From Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association

On Sunday June 3, 2012 the Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association (MVMA) hosted its 24thAnnual Academic Awards Picnic at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland. More than 300 community members attended to honor 120 outstanding students, grades K-12 within the Montgomery County Public School system. Also receiving special honor was Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Math Teacher, Mr. Khanh Pham, for his work as an educator in the MCPS system. MVMA additionally awards 2 $1000 scholarships each year to outstanding, college-bound high-school seniors who excel all-around in academics, leadership abilities, community service, and extra-curricular activities. This year’s scholarship recipients were Phuc “Philip” Dang of James Hubert Blake High School and Quyen Kieu of Gaithersburg High School. Recipients were chosen from a competitive pool of applicants. Scholarships were generously sponsored by the United Healthcare, Lani Nguyen State Farm Agency, and the Significance Foundation. Also in attendance were special guest speakers Mr. Christopher Barclay and Dr. Judy Docca from the MCPS board of Education, County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett, State Delegate Luis R. Simmons, Councilmember Phil Andrews, Alex Wong representing Congressman Chris Van Hollen, and Ken Reichard representing Senator Ben Cardin who each spoke about the value of education. MVMA works in conjunction with counselors and school staff in the MCPS annually to make Picnic a success. This year we received remarkable support from Dr. Laura Newton in connecting us with MCPS counselors to encourage the nomination of two exceptional students from each school. MVMA extends its heartfelt thanks to the staff, board, advisors, and volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure that the 24th Annual Academic Awards Picnic would be a success. The event would not have been possible if not for the support of numerous donors. We would additionally like to thank Montgomery County Public Schools and Dr. Laura Newton for helping us reach out to individual schools. Courtesy of Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association

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