News

Junior Portfolio 3D Design Class Completes their Concept Models and Presentation for Outdoor Classroom Designs

Archmere Headmaster Dr. Michael Marinelli visited Mrs. Stephanie Silverman's Junior Portfolio 3D Design class on Thursday, May 26 to discuss the next phase of the outdoor classroom project. The sixteen members of the Junior Portfolio 3D Design class recently completed their concept models and presentation for possible outdoor classroom designs. The completed models are on display in the display case in the entry of the SLC. 

 

Archmere sophomore Andy Zhu went 6-0, 6-1 to take the First Singles Tennis State Championship on May 25th at St. Andrew's School against Caesar Rodney senior Darin Jawahar. This is Andy's second year in a row to win the State Championship; he made his mark last year, winning as a 9th grader. Andy led the Archmere boys tennis team to a successful 12-2 season this spring.

Natalie Gildea '23 has been selected to represent the state of Delaware at the 2022 Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference this summer. Each year, one high school junior from every state and the District of Columbia is selected to attend the (all-expenses-paid) conference in Washington, D.C. 

Earlier this spring, the Archmere winter musical, Once Upon a Mattress, was nominated for ten Cappies Awards. This was the first time that Archmere has ever been nominated for Best Show, ties for the most nominations the school productions have ever had (drama and musical), and is the most nominations ever for an Archmere musical.

The Cappies, "Critics and Awards Program," is a program through which high school theater and journalism students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews. The Cappies is an international program for recognizing, celebrating, and providing learning experiences for high school theater and journalism students and teenage playwrights. Getting published earns a critic point towards that critic award. Archmere's winter musical, Once Upon a Mattress, was a Cappies show this year, and hosted critics from all over the Philly area.

In the rain and wind on Saturday, May 7, the boys lacrosse team took on the previously undefeated and higher ranked Sanford Warriors at home, defeating them in a notable 13-6 upset. The game also marked the fourth annual Penna Day, held in memory of Anthony Penna, attack player for the Archmere lacrosse program who passed away tragically following a car accident in October of 2017. The Auks wore commemorative red and white uniforms in honor of Anthony.

The Diocese of Wilmington St. Francis de Sales Awards Convocation for Catholic High School Seniors recognizes students for "excellence in faith development, scholarship, service, leadership and citizenship". The Convocation was held on held on Wednesday evening, April 27, at St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Newark, Delaware. Ten Archmere seniors have been recognized as award winners:

Archmere Academy senior Simi Edeki has been named a semifinalist in the 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. The United States Presidential Scholars Program is a program of the Department of Education. It is described as "one of the Nation's highest honors for students" in the United States of America and the globe. Approximately 620 semifinalist candidates were selected from nearly 3.7 million students expected to graduate from U.S. high schools in the year 2022, according to a news release from the U.S. Presidential Scholars Office. Simi is one of nine Delaware semifinalists who will be considered for the final round of U.S. Presidential Scholar, announced in May.

Archmere art student Helen Qi ‘23 has been named the recipient of the annual Michael Curcio '06 Emerging Artist Scholarship Award for her commitment to the study of art, outstanding portfolio, and originally conceived sketchbook. Helen was selected for the award by Archmere’s Fine Art Department faculty, and her work was recently highlighted at the Archmere Fine Arts Festival on April 30.

The National Honor Society recognizes students who have excelled in four areas: Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Character. The Archmere chapter requires juniors and seniors to have a cumulative weighted GPA of 3.70 or higher to qualify for membership. Members are expected to serve as peer tutors, mini-roster night guides, and participate in NHS sponsored charity programs. On April 6, returning to the theater for the first time since 2019 with one of the largest audiences in recent years, Archmere inducted 83 new members from the class of 2023 and 2 new members from the class of 2022. After a modified induction last year due to the pandemic, the academic accomplishments of our seniors were celebrated and they received full recognition after a year of serving as National Honors Society members.

At the baseball game on Friday, April 22, the Archmere team and the Wilmington Friends team wore gold laces on their cleats in support of the Go4theGoal foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children battling cancer by providing financial support, developing and implementing unique hospital programs, funding innovative research, and granting personal wishes. Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer gives local athletic teams the opportunity to support the cause by ordering gold shoelaces to wear at games, tournaments, etc. 

