Date: May 20, 2005
Contact: Irene Cromer
Community Relations Supervisor
703-791-8720

COUNTY HAS PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR AND SEMIFINALIST

Gar-Field High School senior Walter F. McClean III, the son of Walter, Jr. and Susan McClean of Woodbridge has been named one of three 2005 Presidential Scholars in Virginia. Each year, up to 141 students are named Presidential Scholars. The award is one of the Nation’s highest honors for high school students. Stonewall Jackson High School senior Stephanie R. Weldon, the daughter of Cynthia and Walter Weldon of Gainesville, was named a semifinalist in the program.

McClean, an International Baccalaureate Programme student, currently ranks first in his class. He is pursuing an international standard honors diploma. McClean has received the Principal’s Award for Excellent Academic Performance, IB Student of the Year Award, the Award for Outstanding Performance in the Community from the Dale City Civic Association, and was a commended student in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

In 2003, McClean attended the Governor’s School for theater. He has also received various Model United Nations awards at local, national, and international conferences. A member of the Gar-Field High School Drama Club and Thespian Society, he is also an Advanced Fencer, a member of the Math League, Team Captain of “It’s Academic”, and President of the German Club.

McClean’s extracurricular activities include participation in the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church youth group, basketball team, and one act play performances. He is an Eagle Scout and a troop instructor with the Boy Scouts of America. He has performed community service work for Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM), moderated and presented the Environmental Treaty on behalf of the youth of Prince William County, interviewed veterans for the Library of Congress, and created and directed a service project to rebuild kiosks in Leesylvania State Park.

McClean will attend the College of William and Mary as a Monroe Scholar to study government/public policy and economics.

At Stonewall Jackson High School, Stephanie Weldon is an ESOL tutor, a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, vice president of the Spanish Honor Society, and treasurer of the National Honor Society. She is the founder/president of the History Honor Society, a Forensics Club impromptu speaker, set designer for the stage technical crew, and a Cappies play critic. Named Anthropology, Chemistry, and English Student of the Year in 2004, she was the Government Student of the Year in her sophomore year. Weldon was also formerly a Florida Teen Court Attorney. She has lived in various parts of the world including Pattaya, Thailand, Illinois, Arkansas, Texas, and Florida. Weldon will attend Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia on a full scholarship.

The Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 to honor distinguished graduating high school seniors. Semifinalists are selected from some 2,600 candidates on the basis of superior academic achievements, leadership qualities, personal character, and involvement in community and school activities.