45 Rhode Island Students Awarded Pell Medal for Excellence in U.S. History.
Newport, R.I. — Forty-five students from across Rhode Island have earned the Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for U.S. History this year. The award was originally presented by Senator Claiborne Pell and his wife, Mrs. Nuala Pell, recognizes college and high school students in the state who have excelled in U.S. History.
“The Pell Center at Salve Regina University is proud to honor outstanding students of American history in Rhode Island,” said Pell Center Executive Director, Dr. Jim Ludes. “Now more than ever, we need to look at history with clear eyes and understanding about our republic, its founding principles, and those examples of both when we lived up to those ideals, and when we have not.”
Established by the Pell family, the Pell Medal is named for Representative Herbert C. Pell and his son, Senator Claiborne Pell. Herbert Pell served as a member of Congress and American Minister to Portugal and Hungary, while Claiborne Pell, who is responsible for the creation of the Pell Grants and the National Endowment for the Humanities, served in the Senate for 36 years and worked to strengthen American foreign policy. The medal, which features a pelican on the left side and an anchor on the right, symbolizes the Pell family and the state of Rhode Island.
The winners of the 2020 Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for excellence in the study of U.S. History are:
Barrington
Lorelei Alverson, Barrington High School
Ethan Ciak, St. Andrew’s School
Bristol
Robert O’Dell, Roger Williams University
Central Falls
Lorraine Quintero, Central Falls High School
Coventry
Alexander Lavoie, Coventry High School
Cranston
Maura Potter, Cranston High School East
Cumberland
John Ayick, Cumberland High School
East Greenwich
Jordan Kalinsky, East Greenwich High School
East Providence
Jacob Rivet, Providence Country Day School
Alexis Silva, East Providence High School
Harrisville
Hannah Eaton, Burrillville High School
Johnston
Madisyn Turcotte, Johnston Senior High School
Kingston
Cameron W. Garvey, University of Rhode Island
Lincoln
Alec Buffi, Community College of Rhode Island
Nathan Surmeian, Lincoln High School
Nicholas Croce, William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School
Narragansett
Alison McCadden, Narragansett High School
Newport
Cailin Martin, Rogers High School
North Kingstown
Alaina Minarik, North Kingstown High School
North Providence
Nicholas Barrow, North Providence High School
Pawtucket
Erick Luciano, Blackstone Academy Charter School
Pawtucket
Enrique Echervarria, William E. Tolman High School
Daniel Soares, Shea High School
Portsmouth
Ava Park, Portsmouth Abbey School
Providence
Christopher Azar, La Salle Academy
Amarylis Cruz, Paul Cuffee Upper School
Nicholas Dwyer, Rhode Island College
Grace Jordan, Classical High School
Rachel Lynch, Providence College
Leah Marchant, Rhode Island School of Design
Dewa Putra, Central High School
Xander Schenck, School One
Kobii Spruill, Lincoln School
Leah Tabor, Scituate High School
Smithfield
Connor Henderson, Bryant University
Tiverton
Angelin Santerre, Tiverton High School
Warwick
Charlotte Frost, Pilgrim High School
Michael Graves, Toll Gate High School
Noah Sullivan, Bishop Hendricken High School
West Warwick
Grant Black, West Warwick High School
Westerly
Sean Rafferty, Westerly High School
Wood River Junction
Andrew Poirier, Chariho High School
Woonsocket
Ajiehume Ceesay, Woonsocket High School
Crickett Fisher, Beacon Charter High School for the Arts
Everett Misto, Mount Saint Charles Academy