Westchester County and the Jandon Foundation have announced the recipients of this year’s Jandon Scholarships. They are fifteen of the best and the brightest high school seniors from public schools across the county who have worked hard and overcome tremendous obstacles. Among this year's recipients are two White Plains High School students, Jeanie Chen and Carolina Montenegro.

Jeanie Chen is a strong language arts student who has been recognized for her outstanding achievements in French, Latin and Spanish. She is a member of the Chinese Exchange Club, the Model United Nations Club, the Yearbook Committee and the Students for a Democratic Society Club. She is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars and was a Westchester Scholar.

Carolina Montenegro plans to pursue a degree in Psychology. She has volunteered for the Reach for Success program, the Domestic Violence Mural, the S.A.I.L program and the A.C.E Tutoring program. She is a member of the National Honor Society and won the Key Leaders Recognition Award and the Reach for Success Recognition Award.

The Jandon Foundation is a private foundation created by Jane and Donald Cecil of Harrison. Their primary philanthropic interest is education and they are particularly interested in helping young people from underprivileged backgrounds. The Jandon Scholars program began in 1999 and a total of 96 students have been awarded scholarships thus far. In past years, 12-15 scholarships are awarded for $10,000 per student over four years of college. In addition to the scholarship money, Jandon Scholars are treated to social events during the year for networking, advice and support.

The O’Rourke Irish Dancers participated in the World Irish Dancing Championships in April, which was the first to be held in the United States. The White Plains  Irish Step Dancing School sent 24 dancers to compete. Pictured here is one of three Ceili Teams (8 person group dancing) who participated, placing 31st out of 104 teams. The O’Rourke Irish Dancers will be giving a recital on May 29 at Highlands Middle School (see Calendar of Events for further details).

The 8th Grade students of Good Counsel Academy Elementary School (GCA) in White Plains have had five of its class members named finalists in an essay contest sponsored by the New York State Historical Society and the Royal Netherlands Embassy. The contest was entitled, Legacies of New Netherlands; A New York State Quadricentennial Essay Contest.  

Panels consisting of historians and educators independently judged and reviewed over 180 entries across three scholastic divisions, in which Good Counsel placed five student as finalists. They were Julie Jacob, Christopher Keogh, Alexandria Gutierrez, Katharine Citrone and Callie Kanim. Kanim was named the essay contest winner and was awarded $500 for her efforts. For GCA’s part in having five finalists, the school will receive a free set of books about Netherlands history.  
GCA will hold a ceremony and photo opportunity for the finalists on Tuesday, May 5th at 8:15 a.m. on the Good Counsel Campus in the gymnasium.