Three Severn Juniors Receive the Outstanding Student Achievement Award

Reprinted from The Capital Gazette.
Each year The Capital Gazette, Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, and other local groups elect students to receive the Outstanding Student Achievement Award. This year, three Severn juniors were honored at the award ceremony on March 7th along other outstanding students from the Anne Arundel County community. Join us in congratulating Aarushi Negi '19, Danielle Drury '19, and Jimmy Leroux '19 for their remarkable academic achievement, success in the visual or performing arts, and/or exceptional citizenship in our school and surrounding community. Click here to read the article in its original location.

Aarushi Negi

Severn School award winner poses for a photo.
As a sophomore, Aarushi Negi was awarded the prestigious Carson Scholarship for exceptional students who are dedicated to serving their communities. A fixture on the Head of School’s List, Aarushi shines in the classroom, asking questions that elevate the learning for all around her.

A leader of Severn’s Community Service Committee, Aarushi possesses an exceptional commitment to improving lives. In addition to tutoring students in math and volunteering at Anne Arundel Medical Center, Aarushi created the “Music for the Soul” project at Sunrise Senior Living in Severna Park. The goal of Aarushi’s project is to use music to enhance the quality of life for residents with dementia. To start, Aarushi interviews each resident to create a custom playlist which she downloads on a donated iPod. Over the past two years, Aarushi has collected numerous iPods, headphones, and hundreds of dollars in iTunes gift cards, permitting each resident to have his or her own iPod. She then sits with residents for thirty-minute increments as they listen to and reminisce about songs they loved in their youth.

In order to reach as many residents as possible, Aarushi has inspired her classmates to volunteer as well. Now she is moving on to the next phase of her project, reaching out to community service groups at local high schools to garner additional participation and collecting data on how exposure to music impacts demeanor in dementia patients. Aarushi ultimately plans to publish her findings. Undoubtedly, Aarushi is well-suited for her future career as a geriatrician.

Danielle Drury

Severn School award winning student.
Danielle Drury is the engine which powers Severn School’s Class of 2019. She has set a new standard of leadership by focusing more on results than on seeking the spotlight. While every student sees the public face of her duties as President of the junior class, few know that she spends countless hours organizing events, coordinating with student organizations and faculty, reaching out to vendors, and doing the assorted other tasks her position demands.
Her leadership is rendered ever more effective because she cares so deeply about her community. She is deeply invested in the success of those around her, so she works tirelessly to make sure that Spirit Week is a success, to raise funds for the Prom, and to perform at her best on her soccer and Mock Trial teams.

Perhaps her most rewarding community endeavor has been the hours spent working to support Linda’s Legacy, delivering much-needed supplies to shelters which serve our homeless brethren.

Her talents and passions are well suited to her tentative interest in law. She enjoys developing and defending positions and is a powerful advocate for justice in any situation. In many ways, Danielle is the face of the junior class, yet she also finds time to maintain a 4.0 GPA in a curriculum filled with advanced coursework. Danielle is a gift to Severn School and inspires others to become their best selves.

James Leroux, Jr.

Severn School award-winning student.
If curiosity were the coin of the realm, James Leroux, Jr., better known as Jimmy, would be featured in Forbes magazine. He doesn’t hoard his riches, however. Indeed, he generously pays intellectual dividends to those around him. He invites debate, asks probing questions, and relishes any opportunity for inquiry and discovery.

A purveyor of ideas, Jimmy has explored every crevice of our curriculum. His love of languages and classical Western civilization led him to skip a year of Latin in order to take AP Latin this year, and he added Ancient Greek as his “elective.” Additional AP courses in English, US History, and BC calculus round out his academic program, along with an advanced course in biology.

Jimmy’s curiosity pulls him in many different directions outside the classroom, as well. Between chess, Mock Trial, the Ancient World Club, and teaching karate, Jimmy found time to run the Baltimore marathon this fall. A natural scholar and engaged campus citizen, Jimmy serves to remind us every day about the potential we hope to inspire our students to reach.

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