Severn News

Breaking Boundaries and Discovering What Matters

10/31/2023

Through the Van Eney ‘09 Fellows Program, select seniors transcend our traditional curriculum with a year-long intellectual pursuit that reflects their growing interests and passions. To complete this year of independent study, our students must demonstrate genuine curiosity and a commitment to pushing past their academic boundaries. And with so many obstacles to overcome these last few years, we are reminded that mentorship and support are equally important to the program. In the spirit of true fellowship, our 21-22 Fellows hosted two events inviting all members of our community to share in their inspiration, challenges, and discoveries: a fair for their peers and an evening of presentations for families.

THE FELLOWS FAIR

After a successful inaugural Fellows Fair last year, this event has become a great way for Severn students and faculty to see what the Fellows have been working on throughout the year! With our Fellows presenting in different classrooms on a rotating schedule, students and faculty could see all of the presentations in a more intimate setting, ask questions, watch films, listen to music, and interact with the Fellows and their projects.

AN EVENING WITH THE VAN ENEY '09 FELLOWS

After a limited evening event last year, we were excited to welcome family, friends, and students to the Fellows evening presentation event. Program director Ms. Mary Ellen Carsley began the evening with a heartfelt thanks to the Eney Family for their continued support of the program. Then she spoke about this particular group of Fellows and their incredible dedication to the Fellows program and their projects throughout the year. Following her introduction, each Fellow took the stage, led the audience through their year of discovery, and thanked their faculty mentors for guidance and support.

THE PROJECTS

Although the pandemic presented many obstacles, it also opened doors to new traditions. Following in the footsteps of their 2020 and 2021 predecessors, our Fellows again created short videos to highlight their findings and overall experience in the program. Check out all of their videos below!

They also created websites documenting every step of the process from inspiration and initial meetings with mentors last summer to the completion of their work this spring.

Daniel Berlin '22, Building a Sports Nutrition Brand, a deep dive into learning what it takes to develop a company from ideation to launch. Click here for Daniel's website.
Ella Fingado '22, Something Delightful, a podcast that simplifies complex social and political discussions pertaining to our modern world. Click here for Ella's website.
JP Meyers '22 and Campbell Grimes '22, Modeling an NFL Draft Board, a statistical analysis of the NFL Draft. Click here for JP and Campbell's website.
Rachel Weinberg '22, Filmmemory, a composition of wedding videos that explores the art of preserving a couple’s love story through film. Click here for Rachel's website .
Chase O'Malley '22, Bacteria2Blood, a 3-phase project that seeks to research the creation of synthetic blood in the lab. Click here for Chase's website.
Devan Williams '22 and Keiran Collins '22, The Experience, a podcast that truly captures the modern-day athletic experience and recruitment process of high school athletes. Click here for Devan and Keiran's website.
Kenna Paquin '22, Hooked: A Young Adult Adventure Romance Novel, the first draft of a young adult novel. Click here for Kenna's website.
Alex Brenia '22, Severn Valor at Guadalcanal, a project that shares the stories of Severn alumni RADM Herbert Schonland and RADM Bruce McCandless through original documents and model-building. Click here for Alex's website.
Elizabeth Biran '22, Through My Eyes: The Immersive Synesthesia Experience, an immersive art exhibit that depicts the hidden world of synesthesia, a neurological condition. Click here for Elizabeth's website.
Alexa McFall '22, Backyard Beekeeping, raising awareness on declining bee populations, and encouraging others to become backyard beekeepers. Click here for Alexa's website.
Nate Krall '22 and Zach Roberge '22, The TechnoCart, a mobile operation center tailored for all things Severn Robotics. Click here for Nate and Zach's website.

IN HONOR OF VAN ENEY '09

The program honors Van Eney '09, who died in a tragic accident in June 2011. In his short life, Van made an impression on all those whose paths he crossed. His quiet reserve masked a carefree and fun-loving guy who brought great humor, joy and love to his family and friends. He was a devoted son and brother and a loyal, generous friend, who exhibited kindness and consideration to all. An avid football and lacrosse competitor, his selflessness showed in his concern for his team and teammates’ success over any individual accolades. With these traits in mind, the Severn Fellows Program was named in Van’s memory as a testament to who he was and how he lived his life.

Click here for more about the program

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