St. Johns County School District -- Media Releases

About Us Menu

	Awards
	District Facts
	Grants
	Media Releases
	Programs
	Photo Galleries

Media Releases: December 16, 2003

Brandon Pence of Nease High School has been selected as St. Johns County’s Sunshine State Scholar for Mathematics and Science. He is the son of Robert and Julie Pence of South Ponte Vedra Beach.

Brandon is ranked number one is the class of 2004 and will be recognized as Nease’s valedictorian with a GPA of 4.88. He has a combined SAT score of 1550 out of a possible 1600 and has qualified as a 2004 National Merit Semifinalist.

This year’s honoree is involved in varsity tennis, Beta Club, High Q and the National Honor Society. He has been enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program for the past four years. Brandon plans to attend the University of Florida and major in mechanical engineering.

The Sunshine State Scholars Recognition Program for high school seniors was initiated in 1997 to recognize excellence in mathematics and science. As St. Johns County’s nominee, Brandon is the recipient of the annual Elaine Crutchfield Math and Science Scholarship. Elaine Crutchfield worked for the School District for 29 years, serving as both a math and science teacher before being named the district curriculum coordinator.

In recognition of her contributions to math and science education, the Curriculum Department created a special scholarship fund with the St. Johns County Education Foundation in her honor. It was decided that the Elaine Crutchfield Math and Science Scholarship would be presented annually to the district’s Sunshine State Math and Science Scholar.

The other school honorees will also receive scholarships. They are Devin Phillips of Bartram Trail High School, Devan Fullerton of Pedro Menendez High School, and Michael Hudnall of St. Augustine High School.

In January 2004 Brandon will join the district scholars in each region in taking a common mathematics/science assessment to identify the six regional scholars. The regional scholars then go on to compete for the state title.

Read more news in our Media Release Archive.

St. Johns County School District
40 Orange St. · St. Augustine, FL 32084 · 904.819.7500