam (4th Place - Dramatic Interpretation)

Varsity Girls Basketball Team

• H’Niyah Phillips (Honorable Mention, All-District)
• Destiny Word (1st &2nd Team, All-District, All-Region)
• Jordan Matthews (2nd Team, All-District)
• Payton Haythe (Honorable Mention, All-District, All-Region)

Varsity Girls Swim & Dive Team

• Norah Daly (10th place 200 Freestyle Relay, State)
• Emory Hill (Class 4 State Champion 50 Freestyle; 10th place 200 Freestyle Relay)
• Audrey Miller (10th place 200 Freestyle Relay, State)
• Libbie Sommardahl (10th place 200 Freestyle Relay, State)

Theatre Students: VTA State Theatre Conference Winners

• Ronan McKinney (Top 10 in State “All Star in Acting”) 
• Ava Grace Kennedy (Top 10 in State “All Star in Acting”) - Excellence in Acting - VHSL Regionals
• Elizabeth Plucker - (3rd Place in State; Playwriting)

Varsity Girls Indoor Track

• Sonyae Gilbert (Region 4D Champ Shot Put, 2nd Place State Shot Put)
• Marianna Hall (2nd Place 4x200 meter Relay Region, 4th Place 4x200 meter Relay State )
• Nora Hamilton (3rd Place 4x800 meter Relay)
• Heaven Harrington (2nd Place 4x200 meter Relay Region, 4th Place 4x200 meter Relay State)
• Julia Hull  (2nd Place 4x200 meter Relay Region, 4th Place 4x200 meter Relay State, 2nd Place High Jump)
• Ella Layne (3rd Place 4x800 meter Relay)
• Alexandra Petty (3rd Place 4x800 meter Relay)
• Claire Ramsey (3rd Place 4x800 meter Relay)
• Renya Russell (2nd Place 4x200 meter Relay Region, 4th Place 4x200 meter Relay State)

Criminal Justice I Class (Criminal Justice Competition)

• Emily Cox (3rd Place in District, Advances to State)

Criminal Justice II Class (Crime Scene Investigations)

• Hannah Brooks (2nd Place in District - Note Taker & Sketcher) advances to state
• Zoe Peters (2nd Place in District - Searcher & Photographer)  advances to state
• Stephanie Estrada-Del Ci (2nd Place in District - Evidence Collector & Packager) advances to state

DECA Students

• Shaelynn Gatling (1st Place Selling - District)
• Ti’Yanah Thomas (1st Place Selling- District)
• Serena Hernandez (3rd Place MCS - District, 7th Place TTDM - State)
• Tayler West (2nd ENT - District)
• Essence Rosser (2nd Place HLM - District, 7th Place TTDM - State)
• Tyrese Slaughter (3rd Place PBM - District)
• Teshaauna Johnson (3rd Place RFSM - District)

Fall Stock Market Game Participants

• Jayden Colemore (2nd Place in Region)
• Mihail Shatski (2nd Place in Region)
• Brandon Billups (3rd Place in Region)
• Avery Pryor (3rd Place in Region)

Hillcats Stadium Jersey/T-Shirt Contest Winner

• Reese Korby

“The Trial of Ygor” Cast: Southeastern Theatre Conference Competitors

• Samuel Boswell (Region 3C Runner Up)
• Nisha Mangrati (Best Actor - Region 3C)

Wrestling Team

• Coach Brandon Stanbery (Region 3C Coach of the Year)
• Ronald Black (3rd Place in Region; Placed 4th in State)
• Elijah Erskine (3rd Place in Region)
• Bentley Fleshman (3rd Place in Region)
• Israel Garland (4th Place in Region)
• Matt Garland (Region 3C Champion; 6th Place in State)
• Dmitri Jones (2nd Place in Region)
• Dylan Lamar (2nd Place in Region)
• Adon Overstreet (Region 3C Champion; 5th Place in State)
• Donovan Pierce (Region 3C Champion)
• Justin Porter (Region 3C Champion; 2nd Place in State)

Forensics Student

• Indra Velasco (Placed 3rd in Super Region & Qualifies for State)

Girls Varsity Indoor Track Team

• Akera Molette (1st Place - 55 Hurdles & High Jump; VHSL State Meet)

Boys Varsity Indoor Track Team

• Marquis White (1st Place - Long Jump & Triple Jump; VHSL State Meet)

SkillsUSA Cosmetology Students

• Bella Trevey (2nd Place - District; Qualified for State)
• Raven Cooper (4th Place - District; 2nd Placed - State Championship)