Community
Dr. Joseph A. Congeni, medical director of the Sports Medicine Center at Akron Children’s Hospital, received the Dr. Carl E. Krill Award from the St. Sebastian Parish Knights of Columbus. He was honored for many professional and personal efforts in youth sports.
Education
Two Kent State lighting-design students won awards in a national lighting-design competition at the 64th annual Southeastern Theatre Conference in Louisville, Ky. Senior theater design major Carly Shiner of Uniontown placed first in the Undergraduate Lighting Design category for her work on The Rocky Horror Show at KSU in November. Junior theater studies major Margaret Peebles of Cuyahoga Falls placed third for her lighting design of Big Love performed last fall.
Kent State senior fashion design major Jillian Miranda won three awards at trade-show organizer Outdoor Retailer’s signature design competition. She placed first in the design concept and second in the produced prototype section.
Longtime music educator and advocate for the arts Gary DeVault received the Distinguished Service Award from the Ohio Music Education Association. DeVault was music director for Southeast Local Schools and a fine arts consultant at Wayne County Schools (now the Tri-County Educational Service) before retiring in 2011. He is an adjunct music instructor at the College of Wooster.
Para M. Jones, president of Stark State College, received the 2013 Greater Stark County ATHENA Leadership Award for professional excellence, community service and for leadership.
Malone University music major Laurel Weir won first place in Tuesday Musical Club’s Arden J. Yockley Scholarship competition. Voice majors from throughout Ohio competed. Weir, a native of Canton, is pursuing a second bachelor’s degree in music from Malone. She teaches at GlenOak High.
Several area high school students received awards at the 2013 JA Titan Challenge at the University of Akron. Teams of three used Junior Achievement’s JA Titan simulation program to make decisions while managing their own virtual business and were challenged to outperform other teams. Winners for the first-place team, Brennan Scott, Nick Giachetti and Jordan Frederick from Highland High School, each received a $400 scholarship to the school of their choice. The second-place team from Hudson High was composed of Patrick Stepanek, Alex Williams and Brandon Collins. Evan Kish and Justin Parker from Copley High came in third place.
Carol Sheriff has won the John T. Hubbell Prize for the best article published in Civil War History during 2012. Her study on Virginia’s centennial era textbooks of the Civil War was selected by Civil War History, the quarterly KSU publication. She received a $1,000 award. Hubbell is professor emeritus of history at Kent State and director emeritus of the KSU Press.
Military
Air Force Airman James M. Schlup graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. He is a 2012 graduate of Ellet High School, Akron.
Third Navy Seaman Recruit Anthony D. Johnston, a 2009 graduate of North High School, Akron, completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., with honors.
Send notices of school, community and military accomplishment to Carol Biliczky at cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com or fax them to 330-996-3033.