 

Archmere history teacher Mrs. Tara Creekmore has been nominated for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award. Mrs. Creekmore is one of two teachers in the state of Delaware nominated in the senior division of the National History Day National Contest, the largest NHD program that encourages more than half a million students around the world to conduct historical research on a topic of their choice. Students enter these projects at the local and affiliate levels, with top students advancing to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. The award is sponsored by Patricia Behring in recognition of the "pivotal role teachers play in the lives of students."

After a two-year postponement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Global Studies Program, introduced in the fall of 2019, announces two important developments: travel abroad with students in 2023 to Spain and to Belize, and the introduction of Archmere’s Global Studies Diploma.

Sophomore Alicia Chu Places Third at Senior Voice Competition

Alicia Chu ‘24, placed third in the national senior voice competition sponsored by Music Teachers National Association. Alicia, winner of the Delaware and Eastern region competitions, performed songs in four languages. Her performance was recorded in the Patio, with Christine McCloskey, piano teacher for the Institute, accompanying. Alicia is a student of Lily Zhang, a voice teacher in Texas.

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit organization that presents the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, has recognized Archmere students Grace Yang ’25 and Liz Xu '24 with National Scholastic Art Medals. Both medals were in the Drawing & Illustration category. 

On March 22^nd the Archmere girls lacrosse team took on Delaware Military Academy in their first game of the spring season, notching a dominant 19-3 win on the road. Minutes into the game, senior captain Alex Harrington started her barrage on the net, and within the first half, recorded her 100th career goal. She has been an integral midfield player on the girls lacrosse team for the past 3 years. Alex scored seven goals in the game, stopping only to celebrate with the team on the field when the 100^th hit the net. 

The Cappies, "Critics and Awards Program," is a program through which high school theatre and journalism students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews in local newspapers such as The Washington Post, Cincinnati Enquirer, Dallas Morning News, Kansas City Star, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. On March 5, the closing night of Once Upon a Mattress, the Cappies program sent twenty students from six greater Philadelphia area high schools to Archmere to critique the winter musical. 

Congratulations to all of our winter athletes who were named to the Diamond State All-Conference teams and the All-State teams. Archmere team accolades also include the Diamond State Athletic Conference Championship title for the boys basketball team and Diamond State Conference Coach of the Year for boys basketball coach Bill Ludlow. 

Congratulations to the Archmere Mock Trial team! After multiple rounds of competition and a thrilling and closely scored championship round, the team won second place in the Delaware High School Mock Trial Competition, held the first weekend in March. For the second year in a row, the competition was held remotely via video teleconferencing, and the Archmere team competed via Zoom from several locations throughout the Patio. 

The Archmere Swim Team competed in the DIAA Swimming & Diving Championship Finals on Saturday, February 26, 2022. The State Preliminaries were held during the week, with finals taking place all day Saturday at the University of Delaware. The State Championship Meet is a qualifying meet, and this year four members of the boys' team and four members of the girls’ team earned a spot.  

Youth Art Month, traditionally recognized during March, celebrates visual art education for schools through art shows, special exhibits, fundraisers, and community activities. It is a month of promoting art and art education in the United States. Thousands of K-12 schools participate, often with the involvement of local art museums and civic organizations.

Archmere’s administration has commissioned Mrs. Silverman’s Junior Portfolio 3D Design students to develop original concepts for a site-specific outdoor classroom space, to be built behind the Manor near the baseball field. The outdoor classroom is supported by a gift from the classes of 2017 and 2021.

Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science Competition

On Wednesday, February 23, 8 teams of 2 - 4 students (17 girls and 10 boys) participated in the Delaware TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science). The theme for the 2022 event was Engineering in Entertainment, for which each team wrote an essay on designing a 21st century stadium, took a rigorous skills test, then worked together on a design/build challenge. The competition was held in the SLC at Archmere.

The goal of TEAMS is to have students work collaboratively to develop practical and creative solutions to real world engineering problems. High school teams that rank 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the Best in State rankings or that achieve a minimum combined score are eligible to compete in the national TEAMS competitions. The scores from this month's competition will be released next month.

The Archmere Academy Wrestling team finished 9th out of 18 teams at the 2022 DIAA Independent Qualifier on Saturday, February 19. Six wrestlers finished in the top 8 in their weight class including three that qualified for the DIAA Individual Championship Tournament. Brandon Carr ’25 and co-captains Luke Kryka ’22 and Conor France ’22 earned the opportunity to compete for a State Championship this weekend. 

