Harvard Club of Merrimack Valley's Harvard Book Award at Philips Academy

Andover, Mass., May 22, 2014
– Richard Soo Hoo, Harvard Club of Merrimack Valley Chairman, presented the
Harvard Prize Book this year to Thea Rossman of Phillips Academy.

Thea Rossman is from Charlottesville, Virginia and is
concentrating in History with a  focus on
US History.  This summer, Thea will be
conducting an independent project studying race and ethnics in Appalachia using
the resource archives of Berea College in Kentucky. 

Thea is creating, editing, and publishing her campus
interview research book "Out of the Blue" which is being incorporated
into the Phillips Academy English curriculum and academic strategic plan.  In addition to Gender Studies, she is also
engaged in Physics, Calculus, and American Literature.

In promoting global citizenship, Thea will be returning to
India for a second year leading students in international travel to Mumbai and
Admedebad as a proctor.  Locally, she
volunteers as a tutor in English as a Second Language and helps applicants pass
the US Citizenship Test in Lawrence, MA. Thea also competes in JV Soccer and is
a Nordic Skiing varsity letter candidate for Phillips Academy. 

The Harvard Prize Book is awarded to the
outstanding student in the Junior year who displays excellence in scholarship
and high character, combined with outstanding personal achievement in other
fields. The winners of this Award, through their intelligence and variety of personal
achievement, exemplify Harvard’s commitment to excellence.

The Harvard Prize Book winner is
selected by the high school’s faculty and guidance counselors and is presented by
a member of the Harvard Club of Merrimack Valley at an annual school-wide award
ceremony. This year’s books were generously donated by Enterprise Bank.

The Harvard Prize Book Award was
established by Harvard Alumni in 1910 as part of an effort to identify talented
young students and to attract their attention to the unique educational opportunities
at Harvard. 

In the Program’s first years, the
Harvard Prize Book was awarded at only a handful of schools in the New England
area.  Today, the Harvard Prize Book is
awarded in more than 1,900 schools around the world.

The Harvard Club of Merrimack Valley welcomes new members
who are graduates of all Harvard University schools, faculty members or
administrative staff.  The HCMV sponsors
a variety of educational events as well as social events year round, including educational
sessions, annual dinners and lectures by Harvard faculty and staff.  The HCMV is also involved with college fairs,
scholarships and philanthropic projects, and annually grants the Harvard Prize Book
Award at local high school graduations.  . 

For more information about the Harvard Club of Merrimack
Valley, visit our website http://harvardclubmv.com/.

PHOTO:  Richard Soo
Hoo (left) with Thea Rossman (right).