Two Seniors Named 2019 National Merit Commended Students

Written on 25 September 2018.

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Interim Head of School Rob Blackwell announced today that Jack Hager and Morgan Klein have been named Commended Students in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, will be presented to these scholastically talented seniors. Both Jack and Morgan reside in Davidson and have attended Woodlawn since the third and fourth grade respectively.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2019 competition for National Merit Scholarship Awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2019 competition by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

“The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”

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Woodlawn is an independent school founded in 2002 and located just north of Davidson, North Carolina. Enrolling students in grades K through 12, Woodlawn is accredited by both the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and offers a challenging, project-based academic experience.

Seven graduates named Advanced Placement Scholars

Written on 25 July 2018.

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Seven of the eleven 2018 Woodlawn graduates have qualified for an Advanced Placement award, given to students who earn high scores on Advanced Placement exams during their high school years. Out of Woodlawn's 103 graduates over the past 9 years, 59 (57% of graduates) have earned an AP award.

Advanced Placement is a program offered by the College Board that gives students a chance to take college-level courses while still in high school. Woodlawn offers eight AP courses to upper school students who are looking for a challenging academic experience. Many colleges and universities grant college credit and/or accelerated class placement to students who score well on AP exams. Exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5.

Among our 2018 graduates, six students earned the "AP Scholar" designation, which requires scores of 3 or higher on at least three AP exams. Additionally, one student was named an "AP Scholar with Distinction", which requires scores of 3 or higher on at least five AP exams, with an average of 3.5 for all AP exams taken. Looking ahead to 2019, 12 students in that graduating class have already qualified for an AP Scholar award.

The 59 Woodlawn AP Scholars represent each of our nine graduating classes, and six of those students have earned the highest AP award - the National AP Scholar designation. Only about 1% of AP students nationwide receive that award each year.

• Zoe Milburn, AP Scholar with Distinction
• Dusty Delponti, AP Scholar
• Kaeden Lutz, AP Scholar
• Zander Milburn, AP Scholar
• Seth Raether, AP Scholar
• Madison Shrader, AP Scholar
• Brina Tasker, AP Scholar

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Woodlawn is an independent school founded in 2002 and located just north of Davidson, North Carolina. Enrolling students in grades K through 12, Woodlawn is accredited by both the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and offers a challenging, project-based academic experience.

Woodlawn Ranks #2 in NC 1A Schools: 2017-2018 Wells Fargo Cup Rankings

Written on 25 July 2018.

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Among the 35 schools in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) 1A division, Woodlawn School has earned second place in the 2017-18 Wells Fargo Cup competition.

The Wells Fargo Cup, presented and sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., recognizes overall excellence in high school athletics among NCISAA member institutions. As such, the cup has become the single most valued athletic achievement award in North Carolina. School rankings are determined by point totals earned through competition in state championships. Each school that finishes in the top eight of a state championship tournament receives Wells Fargo Cup points.

This year, Woodlawn ranked #2 with 287.5 points – its highest finish since joining the NCISAA in 2014. In the past three years, Woodlawn has been ranked 11th, 4th, and 5th in the Cup competition. Woodlawn earned points this year in eight different sports: boys cross country (35), girls cross country (25), boys swimming (40 points), girls swimming (25 points), boys track (35 points), girls track (45 points), boys golf (45 points), and boys tennis (37.5 points).

In Woodlawn's four years as a member of the NCISAA, the school has earned five 1A state titles and placed 26 students on NCISAA All-State teams. Additionally, Woodlawn swimming and track teams have topped the 1A rankings four times (those sports combine the 1A and 2A divisions in state championship meets).

“Our continued success in NCISAA athletics stems from having such committed athletes, coaches, parents and administration,” says Vicky Arrington, Athletic Director at Woodlawn School. “We are all thrilled with the progress we have made this year and look forward to further growth in the coming years.”

The full rankings of North Carolina schools eligible for the Wells Fargo Cup can be found here.

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Woodlawn is an independent school founded in 2002 and located just north of Davidson, North Carolina. Enrolling students in grades K through 12, Woodlawn is accredited by both the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and offers a challenging, project-based academic experience.

Berini Honored as NCISAA 1A Cross Country Athlete of the Year

Written on 17 November 2017.

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Senior Tripp Berini has had quite a ride during his four years as a Woodlawn varsity cross country runner. As a freshman, he set a personal best 5K time of 19:42, and placed 14th at the state championship meet (fourth for Woodlawn) as the Trailblazers upset heavily-favored Shannon Forest for their first NCISAA 1A title. In his sophomore season, he lowered his personal record to 18:23, and moved up to place 5th at the state meet (running in the third spot for Woodlawn), helping his team dominate the field for their second straight state championship. Tripp was nagged by injuries in his junior season, but he again came through at the state meet, placing 12th (third for Woodlawn) which allowed the Trailblazers to squeak by Halifax in a tie-breaker for their third title.

In 2017, due to the graduation of Quinn Schneider and Zach Lorch, Tripp knew that the front-running responsibilities would be falling on his shoulders. He set very high goals for himself, and then ramped up his summer training to prepare for his final year of Woodlawn cross country. Unfortunately, disaster struck in late July as he suffered a severe leg injury - as a result, he was forced to abandon running for 6 weeks and miss the first half of the season. Most runners might have assumed that their season was destroyed, but Tripp was not going to be defeated so easily. He spent many hours in the swimming pool, trying to maintain his fitness level, and carefully started running again in mid-September. By October 5th, he was still running gingerly, but competed in his first meet and ran a very respectable 19:00. Two weeks later, Tripp's hard work and careful rehabilitation paid off as he placed first in the SPAA Championship Meet with a new personal best of 18:17, leading his team to their fourth straight SPAA title. The following week at the NCISAA 1A state meet, he ran a nearly-identical time and demolished the field to take home the individual title - the third straight year that a Woodlawn runner claimed that prize.

“This has been an unforgettable season with so many unexpected turns,” said Tripp. “I really am so grateful for all the people that helped me during this season and my cross country career to achieve my goals. I'm really going to miss running here and being on this team next year, but I’m happy that I’ve contributed to the success of this team and I hope to see more success from them in the years to come!”

Tripp's success as an athlete is mirrored in the classroom - he has already been accepted at several universities and has multiple merit scholarship offers to consider as a he makes his college choice. His comeback story also caught the attention of the state running community, and he was recognized as the NCISAA 1A Cross Country Athlete of the Year, an award voted on by all NCISAA coaches. Tripp's cross country legacy at Woodlawn includes two all-state honors and three all-conference selections. His personal record of 17:58 (set at the Footlocker South Regional on Nov. 25, 2017) places him at #5 on the all-time Woodlawn 5K list.

Coach Dwayne Bowman has watched Tripp grow as a student-athlete over the past four years and noted that Tripp really rose to the occasion in his senior season when the team needed him the most. Coach Bowman stated, “Tripp is quick to credit the influence of his current and former teammates - he saw the incredible work ethic of runners like Quinn Schneider up close, and that was an inspiration for him as he faced a grueling road back to competitive racing after his summer injury. Now he has set an example for future Woodlawn runners.”

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Woodlawn is an independent school founded in 2002 and located just north of Davidson, North Carolina. Enrolling students in grades K through 12, Woodlawn is accredited by both the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and offers a challenging, project-based academic experience.