Archmere senior Jocelyn Zavala Garcia was notified last week that she won first place in the prestigious Herschel Workshop Design Challenge sponsored by Herschel Supply Company, Pensole Academy, and the National Art Education Association. In January, Jocelyn was named one of 20 semifinalists and won a coveted spot in the Pensole Internship program, a live mentorship with practicing professional creatives and industrial designers employed at Pensole and Herschel. Last week she was named the $10,000 grand prize winner, earning an on-site internship in Canada, and the opportunity to be featured at the NAEA 75th Conference Panel event in New York City via a pre-recorded interview, along with the Herschel Supply Co. founders.

Archmere Academy seniors Simi Edeki, Eddie Zhang and Nicholas Zhu have met all requirements to advance to the Finalist standing of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) after being named Semifinalist in September 2021. These academically talented seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered to the winners. The selection of approximately 7,500 Merit Scholarship award winners from the group of nearly 16,000 will be decided in March.

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. The winner of this year’s Delaware Congressional Art Award is Archmere senior Sydney Boyd. Her photograph, Firefly, was selected from the Scholastics Art Awards Gold Key works to represent the state of Delaware in the Congressional Arts Competition program. Firefly won a Gold Key award in January.

Archmere senior Conor Udovich has been named winner of the 2021 Michael DeLucia Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to a senior football player from a Delaware Catholic high school. The award is presented to a player who has exemplified outstanding performance, attitude and character on and off the field. The DeLucia award was announced at the Archmere football team breakfast on January 9th. Conor follows in the footsteps of his father, Patrick Sr., uncle, Mike Udovich, and brother, Patrick Jr., as winners of the award for Archmere. 

Archmere's 10-12th grade Math League team played in 4 rounds of online competition, from November to January, winning matches against Odessa High, Tower Hill, St. Andrews and Charter School of Wilmington. The last match ended in a 26 to 26 tie, with Archmere earning a lower top 5 average time! The team ranks 2nd in the state at the end of the Scrimmage Phase, and now heads into 3 weeks of playoffs.

In their most exciting game of the season, the Archmere girls basketball team traveled to Ursuline on February 1, defeating the Raiders 38-36 at the last second with a "buzzer beating" shot by senior Lauren Kim. Archmere held the lead until early in the fourth quarter, when the Raiders tied the score at 30. The game was back and forth until the last timeout, and in 17 seconds Archmere executed their final play - perfectly.

In this year's Scholastic Writing Awards, seven Archmere students earned fourteen awards in six different categories, including: Personal Essay and Memoir, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Journalism and the Critical Essay. Junior Alex Chen earned the nomination for the highly prestigious American Voices Award, for the second year in a row.

Carrie Wiig's '24 painting, Encircled, was selected as one of the Delaware Regional Scholastic Art Awards' American Vision Nominees. Each region selects five works to nominate for the American Vision award, the five best in show awards in the state of Delaware. One of the five nominees will be selected by the National Scholastics program to represent the Delaware Region.

Congratulations to Archmere junior Alex Chen for winning the Third Prize in Economics from the John Locke Institute's 2021 Global Essay Competition. Alex competed against students from all over the world in this prestigious event, writing an economic essay titled, “Oxford’s Role in the Fight Against Inequality: From Serving the Elite to Uplifting the People”. First place went to a student in the United Kingdom, and second place to a student in India. All of the essay prizes were judged by senior academics from the University of Oxford, who chose an overall 'best essay' across seven subjects: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology and law.

For the second consecutive year in a row, Archmere art students have won more Gold Key awards and more individual awards than any other school in the state of Delaware, sweeping the 2022 Statewide Scholastic Art competition. Sixty-one Archmere Academy students have been recognized with 126 awards in 15 Art and Design categories and 3 Portfolio Awards, in the nation’s most prestigious and competitive contest for excellence in fine art. 

Senior Jocelyn Zavala Garcia ’22 is one of 20 semi-finalists in the prestigious Herschel Workshop Design Challenge sponsored by Herschel Supply Company, Pensole Academy, and the National Art Education Association. Students designed a concept for Herschel backpack to compete for one of the coveted spots in the Pensole Internship program, which runs for five weeks, starting January 11. Jocelyn will participate in live mentorship with practicing professional creatives and industrial designers employed at Pensole and Herschel. Following the internship in February, two finalists will be selected.