(Wilmington, Del.) The Delaware Higher Education Commission (DHEC) has announced the recipients of five state merit scholarship programs for the 2008-2009 academic year. Merit scholarships are competitive and awarded based on a student’s academic performance, participation in school activities, and service to the community. Students can apply for Delaware merit scholarships in their senior year of high school and all five awards are renewable.

Three of the programs are memorial scholarships that honor state legislators and provide full tuition, fees, room, board, and books at the public colleges in Delaware.

• The B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the former Speaker of the State House of Representatives, is awarded to one student each year enrolling at the University of Delaware.
• The Herman M. Holloway, Sr. Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the first African-American State Senator in Delaware, is awarded to one student each year enrolling at Delaware State University.
• The Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the former Speaker of the State House of Representatives, is awarded annually to one student at each school who is majoring in the humanities or social sciences. (Preference is given to political science majors.)

            Katherine Kleinot of Glasgow High School is the recipient of the B. Bradford Barnes Scholarship while Desiree Williams of Dover High School received the Herman M. Holloway,
Sr. Memorial Scholarship.  Lauren Marie Corcoran of Middletown High School and Samantha Holsey of Caesar Rodney High School are the recipients of the Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship.

The Diamond State Scholarship and the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship assist students attending regionally accredited colleges in any state. Winners of the Diamond State Scholarship receive $1,250 per year and; Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship recipients receive $1,500 per year (based upon funding from the U.S. Congress). For the 2008-09 academic year, 28 students were awarded Diamond State Scholarships and 20 students received the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship. A list of the winners for these awards follows.

“The students who compete for these scholarships have dedicated themselves to achieving a high standard of academic excellence,” says Carylin C. Brinkley, programs administrator. “There is a great deal of pride felt during the review process when you realize how committed these young people are to their education and communities. DHEC wishes all of our recipients continued success in their future academic journeys.”

Merit Award Winners 2008-2009
B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship	School
Kleinot, Katherine	Glasgow High School
Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship
Corcoran, Lauren Marie	Middletown High School
Holsey, Samantha V.	Caesar Rodney High School
Herman M. Holloway, Sr. Memorial Scholarship
Williams, Desiree M.	Dover High School
Diamond State Scholarship
Adams, Ryan Thomas	Sussex Central Senior High School
Albano, Rebekah	Cape Henlopen High School
Babb, Cera Ashleigh	Middletown High School
Browne, Alexandra P.	Mount Pleasant High School
Carbone, Janine A.	Charter School of Wilmington
Dandoy, Jeffrey R.	Salesianum School
Duffy, Sandra Emily	The Tatnall School
Elliott, Meghan Elizabeth	Caesar Rodney High School
Garibian, Andrew	Charter School of Wilmington
Ge, Jie	Charter School of Wilmington
Hahn, Alexander Robert	Caesar Rodney High School
Kmetz, Nicholas Paul	Indian River High School
Kutchen, Timothy John	Caravel Academy
Laremore, Rayelle N.	Salisbury Christian School (Salisbury, MD)
Lee, Trevor Arthur	Seaford Senior High School
Lewis, Ahren	Red Lion Christian Academy
Liu, Jeffrey	Charter School of Wilmington
Liu, Maggie Yixiu	St. Andrew's School
Lort, Maria Hope	Geneva Christian Academy
Mintzer, Kristen Marie	Cape Henlopen High School
Morgan, Brendan Kyle	Family Learning Academies, Inc.
Pafford, Sueanne Nikole	Caravel Academy
Plummer, Marissa N.	Milford Senior High School
Reese, Todd D.	The Tatnall School
Reese, Zachary A.	The Tatnall School
Taylor, Stephen P.	Glasgow High School
Wharton, Travis Edward	Sussex Technical High School
White, Nicholas Jeffrey	Caesar Rodney High School
Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship
Bryant, Emily A.	Brandywine High School
Clendaniel, Erin Melissa	Milford Senior High School
Eneva, Kalina T.	Charter School of Wilmington
Felton, Dane Edson	Charter School of Wilmington
Gao, Yingyu	Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter, NH)
Jackey, Erica	Archmere Academy
Kelley, Derrick	Lake Forest High School
Kempczynski, Ashley N.	Christiana High School
Kurian, Justin J.	Charter School of Wilmington
Lee, Conrad Michael	St. Andrew's School
Meng, Dennis Fanyu	Archmere Academy
Morgan, Kellie Brooke	Milford Senior High School
Paige, Kylie Jaye	Caesar Rodney High School
Patterson, Jason Michael	Salesianum School
Ricker, Trevor S.	Cape Henlopen High School
Ruppert, Ryan N.	Worcester Preparatory School (Berlin,MD)
Salevan, Julia Catherine	The Tatnall School
Strouss, Lisa N.	Charter School of Wilmington
Testa, Anthony John	Charter School of Wilmington
Vanvorst, Katherine E.	Cape Henlopen High School

Delaware’s Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.